Showing posts with label Adi Braun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adi Braun. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Adi Braun - Moderne Frau

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:56
Size: 121,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:18) 1. Moderne Frau
(5:53) 2. Surabaya Johnny
(3:58) 3. Nannas Lied
(2:10) 4. Buddy on the nightshift
(3:33) 5. Josephine
(5:02) 6. Du sollst es leise sagen
(5:07) 7. Speak Low
(3:55) 8. I'm a stranger here myself
(2:07) 9. Mackie Messer/Mack the knife
(3:36) 10. Gestern
(4:39) 11. Und was bekam des Soldaten Weib?
(6:40) 12. It never was you
(3:52) 13. It's all a swindle

Adi Braun has a long list of cabaret, concert and theatre successes to her credit. She has performed in every major jazz and concert venue in Toronto, has toured Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2023 Adi released her sixth CD recording “Night and Day Adi Braun sings the Cole Porter Songbook” which follows her previously celebrated recordings “Moderne Frau Modern Woman” (2017), a tribute to the music of Weimar Cabaret, “Canadian Scenes I” (2010), Live at the Metropolitan Room (2007), The Rules of the Game (2006), and Delishious (2003).

Born in Toronto, Adi Braun grew up in Europe surrounded by music and musicians. Her parents were opera singers. Her father, Victor Braun, was one of Canada’s leading baritones. Her first instrument was piano, which she began studying at the age of six. With no formal voice lessons, she made her first pop/jazz recording at age 19.

Following family tradition, Adi trained classically at the Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music. She began her singing career as a classical recitalist, a soloist with orchestra, and on-stage in operas and operettas alongside her brother, baritone Russell Braun.

Adi started “singing sideways” in the late ‘90's and returned to the music she loved, which she calls “cabarazz”, drawing on aspects from both cabaret and jazz. After winning a local competition in 2001, she was catapulted to centre-stage as one of Canada’s leading jazz vocalists. In 2007, Adi was nominated as “Best Major Jazz Vocalist of the Year” by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC).

Her sophisticated style and subtle delivery evokes such vocal greats as Sarah Vaughan, Lotte Lenya, Judy Garland and Rosemary Clooney. Elizabeth Ahlfors of New York’s Cabaret Scenes describes Adi as "A tad Dinah Washington, a hint of Lena Horne, the enveloping warmth of Doris Day, all gift-wrapped up in a unique sound that is singular Adi Braun!" Adi’s repertoire ranges from the Great American songbook, to European cabaret, to contemporary songs by Canada legend’s Shirley Eikhard and Gordon Lightfoot as well as her own originals. Whether she is singing in English, French, Spanish or German, Adi Braun is “a power-frau who gives jazz standards a unique touch, telling stories that are miniature life moments” (Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf, Germany).

In addition to her performing, Adi is the co-host of “Classical Mornings”, a popular daily program on The New Classical FM. She has taught and coached German Diction at the Glenn Gould School - Royal Conservatory of Music, and for the Canadian Opera Company. Adi frequently speaks on topics related to Weimar Cabaret. https://www.adibraun.com/welcome

Moderne Frau

Friday, January 12, 2024

Adi Braun - Night and Day (The Cole Porter Songbook)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:26
Size: 84,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:30) 1. Love for Sale
(3:13) 2. Just One of Those Things
(4:09) 3. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(4:00) 4. I've Got You Under My Skin
(4:05) 5. Night and Day
(3:50) 6. In the Still of the Night
(3:17) 7. Get out of Town
(3:30) 8. I Concentrate on You
(3:22) 9. Too Darn Hot
(3:24) 10. What Is This Thing Called Love?

Adi Braun's love affair with the music of Cole Porter runs long and deep. The acclaimed Toronto jazz and cabaret chanteuse has long covered his tunes in her performances and on record. She describes the music of her favorite Great American Songbook writer as delicious, a great combination of naughty, provocative, sensuous, witty and devastatingly beautiful.

I am also smitten by the fact that he wrote both lyrics and music, and his use of sexy Latin beats and rhythms is another major drawing card for me.Braun's affection for the work of the masterful songwriter has now reached full bloom with Night And Day (The Cole Porter Songbook), an album comprising ten classic Cole Porter songs given vibrant new life. Her sixth full-length record, it will be released on Sept. 15, 2023 on noted Toronto independent record label, ALMA Records.Adi's most ambitious album yet,

Night and Dayis a collaboration with Emmy-winning Canadian keyboardist, songwriter, producer,and arranger Don Breithaupt (Monkey House, Brass Transit). The pair had long had a mutual admiration for each other's work, as Don explains.Adi was one of the first singers to record songs by the Breithaupt Brothers, on her 2005 album The Rules Of TheGame, and I've always respected her sound, her nuance as an interpreter, and her international approach to jazz.

