CD Review: Anthony Jefferson, "All I Am"

I am excited to share a new CD "All I Am" just released by Anthony Jefferson.  I received the review copy of this CD a while ago and only had time to preview a few of the songs.  I thought Jefferson's singing and the playlist were excellent but never got a chance to get back to it until I found myself thinking about the few songs I had heard only once so I decided to play the complete CD.  This time I fell in love with Anthony Jefferson's voice and vocialist skills.  Jefferson has a silky smooth Baritone voice and his phrasing is surpurb.  His vocal range spans several octaves from beautiful deep tones to crystal clear upper tones.   Noteworthy is his effort to sing the lyrics not only with emotion and understanding but with clarity, always making sure to never cut off the end of any words.  Anthony Jefferson is truly an example of a professional Vocalist who has studied hard to learn his trade and now is singing at the highest professional level.  At times his voice and phrasing reminds me of Nat King Cole and certainly adds to the enjoyment of his singing.

Jefferson's life experiences have left a strong mark on his singing personality.  Born and raised in New Orleans, he was singing as soon as he could talk.  He studied piano from the age of five to thirteen and attended a high school that had the best band in New Orleans.  After graduation from high school, Jefferson headed to Los Angeles to find his place in the entertainment business.  He enrolled in Los Angeles City College where he took classes in musical theater as well as the standard academic coursework.  He supported himself by working for UPS when not in classes.

Next stop was to audition for the internationally renowned California Institute of the Arts.  He was awarded a full scholarship.  He began his studies in the Classical music department and then transferred to the Jazz department where he excelled.  After two years at (CalArts) a dean suggested that the next step for Jefferson's growth should be the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

After completing two years at Berklee College of Music,  Jefferson moved back to New Orleans and opened a highly successful restaurant that hosted Jazz jams.  During the next several years while operating his restaurant, he continued performing and studying to improve his singing skills.  After several years of hard work, Jefferson decided that it was time to leave the restaurant business and take a well-earned vacation.  He loved sailing and one of the places he sailed to was the Dominican Republic where he fell in love with the lifestyle and culture.  It was during his 10-year stay in the Dominican Republic that Jefferson met multi-instrumentalist Corey Allen.  This friendship resulted in the creation of the "All I Am" CD.  Corey Allen put together spectacular String and Horn arrangements that amplify Jefferson's innate warmth and soulfulness.

Anthony Jefferson has been a major star in the Dominican Republic and now with the release of "All I am" he deserves to become a recognized star throughout the US.

Playlist:
1. "All I Am"
2. " Marnie"
3. "Besame Mucho"
4. "Night And Day"
5. "Willow Weep For Me"
6. "Summertime"
7. "Impossible"
8. "Rainy Night In Georgia"
9. "Me and Mrs Jones"
10. "In the Presence of"
11. "You've Got A Friend"

Players:
Anthony Jefferson- Vocals, Producer
Corey Allen- Piano, Keys, Arrangements
Federico Mendez- Guitar
Pengbian Sang- Bass
Esar Simo- Bass
Guy Frometa- Drums
Sly De Moya- Drums, Percussion
Tom McCauley- Guitar, Percussion

Special Guests:
Mark Rapp- Trumpet
Patricia Pereyra- Vocals
Gustavo A. Hostos- Vocals
The Corey Allen Strings:
Milena Zivkovic, Igor Vasiljevic, Zvezdana Radojkovic
The Corey Allen Horns:
Ernesto Nunez, Pedro Liberato-Trumpet
Sandy Gabriel- Alto Sax
Jesus Abru- Tenor Sax
Gabriel Parra- Baritone Sax
Carlos Torres- Trombone

Background Vocals:
Sabrina Estepan, Benny Hiraldo, Emmanuel Pena, Fende Sincere





This CD includes an eclectic list of songs from the Great American Songbook, pop music, R & B and the movies and picking just two cuts from this CD was difficult.   I settled on two "YouTubes" for you to listen to. The first is "Willow Weep For Me" and the second is "Besame Mucho" where Anthony is joined by the wonderful vocalist, Patricia Pereyra.

 

CD Review: Keith Oxman and Houston Person Release "Two Cigarettes in the Dark"

Saxophonist, Composer and Educator Keith Oxman has produced some great Jazz CDs over the years by collaborating with some of the greatest Jazz players including Tenor Saxophonist Dave Liebman, Trombonist Curtis Fuller and Alto Saxophonist Charles McPherson.  On his newest CD release, "Two Cigarettes in the Dark", Oxman has brought in the esteemed Tenor Sax player, Houston Person to join him.  Jazz giant Charles McPherson wrote the liner notes for "Two Cigarettes in the Dark" pointing out the stylistic contrast between the sounds of the two Tenors, comparing "Keith's long, flowing lines" to "Houton's warm, rich tone".   This CD has a warm and relaxed vibe and these two superb Tenor players melded perfectly together in every cut on the album.  No competition here, just mutual respect for each other's musical skills.

