Angela Hagenbach - Come Fly With Me

Styles: Vocal And Brazilian Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:34
Size: 146,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. My One and Only
(5:58)  2. Tenderly
(5:04)  3. The Sweetest Sounds
(5:54)  4. Lazy Afternoons
(5:43)  5. 'Round Midnight
(5:16)  6. Berimbau
(4:34)  7. Come Fly With Me
(4:39)  8. Get Out of Town
(4:58)  9. Solitude
(3:58) 10. Agua de Beber
(3:19) 11. Yesterdays
(5:42) 12. Lush Life
(5:24) 13. Felicidade

It seems as if each major city has its great jazz singers. Kansas City in the 1990s is blessed with at least three: Kevin Mahogany, Karrin Allyson and the least-known, Angela Hagenbach. On her debut CD, Hagenbach (who has an immediately appealing voice) goes out of her way to show off her versatility. Although all 13 songs she interprets are standards, the treatments are sometimes unusual. To name a few examples, "Tenderly" is mostly taken doubletime, "Lazy Afternoon" is made funky, "'Round Midnight" becomes a duet with bassist Bob Bowman, a sensitive but not predictable "Lush Life" finds Hagenbach just backed by Joe Cartwright's piano and two numbers feature her singing in Portuguese. There are other highlights (particularly the excellent solos of Kim Park on tenor, alto and flute) but the main quality that sticks in one's mind after hearing this recording is an appreciation of Angela Hagenbach's willingness to take chances. This is a strong beginning to what should be a very productive career. ~ Scott Yanow   

http://www.allmusic.com/album/come-fly-with-me-mw0000664055

Come Fly With Me

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Ada Rovatti - Airbop

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:40
Size: 137,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:04) 1. Airbop
(6:46) 2. Choose Your Life
(7:33) 3. Shelter Island
(8:04) 4. What We Miss

(4:46) 5. My Shining Hour
(6:53) 6. Z-Bros
(5:31) 7. One Dollar And 20 Cents
(6:34) 8. Others
(7:25) 9. Man On The Moon

Just when you think the mainstream of jazz is getting a little stagnant, along comes a set like Airbop which gives a fresh flow to the style. Italian-born and now New York-based saxophonist Ada Rovatti plays with soul here. Possessed of a robust tone, she handles her solos with a zest and vibrancy full of surprises, stretching a note like taffy then biting off sweet flurries the next moment. A Berklee alum, the composer/reedwoman based herself in Paris for a number of years, where she performed with the jazz/funk outfit Chance Orchestra. That funk part of her sound carries over here with some catchy grooves "breathing grooves" with a lot of bubbling life.

With the exception of Harold Arlen's "My Shining Hour," all the tunes here are Rovatti originals that show off her strong compositional skills. On her ballad "What We Miss," Rovatti's tenor sounds particularly soulful. Trumpeter/flugelhornist Randy Brecker joins the core quartet on four numbers, and he's never sounded better bright and full of brassy optimism, complementing the leader's lines when she isn't complementing his. Rovatti has put together an absolutely first-rate band for Airbop. The rhythm section has a strong, assertive bounce, with pianist Dave Kikowski adding a very attractive sparkle to the arrangements.

On this straight-through exceptionally engaging set, I've got to single out "2-Bros" as a highlight, with Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets) playing bass clarinet, joining Rovatti and Brecker in the front line, adding a deep, dark chocolate feeling to the tune, while guest percussionist Don Alias brings in a mesmerizing Latin vibe. One of the top mainstream sets of the year.~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/airbop-ada-rovatti-apria-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan

Personnel: Ada Rovatti - tenor and soprano saxophones; Dave Kikowski - piano; Ed Howard - accoustic bass; Ben Perowski--drums. Guests: Jill McCarron--piano (track 7); Randy Brecker - trumpet and flugelhorn (tracks 2,3,4.6); Bob Mintzer - bass clarinet (Track 6); Don Alias - percussion (tracks 3,6); Adam Rogers - guitar--tracks 1,3).

