CD Review: Rose Mallett, "Dreams Realized"

 I was delighted when I received a review copy of Rose Mallett's new CD from Jazz Promo Services.  I have had the pleasure of knowing  Jazz and Blues vocalist Rose Mallett for 15 years.  I first met her when I visited the Escena Country Club Lounge in Palm Springs California.  Rose had recently moved to the desert and was taking any gigs she could find.  I was immediately impressed with Rose's voice and her confidence as a performer.  The setting at a Country Club Lounge was not a perfect setting for Rose's soft lush voice but it was a gig and she knew that in order to improve, she had to sing wherever she had the opportunity.  I did a Rose Mallett Trio review at the Escena Lounge on February 28th, 2012.  Since my first review of Rose Mallett,  I have periodically done reviews on Rose and her progress as listed below:

   " Simply A Great Jazz Singer "  2/11/14

    "Rose Mallett's Favorite Top 10 Songs"  4/4/14  

    "Woody's in Palm Springs"  2/22/15

    "Vicky's of Santa Fe"  1/20/18

I encourage you to look up these past posts on my blog as they will provide you with a good feel of the hard work Rose has expended to reach her current level of accomplishment.  It brings to mind a comment I heard from Bobby Darin, "It's taken me 25 years to become an "Overnight" success".  The music industry has never been easy and I have personally witnessed many of the negative experiences Rose has had to face during her career and I can tell you that she handled every bump in the road with style and grace.  Unlike many vocalists I observe who reach a level of popularity and then stop their growth, Rose has always worked to improve her  voice, phrasing and performances.  The result has put Rose Mallett into the rare group of top Jazz and Blues singers performing today,  I encourage you to buy her CD and also next time you find yourself in the Coachella Valley desert area, I encourage you to look up Rose because she is still performing in several venues in the California desert. 

PLAYERS:

Rose Mallett- Vocals

Robert Kyle- Producer/Arranger/Sax/Flute

Jamison Trotter- Piano

Trey Henry- Bass

Mike Shapiro- Drums

"Munyungo" Jackson- Percussion

PLAYLIST:

1. Ain't Nobody

2. Feelin' Good

3. My Funny Valentine

4. Creepin

5. Send In The Clowns

6. The Snake

7. The Way He Makes Me Feel

8. Building Dreams

9. It's Impossible

10. Rock Me Baby

11. If I Never Sing Another Song

I have attached two "YouTube" videos that show Rose's versatility.  The first is a down and dirty Blues standard, "Rock Me Baby"  and the second is a tender ballad that Rose handles perfectly, "If I Never Sing Another Song".

                                                                    "Rock Me Baby"

                                                                "If I Never Sing Another Song"

  

CD Review: Karen Mack, "Catch & Keep"

 Vocalist Karen Mack is a regular at some of the top New City Jazz venues, but I clearly hear the influence of West Coast Jazz in the way she uses her velvety smooth voice to tell her musical stories.  Karen can Swing but she can also handle a ballad with clarity and sensitivity.  Being stuck at home during the pandemic gave Karen time to reevaluate what she wanted to do for herself as an artist.  "I wanted to lift people up and find my own voice.  For me, that involves having the freedom to improvise and to explore new ways of creating music and storytelling".  Karen's Jazz debut Album  "Catch and Keep" makes it clear that she chose the right musical direction for her and her Jazz audience.  "Catch and Keep' contains a diverse group of songs, some well-know standards, some terrific but lesser known standards,  Some original songs written by women composers and two songs written by Mack and her old friend and renowned Jazz artist, Peter Eldridge.  "Catch and Keep" is a wonderful present to all Jazz vocalist lovers!  The vibe on this CD is so refreshing you will find yourself playing it over and over again.  Karen has the rare ability to sing lyrics with the same comfort and understanding you would get having an easy conversation with an old friend.

Karen worked closely on this CD with Peter Eldridge, a founding member of the internationally acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices.  Eldridge did the arrangements on the CD and also played Piano and Organ.  Eldridge and Mack brought in a group of some of the most talented musicians in New York to support them on this Album and the results show it.  The fit between Karen's vocals and her supporting musicians is perfect. 