The playlist is interesting in that it featuring Originals, Standards and Vintage Tunes.  Keith brought along veteran Vocalist Annette Murrell to sing two of the Standards, "Everything Happens to Me" and "Crazy He Calls Me".   She sings these ballads like she has lived them.  Her rich, deep voice is filled with life experience and, she fits perfectly between these two Tenor greats! 

Players:

Keith Oxman- Tenor Sax

Houston Person- Tenor Sax

Annette Murrell- Vocals

Jeff Jenkins- Piano

Ken Walker- Bass

Paul Romaine- Drums

Playlist:

 1. "I've Never Been In Love Before"

2.  "Voss Is Bass"

3. "Everything Happens To Me"

4. "Two Cigarettes In The Dark"

5. "Bossa For Baby"

6. "Murphy's Law Impacts L.E.A.P."

7. "Crazy He Calls Me"

8. "Wind Chill"

9.  "Sweet Sucker"

10. "Murrellancholy" 

  "I've Never Been In Love Before"

                                                       "Everything Happens to Me"

CD Review: Clairdee Releases Her Forth CD, "A Love Letter to Lina"

San Francisco based Vocalist Clairdee has admired and been a fan of Lena Horne since she was four years old.  Clairdee was not just in love with Lena Horne's beautiful voice but also with Lena's intelligence, dignity, talent and willingness to fight for what's right.  In Clairdee's new CD, "A Love letter to Lena" she pays her respect to her idol with inventive arrangements of songs by Billy Strayhorn and contemporary composers with Clairdee's compelling storytelling.

According to Clairdee,  "I didn't want (this CD) to be merely a tribute album of Lena's greatest hits.   My mother passed in 2007, and I wanted the CD to reflect my parents' hopes for their children through the lens of Lena's efforts for civil rights and equality.  I also want to include a few songs that people may not be so familar with".

When you listen to the complete playlist on this CD, you will quickly realize that Clairdee has accomplished her goal.  Some of the songs on the playlist were not familiar to me but when you listen to the lyric combined with Clairdee's (Spoken Interlude) on several of the songs,  the message she wanted to send is clearly heard.

Clairdee is an accomplished, master Jazz singer with a warm, deep silky voice.  Lena Horne was one of the giants of Jazz from the time she started singing but she was so much more;  she did fight for equality throughout her life.  Clairdee has done us all a service reminding us of Lena Horne's greatness as a Vocalist and a person.  For millions of Americans, she did make a difference.
 
                                                         Playlist

                                                         
                                      The Band

 I have attached two "YouTubes" from "A Love Letter To Lena".  The first is the classic "Old Devil Moon" recorded in a Latin groove and the second is an up-tempo version of "Lady be Good".


                                                                    "Old Devil Moon"

"I want to be happy"

CD Review: John Vanore, "Primary Colors"

Trumpeter, Composer, Producer, Educator and Bandleader John Vanore has just released a long-forgotten studio recording of a duet he recorded in the mid-80s with his friend and frequent playing partner, Pianist, Composer and Educator Ron Thomas.  Both players have had stellar musical careers and their new CD, "Primary Colors" was produced from studio recording tapes recorded during 1984 and 1985.  Both Vanore and Thomas have covered a lot of musical ground since 1985.  It is interesting to listen to the cuts on this CD and discover that both these master musicians were brilliant musicians even 35 year ago.  John Vanore's tone and phrasing on the 7 songs on this CD are sparking good!  Ron Thomas' mastery of the (at the time) cutting-edge Yamaha DX-7 is very interesting.  In 1985 most musicians were just starting to experiment with the DX-7 but clearly Ron Thomas was leading the charge.

According to Vanore "The sessions' only protocol was a willingness to experiment in the way of sound, song form and more. We weren't approaching this stuff like head/solos/head.  Our approach was more compositional and spontaneity was also paramount, and while there may be overdubbed layers at various points, a single-take ethic was honored throughout the informal sessions."

Even though the music on this CD was recorded years ago, it still sounds fresh and new which is a testament to the high quality of these two talented musicians.