Airbop

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Deana Martin - Swing Street

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:06
Size: 118,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. 52nd & Broadway
(3:29)  2. I've Been Around
(2:50)  3. Spooky
(2:44)  4. Hearing Ella Sing
(3:16)  5. That's Life
(2:52)  6. Bye Bye Blackbird
(4:56)  7. New York State Of Mind
(2:59)  8. Good Things Grow
(3:08)  9. I Know What You Are
(4:41) 10. Quando, Quando, Quando
(3:00) 11. Strangers In The Night
(3:05) 12. Bellissima
(2:51) 13. Georgia On My Mind
(3:34) 14. Tennessee Whiskey
(3:15) 15. Who's Got The Action

Swing Street is one of the finest in Deana's canon of work. Each album sees this artist grow ... take more risks ... and spread her wings. There are 15 swingin' songs on Swing Street packed with all the diversity and elegance you would expect from a woman who is passionate about her music. Deana challenges herself with each project and Swing Street certainly proves that. In this collection, she once again gathers her A-list of session players, arrangers, composers, conductors, and engineers ... the ones who live and breathe this music, and she hands them 15 gems to wrap themselves around. Swing Street is a sophisticated collection of superb performances. And, while it might not be her motivation, it sure feels like her proud Pop is giving her his inimitable smile and saying, Ya did good, Kid. Let'em have it. Lou Simon Senior Director, Music Programming Sirius XM Satellite Radio (excerpts from his Swing Street liner notes) ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Swing-Street-Deana-Martin/dp/B01LW48ZIX

Swing Street

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Joe Stilgoe & Metropole Orkest - Theatre

Styles: Vocal, Cabaret
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:40
Size: 137,6 MB
Art: Front

(1:02) 1. Theatreland
(5:49) 2. Take Me Back to the Theatre
(5:37) 3. Cabaret
(5:03) 4. Lost in The Stars
(4:18) 5. Does Anybody Have a Map
(4:54) 6. Mr Matcham
(5:42) 7. The King's New Clothes
(5:31) 8. The King's New Clothes
(6:22) 9. No More Not While I’m Around Children Will Listen
(4:30) 10. Gonna Build a Mountain
(5:48) 11. Bring Down The Curtain
(4:59) 12. Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats

Stilgoe’s ninth album, now on Westway Records, is a tribute to the theatre or, to be precise, to the great songwriters through the years (plus three new songs written by Stilgoe himself). Simon Callow appears on one of the new songs, a tribute to Frank Matcham who designed many theatres round Britain, and he is not the only theatrical guest on the album. Stilgoe is joined by a star-studded theatrical line-up of special guests: Anna-Jane Casey, Louise Dearman, recent Olivier nominee Omari Douglas, Hadley Fraser, Le Gateau Chocolat, Jason Manford, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Jamie Parker and Rebecca Trehearn. Tom Richards conducts and appears as a guest playing soprano saxophone on the beautiful ‘Lost in the Stars’.

Listening to the track ‘Overture’ I was, at once, glued to the speaker with its lush orchestration, followed by a track called ‘Take Me Back to the Theatre’ which is a lovely tribute to the reopening of the theatres after the pandemic. Then the tracks get a bit hit or miss for me. ‘Cabaret’ goes through so many genres of music that it becomes a bit of a mess. I understand what he and the arranger were trying to achieve but I think what it ends up as is a cacophony of sounds. ‘Lost in the Stars’ is a beautiful number and, thankfully, is given the treatment it deserves with a wonderful saxophone solo. ‘Anybody Have a Map’ from Dear Evan Hansen is given a jazzy arrangement, which is not really to my taste.

We then have one of the new numbers called ‘Mr Matcham’, a tribute to the great theatre designer Frank Matcham. As a tribute it works, with a soliloquy halfway through by Callow. After listening to it you will know a bit more about the great man Matcham not Callow! ‘On Broadway’ follows with a bit of a hokey intro but, once it gets going, it is an absolutely brilliant arrangement, featuring great orchestral and fantastic vocals from Stilgoe. For some reason, I suppose for some humour, the next track is ‘The King’s New Clothes’ which is not from the theatre but from film (being pedantic, I know) a track the album could have done without.

Sondheim is next with a medley, ‘No More, Not While I’m Around, Children Will Listen’, beautifully orchestrated and showing Stilgoe’s voice off beautifully. One of my favourite tracks on the album. ‘Gonna Build a Mountain’ goes for the jazzy feel again, but this time it does work in its favour. Another of the new songs, ‘Bring Down the Curtain’, tells the listener that you may very well be able to bring down the curtain on the theatre but you will never be able to stop the show. Theatre will go on no matter what! Then, for another reason known only to himself, Stilgoe finishes the album with ‘Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats’. Apart from being taken from my least favourite musical in the world, it is just a strange song to end an album with.

Overall, this is a very entertaining album with little surprises along the way. Stilgoe is obviously a great talent and, with his arrangers Tom Richards, Callum Au, Evan Jolly and Andrew Cottee, have come up with some interesting ideas. The Metropole Orkest must also get a special mention as they bring those aforementioned arrangements to life.~ Nick Wakehamhttps://musicaltheatrereview.com/cd-review-theatre-joe-stilgoe/

Theatre

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