PLAYERS:

Karen Mack- Vocals

Peter Eldridge- Piano, Organ, Arrangements

Jesse Lewis- Guitars

Matt Aronoff- Upright Bass

Jared Schonig- Drums, Percussion

      Special Guests:

Darmon Meader- Saxes on tracks# 3, 4,6, and 8

Nadje Noordhuis- Trumpet on track# 1, Flugelhorn on track# 10

Elliot Roth- Piano, Vocals, Arrangement, on track# 12

PLAYLIST:

1. Nothing Like You

2. Imagination

3. From Now On

4. Come To Baby Do

5. This is Always

6. I'm So Repentant

7. November Day

8. Hurry Up and Wait

9. Here Is Everything

10. Our Love Rolls On

11. I Wanna Get Married

12. It's Hard To Say Goodbye

I have attached two "YouTube" videos to listen to.  The first is a Bob Dorough and Fran Landesman song titled "Nothing Like You".  It features a tasty Trumpet solo by Australian Nadje Noorhuis.  The second attachment is a classic standard "This Is Always".  I was not familar with this song but as soon as I heard it, I put it on my favorites list.   It was written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon and the medley and lyric are stunning.   I was also very impressed by "It's Hard To Say Goodbye" that was written by the great LA Jazz  composer and singer Vocalist, Betty Bryant.  

    

                                                                     "Nothing Like You"

                                                                       "This is Always"

Music Man Blog Hits A New Milestone

 

The first article on The Music Man Blog was published in November 2009.  It doesn't seem possible that I have been posting reviews and articles for 15 years.  The purpose of my blog has always been to support musicians, shine a light on new artists and new CDs and to keep the "Great American Songbook" alive.  We know that great progress has been made achieving these goals because of the feedback that we have received from hundreds of musicians who have been spotlighted on the blog.  The majority of today's musicians are clearly both underappreciated and underpaid and yet the music they create provides us with hours of joy and satisfaction every day of our lives. In spite of being underappreciated and underpaid, they continue to perform and create new music for all of us to enjoy.  They are true artists. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifices and have an obligation to support them in any way we can.  We all need to attend live performances wherever we can find them and not forget to leave a tip for the musicians after we enjoy their performances.  They are paid so little for their live gigs that tips are very important to their well-being.   We need to continue to buy their CDs even though the music industry has decided that CDs are no longer relevant.  And lastly, we need to thank musicians whenever we get a chance.  

I am delighted to report that last month the Music Man Blog celebrated more than one million page views on our site.  For a narrowly focused blog, this is a massive amount of page views.  And the number of people checking into the Music Man Blog continues to grow. In the most recent months, the average monthly page views have been over 30,000.  Over the past 15 years we have published 626 blogs covering the efforts of thousands of musicians and their bands.  The Music Man Blog has steadily grown its audience in over 20 countries.  I have listed the top 10 highest page views from countries with Jazz lovers who are reading our postings:

    1.United States

    2. Germany

    3. China

    4. Singapore 

    5. Ukraine

    6. Hong Kong

    7.  Iran

    8. Russia

    9. Sweden

    10. Canada

My reward for the personal time and efforts I have expended on this blog is knowing that I am helping to support musicians, live performances and helping to keep the "Great American Songbook" relevant for younger people who may experience this wonderful music.  I have also had the opportunity to meet and get to know hundreds of musicians.  Honestly they are some of the finest people I have ever met.  

CD Review: Melinda Rose & Frenchy Romero, "I'm On My Way"

 

Vocalist Melinda Rose and Pianist Frenchy Romero grew up within blocks of each other in Miami and while they never attended the same school together, both were attracted to straight-ahead Jazz.  In 2022 Rose was invited to audition to be the first vocalist for a U.S. Army big band called, the Army Blues.  She won the position and moved to Washington, D.C. to join the band  About two months later Rose saw an announcement for a Pianist in another Army band at the same base.  She shared the news with Romero, who won the job.  These events allowed the talented duo to continue to collaborate as a Jazz duo.  "I'm On My Way"  is the first product of their musical efforts and it's a stunning new Jazz CD.  There is something very special when these two musicians work together.  First, Melinda Rose has a gorgeous, pure, velvet yet strong voice that is so refreshing to listen to especially compared to what seems to be popular today.  Her voice evokes vocal images of  Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O'Day but with her own personal styling.  Pianist Frenchy Romero delivers a master class on how to accompany a great vocalist.  She is creative and supportive but never interrupts Melinda's vocals.  What a pleasure to listen to these two young and talented musicians.  There is great sensitivity between these friends that produces some of the best Jazz I have heard in a long time.  The playlist this duo put together is diverse and magical..  The CD has 6 standards, some old and some new and 4 orginials composed by Melinda Rose.  This CD  is a dream album for any Jazz vocalist fan.   Thank you Melinda and Frenchy and please get busy on your next CD! 