I contacted her in 2021, as I had a feeling I could help her cook something great. The minute we zeroed in on the Cole Porter songbook, a bottomless well of great melodies and lyrics, we had our focus. The material on Night and Dayneatly showcases the broad emotional and musical range of Cole Porter's work, as exemplified in the title. Adi explains that I find his songs illuminate different aspects of love, in a fascinating way.The tunes Braun interprets here range from light and bubbly romps to such powerfully emotional songs as Love For Sale and In The Still Of The Night.
By Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Night-Day-Cole-Porter Songbook/dp/B0CBQFJ4BF

Night and Day (The Cole Porter Songbook)

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Adi Braun - Live At The Metropolitan Room

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 64:22
Size: 147.4 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[5:40] 1. That Old Black Magic
[4:45] 2. Witchcraft
[5:59] 3. That Old Devil Moon
[7:23] 4. That Ole Devil Called Love
[3:17] 5. Love Me Or Love Me
[4:36] 6. Easy To Breathe
[4:40] 7. You Do Something To Me
[6:09] 8. Besame Mucho
[4:54] 9. Honeysuckle Rose
[5:43] 10. Miss Celie's Blues
[3:36] 11. Night And Day
[3:10] 12. Some Other Time
[4:24] 13. Ocean Eyes

"You really should record a live album" is what I have heard now for a few years from friends and colleagues. "But how and when and what if it's not perfect?" has been my question. "Perfect!" has been their answer.

New York has become a second home for me over the past few years and I am filled with excitement every time I sing in that crazy and wonderful city. New Yorkers are unparalleled in their support and enthusiasm for good music and I have been very fortunate to have sung at several great venues there, including the fabulous Metropolitan Room, which is where this CD was recorded.

I loved making my two previous albums, The Rules of the Game and Delishious, and learned much about the process of putting together a studio recording. But since the very essence of jazz is one of freedom, spontaneity and "being in the moment", it made sense to me, at this point in my career, to embark on my first live recording. Though we didn't plan to turn the evening of October 26th into a live recording, which would have meant using a multi-track recording technique (instead of the one-track recording technique that was used, which doesn't allow for any "fixes" later on), all the stars shone in our favour that night.

From the piano that had just been tuned the day before, to the great skills of recording engineer Jean-Pierre Perreaux, to all the special people in the audience, and to the fact that all the musicians - myself, pianist Tedd Firth and bassist Steve Watson - were very much in synch and having tremendous fun that night everything seemed like a blessing for this project. One song that was not a part of this show was my own composition, "Ocean Eyes"; by popular demand, I have included it here as a bonus studio recording.

I had called my show "Heart to Heart" and my intention was to musically engage in an open and heart-felt dialogue between singer, song and audience. So sit back and relax as you are about to listen to as "naked" and truthful a delivery of music as I could have hoped for - joyful and honest. ~Adi Braun.

Live At The Metropolitan Room

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Adi Braun - The Rules Of The Game

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:49
Size: 144,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:48)  1. The Rules of the Game
(3:00)  2. Love Me or Leave Me
(7:19)  3. About Last Night
(5:24)  4. Beautiful
(4:10)  5. Honeysuckle Rose
(6:26)  6. Guanabara Bay
(5:25)  7. Show Me Yours
(4:53)  8. Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(5:18)  9. Lonely House
(3:44) 10. You Do Something to Me
(4:21) 11. If We Had Never Met
(4:10) 12. You Can't Rush Spring
(3:45) 13. Hymne a l'Amour

Let us now pause to take assessment of another new vocalist, Canadian Adi Braun, who impressed with her 2003 debut, Delishious. The same trio of pianist Doug Riley and veterans Steve Wallace (bass) and Terry Clarke (drums) is once again on board for this album, with the addition of Perry White on tenor sax. Adi Braun, originally from Germany, comes from a family of professional singers. Her father sang in various opera companies. She relocated to Canada and evidently has a slight accent. You'd never know that from this recording. She has spent the past few years cultivating cabaret/jazz vocal credentials in Toronto and Montreal and appeared in November, 2005 at Joe's Pub in NYC. According to the liner notes, her taste includes a number of jazz singers, but her primarily influences are Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Lotte Lenya. This new album is a well-presented cabaret/jazz set, as judged by song selection, cleanly articulated delivery, and, yes, the ability to swing, on at least a limited basis. I do have some reservations on the above, but more about that later. This is the type of hour that is favorably greeted by cabaret enthusiasts: new songs, a few standards, and a lively musical backdrop.

