Investi-KATE...

...the music of jazz vocalist KATE McGARRY.

 There are 3 essential tracks off of her cd MERCY STREETS that I became obsessed with a couple years ago. They are WHATEVER LOLA WANTS, BUT NOT FOR ME, and DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?



WHATEVER LOLA WANTS takes on a sultry flamenco feel... love her vocal improvisation in the middle. BUT NOT FOR ME has brilliant improvisation as well... love the drum and bass work.  Also love the purity of DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?

All three have a wonderful fresh approach than you normally hear with the tune.

Have a listen...

Kate is definitely a "contemporary" jazz singer. The chord progressions in some of her tunes can be a little too "modern" for me at times.  There are other tracks that I really like, but those three tracks really stand out for me.

Here she is doing a cover of the JUST WHAT I NEEDED by the CARS. This can be found on her cd IF LESS IS MORE.... NOTHING IS EVERYTHING.

Even Steven

Broadway performer STEVEN PASQUALE is best known for his role as Sean Garrity on Rescue Me.  

He is also an amazing singer.  His debut solo cd SOMETHIN' LIKE LOVE is coming out April 21.  It was released digitally on itunes today!  I started to sample and was really impressed and downloaded today.  Produced by husband and wife "jazz couple" John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey,  the album has really nice renditions of jazz standards AND there's also a wonderful cover of MAYBE from ANNIE!

Here he is singing MY FUNNY VALENTINE.

Steven originated the role of Fabrizio in the show LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, but could not appear in the Broadway production due to Rescue Me.  Currently on Broadway in Neil Labute's REASONS TO BE PRETTY,  he's married to stage actress Laura Benanti whom he met during a concert version of THE SECRET GARDEN.

Aren't they a cute couple?

Check out his cd.  



Here's the link to itunes.

Leader of the Pack

Got free tickets to see a Rat Pack Tribute show tonight from a friend who couldn't use them.  (Thank you SO much Jen!) 

It was WONDERFUL!  You can read more about the show here.  Our seats were in the mezzanine which was great.  I really felt as if we were at a real Rat Pack concert.  All 3 guys were great, but Stephen Triffitt as Sinatra was especially brilliant.  I got a little emotional during MY WAY.

Sinatra has always been one of my heroes.  I need to devote a future post to just him and what he means to me.  There are a lot of my favs that I haven't really written about (Ella, Steve and Eydie, etc...)  I need to start doing that.  The problem has been "Where do I start?"  Well, in this post let's focus on Sinatra's collaborations.

Here's a great clip of Frank and Sammy singing ME AND MY SHADOW.

Here's Frank and Dino...

This is a lovely clip of Frank and Peggy Lee.  I get goosebumps every time I see this.  This shows perfectly why I love the "Great American Songbook" and the vocalists who sang it.  The chemistry in this number is absolutely beautiful.  The first time I saw this I felt as if I were hearing the song for the first time.  It feels very raw and fresh.  Love how they screw the words up at the end.

All three of these clips are on a wonderful dvd called SINATRA: THE CLASSIC DUETS.  It features duets performed on The Frank Sinatra Show.  Collaborations include Ella, Lena, Bing, Dinah Shore, Ethel Merman, and Elvis Presley!!

Also available is a fabulous Rat Pack cd/dvd called LIVE AND SWINGIN' - THE ULTIMATE RAT PACK COLLECTION. This perfectly captures the chemistry of Frank, Dino, and Sammy!

Both are HIGHLY highly recommended.

*Rat Pack art at the top done by artist Tim Rogerson.

If you knew Susie...

Yesterday's post was about a female jazz vocalist who also plays bass.  Today's is about a favorite vocalist of mine who also plays snare drum!!

SUSIE ARIOLI, based in Canada, exudes infectious charm.  Her chief collaborator is the dashing Jordan Officer who has mad guitar skills.  After being together romantically for more than a decade, the partnership is now just professional.  Susie describes Jordan as her "musical soulmate."  She says "We had disagreements, but we have big agreements on music." 

My first purchase was PENNIES FROM HEAVEN.  I was in a cd store and new I would love them just by this picture.  

I indeed immediately loved their music.  Here is the title song from that album.  I also really like their version of NIGHT AND DAY.

Since then I have purchased all of their albums and really love them all.  However, my favorite probably is THAT'S FOR ME.  



Here is a cute song IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT from that album.

Other great songs on THAT'S FOR ME are THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT, IT'S A GOOD DAY, THAT'S FOR ME, and YOU DON'T KNOW ME.

Kate is great

Here's a great fresh face on the jazz scene.  