I have attached two "YouTube" videos of songs from "I'm On My Way".  It took me a lot of time to select 2 songs out of the 10 on this CD because I liked every song.  The first selection is a beautiful rendition of Stevie Wonder's  "If It's Magic" and this version is magic to me!  The second song is the Nancy Wilson classic "You Can Have Him" written by Irvin Berlin that is simply a beautiful performance!  

PLAYERS:

Melinda Rose- Vocals, Arrangements, Compositions

Frenchy Romero- Piano and Arrangements

Vince Dupont- Bass

Matt Wilson- Drums

Summer Camargo- Trumpet

PLAYLIST:

1. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

2. Once Upon a Summertime

3. If It's Magic

4. It Could Happen To You

5. Don't Come Back

6. I'll Do It All Again

7. In My Own Little Corner

8. I'm On My Way

9. You Can Have Him

10. It's Not You, It's Me  

                                                                    "If It's Magic"

                                                                    "You Can Have Him"

CD Review, Sergio Pereira, "Bossa+"

 

Brazilian born Sergio Pereira has just published his new CD, "Bossa+" that adds to his long list of outstanding Brazilian music he has shared with us.  "Bossa+" is distinguished by its live studio recordings. This method captures the spontaneity, elegance, and vibrant energy inherent in Bossa Nova and Jazz.  "Bossa+" contains 6 orginial Pereira compositions and one cover "There Will Never Be Another You".  If you had just landed on planet Earth and this CD was your first experience with Bossa Nova music,  I guarantee you would only have to hear the songs on this CD once to completely fall in love with this music.  The album is more than a mere collection of songs.  It is an immersive experience that showcases the fusion of Bossa Nova with other Brazilian rhythms, all while being infused with the improvisational spirit of Jazz.

I have attached two "YouTube" videos playing two songs from the CD.  The first is an orginial Pereira composition called "Desamor" that features a vocal from Sergio Pereira.  It's a perfect sound that will make you warm and comfortable as soon as you listen to it.  The second is the beautiful up-tempo verison of the Warren and Gordon standard "There Will Never Be Another You".   The Trumpet and Flugelhorn parts showcase an outstanding performance by Chipi Chacon. 

PLAYERS:

Sergio Pereira- Vocal, Guitars, Viola, Percussion, Compositions

Chipi Chacon- Trrumpet, Flugelhorn

Luis Guerra- Piano, Keys

Ariel Ramirez- Drums, Percussion

Guests:

Romero Lubambo- Violao,  "One For Pat" and "Saudades"

Ivan "Melon" Lewis- Piano "One For Pat"

Ivan Ruiz Machado- Bass "One for Pat"

Jose San Martin- Drums "One for Pat'

PLAYLIST:

1. Bossa

2. Sea Of Love

3. One For Pat

4. Montgo

5. Saudades

6. Desamor

7. There Will Never Be Another You

"Desamor"

                                                                          

                                                         "There Will Never Be Another You"

CD Review: Amber Weekes "A Lady With A Song - Amber Weekes Celebrates Nancy Wilson"

 

Nancy Wilson has always been on the top of my list of great Jazz singers.  So when I picked up this  new CD from Amber Weekes, my first reaction was wow, this singer is really brave to take on songs that have Nancy Wilson's personal vocal fingerprints.  Singing songs that are closely linked to great singers is always a challenging task even for the most talented vocalists because as good as your verison is, you will always be compared to the original artist.  

The first song I listened to on this CD was "Lady With A Song" and it convinced me that Amber Weekes is a remarkable Jazz singer.  While this song will always be linked to Nancy Wilson, I love the way Amber presented the lyric in a believable story fashion.  Her voice is strong and her phrasing just flows like syrup on hot pancakes.  This CD is a fine tribute to the singing voice and style of Nancy Wilson but Amber Weekes does not just copy Nancy Wilson, she brings her own interpretations to the Nancy Wilson song book with great success!

