Saturday, January 23, 2021

Kim Cypher - Love Kim X

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:34
Size: 144,6 MB
Art: Front

(7:27) 1. The Nearness of You(feat. Pee Wee Ellis & David Newton)
(6:47) 2. Maybe...(Remix)[feat. Karl Vanden Bossche & David Newton]
(6:13) 3. Soul Eyes(feat. David Newton & Clive Morton)
(4:40) 4. Comes Love(feat. David Newton)
(7:26) 5. Breezin'(feat. Lee Jones)
(4:14) 6. Valerie
(5:08) 7. People Get Ready(feat. B.D. Lenz)
(4:40) 8. Highland Mike(feat. Pee Wee Ellis)
(5:14) 9. Rising from the Dust (Soundtrack from the Music Video)[feat. B.D. Lenz & The Kentwood Show Choir]
(4:54) 10. A Time to Reflect, A Time to Forget(feat. Chris Santo Cobbson)
(5:47) 11. Baker Street(feat. B.D. Lenz)

Saxophonist and singer Kim Cypher’s second album builds her reputation for sparkling jazz with classic style and attitude, bringing guest stars including tenor sax legend Pee Wee Ellis and pianist David Newton into the fold for an enjoyable collection of standards and originals with very wide appeal. Since the release of her first album in 2017 Kim Cypher has been building a solid reputation on the UK scene with her lively stage presence and stylish vintage look. Appearances around the country including two appearances at Pizza Express Soho (click on the link for a stonking version of It’s Almost Like Being In Love recorded there) mean that this second CD comes with a track record. The mix is similar to her first album Make Believe, with slightly fewer originals and a wider repertoire. What makes Kim Cypher stand out is her ability both as a sax player and instrumental soloist (we hear her on alto, tenor and soprano on this collection) as well as a stand-out singer and songwriter. Either of these would be notable together they make for an exceptional and winning performer. Add to this her ability to surround herself with fine musicians and guests, and we have a great show on our hands.

The three originals on this album include the soulful Maybe… with a nice soprano sax solo and groovy Rhodes piano from David Newton, and dedicated to Karen Jackson, a friend of Kim’s who is suffering from cancer. It’s a song about hope and has a restful and optimistic quality. Highland Mike is another dedication (to Mike Carter, who introduced Kim to a lot of different music), a reggae-tinged lilting instrumental giving Pee Wee Ellis time to stretch out on tenor saxophone. Rising From The Dust is a power rock ballad with some crunching guitar in the Gary Moore style from American visitor B.D. Lenz and the added vocals of the Kentwood Show Choir, adding up to a number which would sit happily in all kinds of radio setting. The other tracks range from classic jazz to a couple of unexpected rock/pop reinterpretations. The Nearness Of You gives the Hoagy Carmichael classic a nicely judged out-of-time opening with Ellis backing Cypher’s vocal, before latching onto a slightly-faster-than-you-expect tempo giving the piece a lively air. Comes Love bounces along with Cypher backing her own vocals on tenor sax before guitarist Chris Santo Cobbson takes a cleanly picked solo. Cobbson also contributes A Time To Reflect, A Time To Forget, a sunny-tinged calypso offering Cypher another chance to shine on soprano sax. Breezin’ takes the Bobby Womack tune beloved of Gabor Szabo and lets guitarist Lee Jones loose on it, with Karl Vanden Bossche’s percussion making a great contribution.

As on her first album, Cypher has a way of picking pop tunes which seem to have been done to death and then rethinking them in interesting and imaginative ways. Valerie (The Zutons/Amy Winehouse) finds a place as a bouncing jazz waltz vocal with delicate drum-work from Mike Cypher, while the most requested sax riff in the world, Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street, turns up the tempo into a pumping instrumental boogie which fairly leaps along. The accompanying cast on this and many of the other tracks includes Alex Steele on piano and Tom Clarke-Hill on bass, who don’t put a foot wrong throughout. With a wide range of material, engaging arrangements and thoroughly enjoyable performances throughout, this is more than a jazz album… it’s a Kim Cypher album. Catch her when you can – forthcoming London dates include Mill Hill Jazz Club (8 May 2019) and the Bull’s Head, Barnes (24 August 2019).~ Mark McKergow https://londonjazznews.com/2019/04/27/cd-review-kim-cypher-love-kim-x/

Love Kim X

Debby Yeager - Live 1999

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:02
Size: 103,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:39) 1. Introduction by James Janisse
(4:20) 2. I'll Remember April
(6:05) 3. Happy Stuff
(3:24) 4. So Nice / Summer Samba
(4:09) 5. Shadow of Your Smile
(3:11) 6. Whisper Not
(4:47) 7. At Last
(7:01) 8. Tribute
(4:24) 9. Manhã De Carnaval
(5:57) 10. All Blues

During the mid-1950’s I was born into a Bohemian environment. Music was like breathing. At the age of three, pop tunes were blasting from a little radio in our kitchen. And in another direction, the ocean breeze carried jazz sounds from our neighbor's hi fi record player, while someone from down the street played bag pipes every morning! Venice, California (known for its eccentric artists and beatniks) was a magical place in time. "Harry Belafonte to the left, Miles Davis to the right, Bob Dorough in back, Scotland coming through the front, and Chet Baker around the corner! I guess I breathed it all in, got a good dose of early ear training and was labelled the goofy kid!”

By the time I was five, the family took a financial tumble and relocated to the inner city of Lynwood, CA, where I first heard Gospel music. Since it came from a small church on the corner of our shabby street, I believed those glorious voices were sent from the heavens above. Ballet training came shortly after and continued well into my teens, dancing and singing my way through a disheveled childhood. At about eight or nine, every bit of my weekly allowance was spent on vinyl and a record collection began to grow like wildfire. Jazz, pop, blues, African rhythms, Broadway, R&B... and then a new sound, the Bossa Nova, which stopped me in my tracks! I discovered the voice of Wanda De Sah. It was true! Brazilian music (at that time) seduced the world. Who would have thought that thirty-seven years later, I'd be recording "Reza" on my debut disc, "Mood Swing" History played the same trick on me when I also recorded a duet with the legendary, Bob Dorough.

Around 1977, divorced as a young mother, music was still the guiding force. Vocal lessons became necessary when I auditioned as a lead vocalist and landed my first job as a singer. Formal training was essential in order to belt out rock tunes for several hours, five nights a week. A few years later with an intensive vocal study regimen and carrying a beautiful daughter in my arms, I landed a gig on a Japan tour as a lead vocalist for a Funk band. As time marched on, I was fortunate to have studied under Grammy winning composer/arranger Alan Copeland, jazz genius Horace Silver and Jim Mooney from the original Sage and Sound Recording Studio in Hollywood, and jumped into the Jazz Scene. Lucky to work with some of the most gifted musicians in LA, my performance level continued to progress, especially in regard to improvisation. Eventually I became a band leader and began to teach vocal technique and therapy while playing jazz clubs, concerts and various venues. But living the dream ended abruptly when repressed memories of childhood abuse surfaced and all hell broke loose. Suffice it to say life got in the way. Early June 1996, “Mood Swing” was released. The album was remastered and re-released in 2017, with a bonus track. Now recording and producing a variety of music, my second disc, "Precocious", was released January 2018, following up with a vocal project, "Psychology of Jazz", to be released in mid 2018. For further information, please visit my website www.DebbyYeager.com, and drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you. Thanks, - Debby 'A portion of proceeds is donated to the education of child abuse prevention services. 'https://debbyyeager.com/bio/

Live 1999