Players:
John Vanore: Trumpet & Flugelhorn and Producer
Ron Thomas: Piano, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha DX-7

Playlist:
1. "Final Dawn"
2. "Lady"
3. "Yesterdays"
4. "A Time For Love"
5. "Origins of Rude"
6. "Return"
7. "Secret Love" 

I have attached two "YouTube" videos for your listening pleasure.  The first is the beautiful classic written by Johnny Mandel, "A Time For Love".   The second is the Jerome Kern gem, "Yesterdays"  I know you will enjoy both.

                                                                    "A Time For Love"

                                                                          "Yesterday"

CD Review: Henry Franklin and Robert Turner and "3 More Sounds" Release "Ghetto Princes" A tribute to Gene Harris

Henry "The Skipper" Franklin and Robert Turner and their group " 3 More Sounds" have produced and recorded a terrific new CD that is a tribute to Gene Harris.  The idea for the CD was born when Robert's and Henry's paths crossed in 2014 in Hangzhou, China.  Henry was just finishing  a tour gig in this Chinese city and  Robert was just coming in to replace Henry Franklin's Band.   Henry Franklin had worked with Gene Harris on numerous occasions and Robert Turner always treasured Gene Harris as one of his playing heros.  As soon as Robert found out that Henry had a long playing history with Gene Harris, he couldn't ask questions about Gene quick enough. After many hours of discussion,  these two major players decided that they would someday cut a CD as a tribute to Gene Harris and "Ghetto Princes" is the result.  As you listen to the cuts on this new CD,  you will hear Robert at times playing very much in the Gene Harris fashion.

Robert Turner is one of the brightest musical stars playing today and his ability to arrange and swing music is recognized throughout the Jazz world.  He is not just a casual player, Robert is a fine technician and has a clear understanding of music composition and how it develops.  I have heard him playing live with several artists and he can handle any kind of music for vocalists or instrumentalist with easy, style, and creativity.

Henry "The Skipper" Franklin is a living legion and continues to impress Jazz lovers wherever he performs.  I have heard him with small trios and also with big Jazz groups and he can do it all.  His high level of Bass playing is internationally known and sought out.  He has a long list of Jazz giants that he has worked with like Roy Ayers, Gene Harris, Freddie Hubbard and Joe Williams just to name a few.

Joining these two remarkable Jazz performers is Khoran Harrison on Drums.  Khoran and Robert have been playing friends since they were teenagers and know each others' playing style inside out.  Veteran Drummer Carl Burnett was added as a special guest and he plays Drums on Cuts 2, 4 and 9.

"Ghetto Princes" is an easy listening Jazz recording because it's simply great Jazz music and arrangements.  No gimmicks or tricks here,  just great American Jazz!

Playlist:
1. "Ghetto Princes"
2. "Besame Mucho"
3. "Willow Weep For Me"
4. "Uptown Sop"
5. "I Thought About You"
6. "Love For Sale"
7. "You Don't Know Me"
8. "Battle Hymm of the Republic"/  "John Brown's Body"
9. "Things Ain't What They Used To Be"

Players:
Robert Turner- Piano
Henry "The Skipper" Franklin- Bass
Khoran Harrison- Drums
Carl Burnett- Drums  Cuts 2, 4, and 9

I have attached two "YouTube" videos for your listening pleasure.  The song is Cole Porter's "Love For Sale" that features a terrific Bass solo from Henry Franklin.  The second song is an up-tempo version of "Besame Mucho" composed by Consuelo Velazquez.

CD Review: The Coachella Valley Trio, "Mid Century Modern"

Guitarist Doug MacDonald has just released a new CD, "Mid Century Modern" with his trio, "The Coachella Valley Trio". "Mid Century Modern" is a phrase visitors to the Palm Springs California area frequently hear.  It brings to mind American Modernism and its distinctive architecture that had its roots in not only Palm Springs but in the entire Coachella Valley area.   The life style in this area of California has its own vibe and it's cool and chilled.  Live Jazz music is alive and well in the Coachella Valley and Guitarist, Composer and Arranger, Doug MacDonald is in the forefront of the musical action.  Doug is one of the finest guitar technicians performing today and is highly sought out by Jazz venues from coast to coast.  When Doug is not traveling for out of state gigs, he is performing at many different Jazz sites including AJ's on the Green in Cathedral City every Wednesday.  In addition, Doug hosts a local Jazz radio show on a small but excellent non-profit 24-hour Jazz station in Palm Desert, CA,  KAJI Radio.   Doug's Trio, "The Coachella Valley Trio"  has been performing in the Coachella Valley Jazz clubs for several years and has developed a large following of fans.  The trio consists of Doug MacDonald on Guitar, Larry Holloway on Bass and Tim Pleasant on Drums.  Doug invited special guest, Big Black who plays the Djembe to join the group on several cuts.