Vocalist/bassist.... KATE DAVIS, a Senior in High School!!!, released her debut cd last fall!  Her voice and bass skills are WAY beyond her years.

You can purchase INTRODUCING KATE DAVIS from her website or on itunes.  Her website also features free non-album tracks.

My favorite tracks are JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS, OUR LOVE ROLLS ON, and a lovely duet of SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN with the wonderful REBECCA KILGORE!

Check out this fun article on Katie.

Here's some live performances!

JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS

SOMETIMES I'M HAPPY

A dash of SALT

I LOVE the song SALT from jazz/folk/soul artist Lizz Wright.  This is one of those songs that you can crank up the volume and feel it in every pore of your body.  To me, her voice is a cross between Lauryn Hill and Nina Simone.

Here's a live version the wonderful SALT.

SALT is the title track on her debut cd.  The song is a must download.  

My favorite overall cd of Ms. Wright is DREAMING WIDE AWAKE.  She does great versions of A TASTE OF HONEY, GET TOGETHER and my fav I'M CONFESSIN'.  When I listen to this cd, I think of a late summer night... sitting on a porch after a long hot day.  In the air is a light breeze... and for the moment all is right in the world.  

Have a listen...

Feel like throwin' my worries away...

How about a happy feel good song to end the weekend?  Here's IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY (originally from the musical A DATE WITH JUDY) sung Lawrence Welk Style!!

Jazz vocalist CHRIS CONNOR recorded a wonderful version in 1956 switching the original time signature from 3/4 to 4/4 time!  The unusual day turned swingin'!!  Check it out here!  

Also love her versions of JUST SQUEEZE ME and BLOW GABRIEL BLOW! 

Chris Connor has retired from public performances and is currently living on the East Coast.

*FYI - If you need a little help brightening any day, you can order the t-shirt in the top picture by clicking here.

Flashback... warm nights... almost left behind.

A few years back I became obsessed with a gorgeous cover of Cyndi Lauper's TIME AFTER TIME by jazz/folk artist ERIN BODE. It is a very "pure" rendition with gorgeous harmonies by Jerry Barnes.  Seriously, their voices together make me very happy!  Perfection!!

Download Erin's version and really listen to the words.  Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman wrote a stunning piece of music that is much more than just a "Cyndi Lauper song."  I feel it has become an American pop standard.

Bode's cover is featured on her first major release DON'T TAKE YOUR TIME.  Besides TIME AFTER TIME, I dig the songs YOU and DON'T TAKE YOUR TIME and her versions of Bob Dylan's TONIGHT I'LL BE STAYING HERE WITH YOU and Stevie Wonder's IF IT'S MAGIC.  

Check her out.

Rainy Days and Mondays NEVER get me down!

It's been raining here all day long.  I'm off from work today, so this is a lovely way to spend a day off.

Here is USHER recreating Gene Kelly's infamous SINGIN' IN THE RAIN dance.  This was from a CBS special in 2007 called "Movies Rock."  I have never been a die hard Usher fan, but I definitely respect him after this.

Mint Royale remixed the original Gene Kelly version.  This was used a few years back in a Volkswagen commercial.  The commercial superimposes Gene Kelly's head on the body of dancer David "Elsewhere" Bernal.

14 year old George Sampson won "Britains Got Talent" in 2008 with a wonderful routine using Mint Royale's remix.

Here are a few of my favorite covers of the song.

JAMIE CULLUM covers SINGIN' IN THE RAIN on his first major US album "Twentysomething."  Here is him combining it with Rihanna's UMBRELLA at the Hollywood Bowl.  

Also here's the itunes link to an amazing soulful/jazz version by vocalist Carmen Bradford.

Insane for Jane!

Jane Monheit is my FAVORITE contemporary female jazz vocalist.  I bought Jane's debut cd "Never Never Land" back in 2000 and immediately fell in love.  

She has a pure passionate voice who emotes beautiful ballads and can also swing and scat like crazy.  With her sophomore release "Come Dream with Me,"  I was obsessed.  Check out this BEAUTIFUL rendition of OVER THE RAINBOW from that release.

The video is from a slightly different version featured on the "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" soundtrack.  I prefer the one from "Come Dream With Me," but this gives you an idea of her wonderful vocals.

She followed with was one of my favorite releases "In The Sun" which has a lot of Brazilian repertoire, a cover of one of my favorite songs of all time SOME OTHER TIME,  and this "KICKIN" version of CHEEK TO CHEEK.

Next was a live album and dvd "Live from the Rainbow Room."  I had the WONDERFUL pleasure of seeing jane in concert in 2001.  This album and dvd do a great job of capturing her fantastic live act.

