Various Artists - Disney Jazz: Everybody Wants To Be A Cat, Vol. 1

Styles: Straight-Ahead Jazz,Jazz-Pop 
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:18
Size: 155,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. Roy Hargrove - Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat
(3:51)  2. Esperanza Spalding - Chim Chim Cher-ee
(4:02)  3. Dave Brubeck - Some Day My Prince Will Come
(5:16)  4. Regina Carter - Find Yourself
(3:56)  5. Joshua Redman - You've Got A Friend In Me
(4:52)  6. Dianne Reeves - He's A Tramp
(5:39)  7. Kurt Rosenwinkel - Feed The Birds (Tuppence A Bag)
(4:28)  8. The Bad Plus - Gaston
(5:59)  9. Roberta Gambarini - Alice In Wonderland (With The Dave Brubeck Trio)
(7:13) 10. Alfredo Rodriguez - The Bare Necessities
(3:12) 11. Nikki Yanofsky - It's A Small World
(6:24) 12. Gilad Hekselman - Belle
(5:18) 13. Mark Rapp - Circle Of Life

What a discovery; what a great idea. Producer Jason Olaine has taken songs from a number of Disney movies some rarely recorded by jazz musicians and made fresh new versions, utilizing some of today's most well-known jazz artists. The performers range from 90 year-old piano legend Dave Brubeck to 17 year-old Canadian vocalist Nikki Yanofsky; established horn players such as trumpeter Roy Hargrove and saxophonist Joshua Redman; and international performers including Israeli-born/US-based guitarist Gilad Hekselman and avant-garde Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez. Olaine has given these diverse artists full control, and they have mined 13 gems from the Disney catalog.  Hargrove delivers a sprightly, hard bop rendition of the sparkling "Everybody Wants to Be A Cat," from 1970's The AristoCats, while accordionist Gil Goldstein provides the haunting opening to Esperanza Spalding's creative arrangement of "Chim Chim Cher-ee," from Mary Poppins (1964), the bassist later vocalizing along with her bowed lines to underscore the song's evocative mood Brubeck gets two selections: first, a swinging version of "Someday My Prince Will Come," from 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, where the pianist breezes through the lilting melody, before coming on strong with his trademark chordal fury; later, he gives fine accompaniment to singer Roberta Gambarini on the theme song to Alice in Wonderland (1951).

Regina Carter's exotic violin merges with accordionist Gary Versace and kora master Yacouba Sissoko in the captivating and ear-opening "Find Yourself," from Cars (2006), while Redman adds depth to the innocuous "You've Got A Friend in Me, " from Toy Story (1995), the tenor saxophonist's creative energy unleashed in a trio with bassist Matt Penman and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. The irrepressible The Bad Plus is mind-blowing on a rousing version of "Gaston," from Beauty and the Beast (1991), taking this French-flavored tune through creative hijinks to a stirring climax, delivered with the brio of an Edith Piaf ballad. On the many strengths of Olaine's Everybody Wants To Be A Cat: Disney Jazz Volume 1, hopefully Volume 2 won't be far behind. ~ Larry Taylor  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/everybody-wants-to-be-a-cat-disney-jazz-volume-1-various-artists-disney-records-review-by-larry-taylor.php
 

Personnel: Roy Hargrove: trumpet (1); Justin Robinson: alto saxophone (1); Ameen Saleem: bass (1); Thaddeus Dixon: drums (1) Esperanza Spalding: bass, vocal (2); Gil Goldstein: piano, accordion (2); Dave Brubeck: piano (3, 9); Michael Moore: bass (3, 9); Randy Jones: drums (3, 9); Regina Carter: violin (4); Gary Versace: accordion (4); Yacoba Sissoko: kora (4); Chris Lightcap: bass(4); Alvester Garnett: drums, percussion (4); Joshua Redman: tenor saxophone (5); Matt Penman: bass (5); Gregory Hutchinson: drums (5); Dianne Reeves: vocal (6); Peter Martin: piano (6); James Genus: bass (6); Alvester Garnett: drums (6); Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar and piano (7); Joshua Thurston-Milgrom: bass (7); Tobias Backhaus: drums (7); Ethan Iverson: piano (8); Reid Anderson: bass (8); Dave King: drums (8); Roberta Gambarini: vocal (9); Alfredo Rodriguez: piano and percussion (10); Nikki Yanofsky: vocal (11); Paul Shrofel: piano (11); Rob Fahle: bass (11); Geoffrey Lang: drums (11); Rod DiLauro: trumpet (11); Pat Vetter: alto saxophone (11); Christopher Smith: trombone (11); Jean Frechette: baritone saxophone (11); Gilad Hekselman: guitar (12); Joe Martin: bass (12); Obed Calvaire: drums, percussion (12); Mark Rapp: trumpet (13); Jamie Reynolds: piano, keyboards (13); Rene Hart: bass (13); Greg Gonzales: drums (13).

Disney Jazz: Everybody Wants To Be A Cat, Vol. 1

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