Larry Holloway is one of the most respected Bass players in the West and in addition to all his playing gigs he finds time to manage the renowned "Coachella Valley Symphony".  Tim Pleasant, the Drummer for the group and Doug have known each other for years preforming together in the Valley and also in the New York area.  As a result of the talent level of these three musicians and the length of time they have played together, the sounds from the trio at times seem to be merged into one voice.  I had the pleasure of hearing Big Black play with this group recently at AJ's and he adds a special element of excitement to this wonderful trio.

There are 11 wonderful songs on this CD,  8 beautiful standards and 3 original songs written by Doug,  So you get to hear some great standards and also experience Doug's excellent composing at the same time.

Players:
Doug MacDonald, Guitar
Larry Holloway, Bass
Tim Pleasant, Drums
Special Guest, Big Black, Djembe

Playlist:

1. "My Shining Hour"
2. "Lance or Lot"
3. "Cat City Samba"
4. "Tran Jam"
5. "What's New"
6. "Give Me The Simple Life
7. "Stranger in Paradise"
8. "I Hadn't Anyone Till You"
9. "Woody'N You"
10. "Bossa Nueva"
11. "The Way You Look Tonight"

I have attached two "YouTube" videos for you to listen to.  The first is a tune written by Doug, "Cat City Samba".  The second "YouTube" is the Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen gem, "My Shinning Hour".
                                                                "Cat City Samba"
     
                                                                            

"My Shining Hour"

                                           

CD Review: Jeff Rupert & George Garzone, "The Ripple"

I have a real treat for anyone who loves to listen to the great Tenor Sax players of years gone by.  I just listened to a new CD, "The Ripple" featuring Jeff Rupert and George Garzone that was just released in January of this year and it's a listening celebration of the sounds of great Tenor Sax playing.  The title of this CD refers to the far-reaching effects of the great Lester Young and his playing influence on many of the great players who followed him.  By the late 1930's, Young emerged as the most profound improviser since Louis Armstrong.  He influenced not only Saxophonists, but Pianists, Trombone players and others who learned to improvise through Young.  Loved by all and nicknamed "Prez" by Billie Holiday, Lester Young brought individual style, song and concept to the American Jazz scene that continues to influence Jazz players up to this day.

Jeff Rupert and George Garzone are two of the best Tenor Sax players performing today, and they wanted to acknowledge Lester Young's influence on the style and tone of some of the most famous Tenor Sax players.  There are no songs written or recorded by Young on this CD.  Instead,  it highlight songs that were recorded or composed by some of the musicians influenced by Young, including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Eddie Harris, Zoot Sims, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and others.  I have featured both Jeff Rupert and George Garzone in my Musician Blog before because they have and still are contributing to the American Jazz scene by performing and educating.  Most recently, I reviewed a wonderful new big band CD by The Flying Horse Big Band that was founded and directed by Jeff Rupert.  Jeff is Trustee Endowed Chair, and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Central Florida.  George Garzone is a member of the Fringe, a Jazz trio founded in 1972.  He is also a member of the Grammy-winning Joe Lovano Nonet.  Garzone is a sought-after Jazz educator currently teaching at Berklee College of Music.  He pioneered the triadic chromatic approach.  His students include Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, Teadross Avery, Luciana Souza, Mark Turner, Donny McCaslin, Doug Yates and Danilo Perez.

Joining Jeff and George on this CD are some long-standing outstanding musicians and friends, Richard Drexler on Piano, Marty Morell on Drums and Jeremy Allen on Bass.  This CD produces some great sounds and revisits great musical history in a very comfortable way.  It's a winner for all Jazz lovers.

I have attached two "YouTube" videos and picking just two was no easy task because I loved every track.  The first one is "Without A Song" that is a tribute to Joe Henderson's famous version.  The second video is Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" that I think illustrates the duo's reverence for Young's impact.

I want to finish with a quote that I loved from Jeff Rupert, "Working on this music gave me the sense of having two painters collaborating on one canvas.  I think of Monet, Picasso, or Dali, though I'm not sure who George evokes, perhaps all of the above plus Pollock."

Playlist:
1. "Bahia"
2. "Go-Go"
3. "Stardust"
4. "Without A Song"
5. "The Shadow Of Your Smile"
6. "Detour Ahead"
7. "The Red Door"
8. "Red Hop"
9. "Hoboken"
10. "Beauty Becomes You"
11. "Lester Left Town"
12. "Alone Together"