Over the next few years she released a "Taking A Chance on Love" (tribute to movie musicals), "The Best of Jane Monheit," "This Season" (wonderful Christmas release),  and "Surrender" (heavily bossa nova influenced.)  She also released a second dvd after the release of TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE.

Here's a cute video of her in the studio recording her Christmas album.

This past Tuesday she released "The Lovers, the Dreamers and Me."  She turned 30 this year AND became a mother.  This is definitely reflected in the music.  She recorded half of the album before motherhood and the rest after her son Jack was born.  The last song (which inspired the title) is a lovely version of the RAINBOW CONNECTION for him.

This album is more subtle than some of her swingin' records, but it is a wonderful nuanced collection of music.  She covers Corinne Bailey Rae's LIKE A STAR, Fiona Apple's SLOW LIKE HONEY, and Paul Simon's I DO IT FOR YOUR LOVE.  In the standards department you find SOMETHING COOL, I'M GLAD THERE IS YOU, Bacharach's THIS GIRL'S IN LOVE WITH YOU, and another favorite song of mine from the musical "On The Town" called LUCKY TO BE ME.  I love the element of this album being influenced by her son.  She comments on recording while being pregnant.  “It was,” she recalls, “a really neat feeling to be in the studio with my son in there with me, singing beautiful tunes like “I’m Glad There Is You” and ”Lucky to Be Me.”

She has released a lot of wonderful material.  If you are starting out.  I would suggest starting with her greatest hits "The Best of Jane Monheit."  It is a really nice overview of her material leading up to 2005.  I will try and post an imix of MY favorites soon to this blog.

If you just want to download a song or two for now.  I would probably say go with OVER THE RAINBOW and CHEEK TO CHEEK (although that's a really hard decision!)

INGA the jazz singa!

About a year ago I discovered the lovely voice of jazz singer Inga Swearingen.  She has a lovely voice, wonderful control, and is a master at scat singing.  Inga is also a favorite of "Prairie Home Companion" host Garrison Keillor.

Here's her singing a lovely medley of "The Nearness of You/Misty."  The medley is based on an arrangement by vocalist Dianne Reeves.

The video was put together by a fan on youtube.

Also check out Inga's renditions of "Just in Time," "Stompin' at the Savoy," and a killer version of "Down By The Riverside!"

Ode to BILLY JOE(L)

A very "compelling" look at the characters in Billy Joel's "Piano Man" from the world of Comedy Central's "Robot Chicken."

**warning - explicit language**

Billy Joel's voice is none other than HSM "it boy" Zac Efron.

...and now on to some Billy Joel covers.  The first is by a vocal jazz group from Germany called BERLIN VOICES.  They released a whole album of his covers entitled "States of Mind."  

This is a very interesting album.  I don't "love" every track, but they do some very interesting things with his music....

... I do LOVE their swingin' version of "ALLENTOWN!"  This is the "must download track" from the album.

Stage and screen vixen Bernadette Peters put out a lovely version of "HE'S GOT A WAY" (pronoun obviously changed) on her 1996 release "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight."

Also, you must check out this stunning version of "AND SO IT GOES" by Jazz siren Sara Gazarek.  I featured this in a previous post, but it's SO good that I couldn't resist another mention. 

Finally, the recently cancelled ELI STONE (don't even get me started) featured a lovely cover on it's last aired episode.  Here's the lovely Laura Benanti (recently seen as Gypsy Rose Lee on Broadway) singing (and playing) a lovely version of "THIS NIGHT."  The song starts at 0:57.

R.I.P. Eli Stone.

Antique shopping...

When critics compare a jazz singer to Ella Fitzgerald, I'm either in audio love... or am extremely disappointed. 

In 2006 Robin McKelle released her debut "Introducing Robin McKelle" and I was a very happy man...

This album opens with a swingin' "Something's Gotta Give," turns "Bei Mir Bist Du Shon" into a Cha-Cha, and is wonderful until it closes with a delightful "On the Sunny Side of the Street."

Robin definitely is not an Ella knockoff, but her timber in certain songs echoes the great Miss Fitzgerald around the late 50's and 60's.

This week she released her sophomore album "Modern Antique," and I was in love again!  What a lovely second date!  The new album has a bit more of an edge to it but still has a great nostalgia quality throughout.  "Modern Antique" is a PERFECT title.  

Favorite new track for this "Cover Lover?"  .... a FABULOUS rendition of "Abracadabra" originally by The Steve Miller Band!

Hear selections from her debut here and from both albums on her myspace page.

Also here is a great review 0n the new album from allaboutjazz.com.

Thanks Robin for some wonderful music.  Can't wait for our third date!