Amber Weekes is a Jazz singer based in Southern California and is known as a storyteller who puts heart and honest feelings into her interpretations of superior standards.  This same sentence could have been written to describe Nancy Wilson who performed for over 50 years on the Pop and Jazz stage.  "A Lady With A Song, Amber Weekes Celebrates Nancy Wilson" is a sensational CD by an extremely talented vocalist!

I have attached two "YouTube" videos that will give you a taste of Amber Weekes' work.  The first tune is a beautiful ballad  "Lady With A Song" that features fine Trumpet work from Ray Monteiro and Mike Cordone.    The second tune is the lovely but difficult to sing "Midnight Sun" which Amber sings perfectly. 

                    " Lady With A Song"

                                          
                                                                       "Midnight Sun"

PLAYLIST:

1. Gentleman Friend

2. Save Your Love For Me

3. A Lady With A Song

4. Ten Good Years

5. What A Little Moonlight Can Do

6. Midnight Sun

7. Suppertime

8. Wave

9. Guess Who I Saw Today

10. I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco

11. The Best Is Yet To Come

12. You're Gonna Hear From Me

13. Wasn't It Wonderful

PLAYERS:

Russell Malone- Guitar

Paul Jackson Jr.- Sax

Gerald Albright- Sax

Rickey Woodard- Sax

Justo Almario- Flute

Ray Monteiro- Trumpet

Mike Cordone- Trumpet

Mark Cargill- Violin

Rashawn Ross- Trumpet

Tony Campodonico- Acoustic and Rhodes Piano

Jacob Scesney- Tenor Sax

CD Review: Roger Tilton Trio, "Mostly Bossa"

 

Jazz Pianist Roger Tilton has just recently released his second album featuring his talented Trio consisting of Roger Tilton on Piano, Henry Franklin on Bass and Yayo Morales on Drums.  When Tilton started to put some ideas together for this album, he did not start with Bossa Nova music as the overall theme.  His first thoughts were to put together music that he loved and enjoyed playing.  He has always loved the music of Brazil and especially the beautiful music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.  So as he gathered songs for his new CD it turned out that 7 out of the 9 tunes that made the final cut were Bossa Nova songs.  That explains the title of this CD,  "Mostly Bossa".

Roger Tilton is a classically trained pianist studied at the University of Redlands and took personal lessons with concert Pianist Johanna Harris, wife of American composer Roy Harris.  He first became interested in Jazz listening to Stan Getz playing "Desafinado" and Ramsey Lewis playing "The In Crowd".   While at the University of Redlands, Tilton met Bass Player Rob Fisher who introduced him to the music of Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, and Denny Zeitlin.  Joining The Roger Tilton Trio on this album is the legendary Bassist Henry Franklin.  Franklin has a star-studded musical career including being a member of the Trumpeter Freddie Hubbert's group.  He also was a part of Drummer Shelly Manne's group and Woody Shaw's band.  In addition to performing regularly,  Franklin also runs his own production company, recording studio and label.  The third member of this talented trio, Drummer Yayo Morales was born in Bolivia and is an exceptional Jazz Drummer in the rhythms of South America and is a perfect addition to the Bossa songs on this CD. Morales also  did the mastering of the songs for this CD.

The Music on "Mostly Bossa" is like most Bossa music,  comfortable and enjoyable.  It is so soothing and relaxing to listen to and the listener can move through the entire CD and still be looking for more. 

The three members of this Trio are all so exceptional and they make the listener feel that playing Bossa Nova music is easy.  This is what really professional Jazz talents do, they interpret complicated songs and rhythms and turn them into attractive and understandable music for their audiences.

I have attached two "YouTube" songs from this CD.  The first tune is "Dindi" the Antonio Carlos Jobim gem.  Tilton mentioned that he had not heard many instrumental versions of it but only vocal renditions.  So glad he did because his instrumental captures the excitment of this wonderful Jobim tune and Brazilian music in general.  The second tune is "Tokyo Blues" the Horace Silver Jazz classic that is titled as a Blues but it is actually based on Boss Nova Rhythms. 

                                                                            "Dindi"
       

                                                                            "Tokyo Blues"
 PLAYERS:

Roger Tilton- Piano

Henry Franklin- Bass

Yayo Morales- Drums

PLAYLIST:  

1. Dindi

2. Tokyo Blues

3. Bossa For Debbie

4. What Is This Thing Called Love

5. 500 Miles High

6. Blue Bossa

7. Brigas Nunca Mais

8. Hackensack

9. Dreamer