Ima - A la vida !

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:46
Size: 110,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. Drôle de vie
(4:19)  2. Valparaiso
(4:01)  3. Les yeux ouverts
(3:21)  4. À quoi ça sert l'amour
(3:35)  5. Le temps des fleurs
(3:57)  6. Vai
(4:09)  7. Me & Bobby McGee
(3:59)  8. Cucurrucucu paloma
(4:14)  9. Tu verras
(3:51) 10. Matin
(3:23) 11. Dis-moi
(5:51) 12. Mourir dans tes bras

Ima's fourth album, A la Vida!, is an ornately produced collection of international pop standards, most of which date back to the 1960s and '70s. Her previous album, Smile (2007), was similarly comprised, featuring mostly French-language standards along with a little bit of original material. It was likewise produced by Guy St-Onge. Ima's vocals are once again front and center, backed by subtle string arrangements and light Latin rhythms. There isn't much differentiating A la Vida! from its predecessor other than the choice of standards. The album opens strongly with tropical-inflected versions of Véronique Sanson's "Drôle de Vie" and Paula Moore's "Valparaiso," the latter of which is the first of two English-language songs featured on the album. The other is Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby Mcgee," a great country-rock song that isn't a good fit for Ima's vocal style. Elsewhere on A la Vida!, there are a couple of songs associated with the Beatles that are adapted to French: the 1966 favorite "Here There and Everywhere" and Mary Hopkin's 1968 hit "Those Were the Days," which was originally produced by Paul McCartney. Another French-language adaptation is "Yeux Ouverts," a version of "Dream a Little Dream of Me." Highlights among the French standards include Edith Piaf's "À Quoi Ça Sert l'Amour," Claude Nougaro's "Tu Verras," and Salvatore Adamo's "Mourir dans Tes Bras." Other standouts include a version of Tomás Méndez's "Cucurrucucú Paloma." Sung in Spanish by Ima, the Mexican standard is often associated nowadays with Brazilian singer/songwriter Caetano Veloso's memorable performance of it in the Pedro Almodóvar film Talk to Her (2002). A la Vida! also includes a couple originals, most notably "Matin," a charming song written by St-Onge. Too bad there wasn't more original material like this. The cover material is well selected but occasionally too familiar. ~ Jason Birchmeier https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-la-vida%21-mw0000813653

A la vida !

---

Chihiro Yamanaka - Rosa

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:22
Size: 102,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. My Favorite Things
(4:36)  2. Falling Grace
(5:16)  3. Piano Sonata No.8 Third Movement
(3:57)  4. Donna Lee
(4:41)  5. Old Folks
(4:14)  6. Rosa
(4:22)  7. Take Love Easy
(4:28)  8. Symphony No. 5
(5:16)  9. Yardbird Suite
(3:54) 10. Someday Somewhere

Chihiro Yamanaka is a jazz pianist but she is also a composer, arranger and producer. He is also head of the CHIHIRO YAMANAKA TRIO. Famous at home, it is also loved abroad especially in the United States and Europe. During his school years he studied at Municipal North Junior High School in Kiryu, Toho Girls' High School and later moved abroad, more precisely to England, to the Royal Academy of Music to finish in Boston at Berklee College of Music from which comes out with flying colors. Soon Chihiro's skills are noticed and he starts releasing records. The first to be released in 2001, "Living Without Friday", remains at the top of the modern jazz HMV chart for 4 weeks. In 2002 "When October Goes" was released, a record that received the award for best jazz album of the year from HMV. A year later the first "Leaning Forward" DVD went on sale. Followed by "Madrigal" in 2004, "Outside by the swing" in 2005 which achieved the first position both in the HMV jazz ranking but also in the Tower Record jazz ranking and is also the first album under Universal. In 2006 it was the turn of "Lach Doch Mal" which a year later was also released in Europe by the EMarcy label. Shortly after Chihiro is ready with the album "Abyss" which reaches the first position in several charts and wins the Japan Jazz Prize of the 41st Jazz Disc Award. Two months later the DVD "Live In Tokyo" was released.

Chihiro's fame is now remarkable, both in Japan and abroad, and his concerts are all sold out. The following album, "After Hours", received the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Award as the jazz disc of the year. Bravogue will follow in 2008, "Runnin 'Wild" in 2009 (tribute album to Benny Goodman, a famous jazz artist of the early 90s) "Forever Begins" in 2010 and "Reminescence" in 2011. The latter manages to enter the daily Oricon ranking at 10th position and it is also the first album that can be purchased in Italy. In 2013 he returned to perform in Italy, with two concerts on March 6 in Naples and the following day in Milan. https://www.jmusicitalia.com/chihiro-yamanaka/biografia/

Rosa

---