The opening title tune is one of the best ballads on the album, beginning with a full verse. (Do they still write verses anymore?) I was startled to find out that this is a new composition written by Canadian brothers D. & J. Breithaupt, but it is a beauty, seemingly from the golden age of pop and jazz compositions. Of the thirteen tracks, seven are recent compositions, generally not known to the public, while five of the tunes come from the Great American Songbook. While the latter offer the listener a sense of familiarity, other than the mid-tempo Gus Kahn/Walter Donaldson "Love Me Or Leave Me," the others seemed to be rather tired titles (eg. "Honeysuckle Rose," "You Do Something To Me," "I Got It Bad"). Only on the closing track, the Edith Piaf-associated "Hymne A L'Amour," known in English as "If You Love Me," does Braun bring off a cabaret coup with her French ballad version. Perry White's tenor sax backing and solo bring some life to the chestnut "I Got It Bad." Braun tries to liven up "Honeysuckle Rose" by changing the lyrics on one line to "Honey, suck my toes." Part of the decision to introduce new material on album or live performance should involve whether or not the material will work for an audience that will be giving it one or two listens before categorization. Braun and company get in some good ones. A second tune from the Breithaupts, "Show Me Yours," is a typically saucy number that must be a highlight of her live performance; and "Guanabara Bay" is a tempting bossa appreciation of Rio's large body of water. 

The two tunes with a similar mid-tempo pacing are done back-to-back, while on other portions of the album, there are several stretches of two ballads strung together. The latter portion of the album has the better new entries. Kurt Weill's "Lonely House," following by an up-tempo standard, leads into Canadian singer/songwriter Shirley Eikhard's "If We Had Never Met" and then Ann Hampton Calloway's "You Can't Rush Spring," concluding with the Piaf song. Two compositions early in the album, Eikhard's "About Last Night" and Gordon Lightfoot's "Beautiful," were pleasant but did not strike me as memorable. So how does all of this work? Let's give Adi Braun some real credit for reseach, delivery, and presentation, and pianist Riley a big round for pulling this project together. After decades of listening to the work of Steve Wallace and Terry Clarke on Concord and several other labels, as well as their work with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, here are two of the best in the business. ~ Michael P.Gladstone   
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=19797#.UtMXyLRc_vs

Personnel: Adi Braun: vocals; Doug Riley: piano; Perry White: tenor saxophone; Steve Wallace: bass; Terry Clarke: drums.

Monday, September 25, 2023

Adi Braun - Delishious

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:23
Size: 129.1 MB
Styles: Cabaret, Jazz vocals
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. Crazy From The Heat
[4:08] 2. Delishious
[5:17] 3. Lover Man
[3:52] 4. Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed
[5:29] 5. Miss Celie's Blues
[6:40] 6. More Than You Know
[5:51] 7. That Old Black Magic
[5:13] 8. The Nearness Of You
[2:57] 9. When In Rome
[3:43] 10. Cry Me A River
[5:24] 11. Girl From Ipanema
[4:19] 12. Mister Sandman

Born in Toronto, Adi Braun grew up in Europe surrounded by music and musicians. Her parents were opera singers, and her father, Victor Braun, was one of Canada's leading baritones. Her first instrument was piano, which she began studying at the age of six. With no formal voice lessons, she made her first pop/jazz recording at age 19. Following family tradition, Adi trained classically at the Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music. She began her singing career as a classical recitalist, a soloist with orchestra, and on-stage in operas and operettas alongside her brother, baritone Russell Braun.

Adi started "singing sideways" in the late 90's and returned to the music she loved, which she calls "cabarazz", drawing on aspects from both cabaret and jazz. After winning a local competition in 2001, she was catapulted to centre-stage as one of Canada's leading jazz vocalists. In 2007, Adi was nominated as "Best Major Jazz Vocalist of the Year" by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC).

Her sophisticated style and subtle delivery evokes such vocal greats as Sarah Vaughan, Lotte Lenya, Judy Garland and Rosemary Clooney. Elizabeth Ahlfors of New York's Cabaret Scenes describes Adi as "A tad Dinah Washington, a hint of Lena Horne, the enveloping warmth of Doris Day, all gift-wrapped up in a unique sound that is singular Adi Braun!" Adi's repertoire ranges from the Great American songbook, to European cabaret, to contemporary songs by Canada legend's Shirley Eikhard and Gordon Lightfoot as well as her own originals. Whether she is singing in English, French, Spanish or German, Adi Braun is "a power-frau who gives jazz standards a unique touch, telling stories that are miniature life moments" (Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf, Germany).

Delishious