Anne Burnell - Blues In The Night - Songs By Harold Alden

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:12
Size: 140,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:09)  1. Blues in the Night
(3:38)  2. A Woman's Prerogative
(5:18)  3. Happiness is a Thing Called Joe
(5:09)  4. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
(5:35)  5. Last Night When We Were Young
(5:19)  6. Over the Rainbow
(5:48)  7. Stormy Weather
(5:24)  8. Paris is a Lonely Town
(4:03)  9. Come Rain or Come Shine
(5:39) 10. I'll Wind
(6:43) 11. The Man That Got Away
(4:22) 12. Happy With the Blues

Despite having chosen Arlen songs with primarily sad lyrics, Anne Burnell's CD is not one of those collections of laments which "cry" out to be listened to with a pint of whiskey and a quart of self-pity. She does not wallow in melodrama, and the light, jazzy arrangements keep things sunny enough, despite the foreboding musical weather forecast: "Stormy Weather," "Ill Wind" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine." She seems to be "Happy With The Blues," a 1961 tune with a lyric by Peggy Lee (it also served as the title of a biography of Harold Arlen - sadly, his biographer Edward Jablonski died about a year before the centennial kicked off). Known as Anne Pringle before her marriage to pianist Mark Burnell, who plays solidly on the CD and co-produced it with her, the singer is based in Chicago.

Ms. Burnell has a likeable, sincere, unpretentious quality but does not always sound comfortable and in the center of the note. It's odd, because when she's on target, she is fine and in sync with the big picture of the arrangement and the musicians. She phrases naturally and easily, rarely losing the story of the lyric, even when she and the players are also going for a jazz lick. Count Basie Band alumnus Bob Ojeda provides the tasteful arrangements and is a major asset, featured in trumpet solos. More variety in vocal and instrumental colors and tempi would have been welcome. "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe" is more thoughtfully done than some of the others, and wins favor by including the verse, and is one of three tracks with the welcome, prominent addition of solo violin. The band is strong here, but his CD can't be wholeheartedly recommended, even though its heart is clearly in the right place. http://www.talkinbroadway.com/sound/mar1505.html

Award winning Jazz vocalist Anne Burnell, formerly Anne Pringle, releases her new CD "Blues in the Night: songs by Harold Arlen" as part of this great American composers centennial celebration.
Harold Arlen wrote "Stormy Weather", Come Rain or Come Shine", "Over the Rainbow" and many more. With arrangements by Count Basie Band veteran, Bob Ojeda, the CD features some of jazz's all time great performers including Ojeda on trumpet, former Frank Sinatra trombonist Bill Porter, and Chicago's own legendary violinist Johnny Frigo. Anne Burnell performs at festivals and clubs including the 2004 Chicago Humanities Festival, and five consecutive years at Chicago's largest music festival, The Taste of Chicago. She performed with her husband, pianist/vocalist Mark Burnell throughout Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York and toured internationally in Amsterdam, Italy, and Paris. "She can send shivers down your spine" - Chicago Tribune"I could listen to her for hours"- NBC Chicago  http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7171541&style=music

Blues In The Night - Songs By Harold Alden

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