Showing posts with label Barbara Fasano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barbara Fasano. Show all posts

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Barbara Fasano - Busy Being Free

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:47
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:01)  1. How Little We Know
(5:12)  2. Cactus Tree
(3:58)  3. Remind Me
(2:59)  4. Dancing in the Dark
(4:03)  5. If I Loved You
(3:45)  6. It Never Was You
(3:17)  7. Roundabout
(5:20)  8. The Surrey with the Fringe on Top
(3:45)  9. Time Flies
(3:38) 10. I Got Lost in His Arms
(3:30) 11. Hurry on Down
(4:10) 12. But Beautiful
(4:38) 13. Photographs
(3:25) 14. Where or When

Barbara Fasano, whose fourth CD, “Busy Being Free" drops November 2015, has been hailed as one of the nation’s most stunning and soulful singers. Frank Scheck of The New York Post raves, "Fasano is a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor’s intensity in whatever she sings." Whether singing a song by Joni Mitchell or Harold Arlen or Cole Porter, Fasano takes her audience on a spellbinding, emotional musical journey. Her performances and recordings have won her three Backstage Bistro awards, three MAC awards and a New York Nightlife award. Fasano is a regular performer at New York’s most prestigious clubs. Together with her frequent musical partner, Eric Comstock, she was among the last singers to headline at the Algonquin’s legendary Oak Room supper club, with their show “HELLUVA TOWN: A New York Soundtrack”, which enjoyed an acclaimed and sold-out run and has toured the country. The New York Times’ Stephen Holden called it “exhilarating”, singling out Fasano as a “lyrically sensitive interpreter” and comparing her to one of her idols, Lena Horne. “Mr. Comstock and Ms. Fasano are turning the neighborhood into a hotbed of pleasure.”  

Fasano’s voice reaches deep into the soul of humanity. “She illuminates with torchlight,” according to David Finkle of The Huffington Post. “The slim, raven-haired Fasano continually allows feelings to simmer and crackle, singing Cole Porter's ‘In the Still of the Night’ as well or better than anyone has ever sung it.”   Rex Reed of The New York Observer notes, "She gives off palpable electricity", and NEXT’s David Hurst declares, “Fasano is nothing short of a revelation, with the poise and jazz chops to go with her beauty to create a formidable singer.” Theatermania’s Brian Scott Lipton simply states, “Fasano, who sounds better than ever, once again proves herself to be a remarkably expressive singer.” 

Wall Street Journal jazz critic Will Friedwald calls Barbara “a charismatic stylist who effectively channels the spirits of the great über-divas Lena Horne and Barbra Streisand” in his new book The Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singer. On her CD, “Written In The Stars”, a Harold Arlen collection, she surrounds herself with an A-list jazz ensemble, including John di Martino on piano. The CD has garnered praise in publications as diverse as JazzTimes and Playbill, and receives radio play around the world. The New Republic’s David Hajdu raves, “With this record, Barbara Fasano proves that she is not just a great Italian crooner, an heir to Sinatra for our time, but a jazz singer of the first rank.” Barbara’s previous CD, “The Girls of Summer”, is an eclectic mix ranging from Springsteen to Sondheim, and based on her one-woman show of the same title. Both of these CDs were named Record of the Year by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Back Stage Bistro awards, and her work as a live performer has twice earned her awards for Female Vocalist of the Year.

Barbara is a native New Yorker, who grew up in a spirited Italian Catholic household – excellent preparation for a life in show business! From her early childhood, music and stories were a way of life. Her mother made the Sunday lasagna while listening to Italian American singers like Jerry Vale on the radio. Her father listened to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby and sang along in a joyful baritone, teaching Barbara many of his favorite songs. From the early Streisand albums, she learned the music of her favorite composer, Harold Arlen, and learned to play the guitar, memorizing recordings by Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and other singer-songwriters. Combine all this with her grandparents’ stories of Neapolitan singers and vaudeville and you see how her musical identity was forged. Within her eclectic choices, what remains consistent is her ability to invest a lyric with deep emotional truth, creating virtual one-act plays out of each song.

She earned a degree in theatre, has worked as an actress across the country, and is the recipient of Hofstra University's Estabrook Alumni Achievement Award. Barbara's work as a teacher in New York and around the country includes private coaching, workshops and master classes in the art of performance and song interpretation. Together with Eric Comstock, their workshop, SING THE TRUTH, has enriched the lives and music of hundreds of vocalists. They have an ongoing relationship with the Musical Theater department at University of Michigan, and have recently taught a course in The Great American Songbook at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. She has also worked with the Michael Feinstein Songbook Initiative in Los Angeles, coaching and judging gifted high school students.

Barbara’s many New York headline engagement include concert appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s American Songbook at the Appel Room, Rose Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, New York Festival of Song, Town Hall and New York’s 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series. Starring engagements in cabaret and nightclubs include Birdland, The Algonquin, Feinstein’s, The Carlyle,  Iridium, 54 Below, Café Sabarsky, the Colony in Palm Beach, and the Palace in Stamford, CT. Arts centers and music festivals across the country include Caramoor, Arizona Jazz Festival, Jersey Jazz, Kanbar Center, Cooperstown Music Festival, Sheldon Concert Hall and Jazz at The Bistro in St. Louis, Prince Music Theatre, and Kerrytown Concert House. Barbara recently made her London debut at Brasserie Zédel in Piccadilly. In the words of revered jazz critic Ira Gitler, she “has it all, and then some … artistic, swinging, and superbly entertaining.” http://barbarafasano.com/bio.html

Busy Being Free

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Barbara Fasano - The Girls Of Summer

Size: 95,8 MB
Time: 40:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Full

01. Ribbons Down My Back (3:09)
02. The Girls Of Summer (3:29)
03. Thunder Road (5:13)
04. Sally's Pigeons (4:51)
05. Cool (4:03)
06. Only A Dream (7:12)
07. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (2:14)
08. Once Upon A Summertime (2:49)
09. The Boys Of Summer (4:09)
10. The Shining Sea (2:49)

Barbara Fasano has been hailed as one of the nation’s most stunning and soulful singers. Frank Scheck of The New York Post raves, "Fasano is a gorgeous, soulful singer who has an actor’s intensity in whatever she sings." Whether singing a song by Joni Mitchell or Harold Arlen or Cole Porter, Fasano takes her audience on a spellbinding, emotional musical journey. A 2010 New York Nightlife Award winner, and a regular performer at New York’s most prestigious supper club, The Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel, her new show with Eric Comstock, “HELLUVA TOWN: A New York Soundtrack”, enjoyed an acclaimed and sold-out run earlier this year. The New York Times’ Stephen Holden called it “exhilarating”, singling out Fasano as a “lyrically sensitive interpreter” and comparing her to one of her idols, Lena Horne. “Mr. Comstock and Ms. Fasano are turning the neighborhood into a hotbed of pleasure.”

Fasano’s exquisite voice reaches deep into the soul of humanity. “She illuminates with torchlight,” according to David Finkle of The Huffington Post. “The slim, raven-haired Fasano continually allows feelings to simmer and crackle, singing Cole Porter's ‘In the Still of the Night’ as well or better than anyone has ever sung it.” Rex Reed of The New York Observer notes, "She gives off palpable electricity”, and NEXT’s David Hurst declares , “Fasano is nothing short of a revelation, with the poise and jazz chops to go with her beauty to create a formidable singer.” Theatermania’s Brian Scott Lipton simply states, “Fasano, who sounds better than ever, once again proves herself to be a remarkably expressive singer.”

Wall Street Journal jazz critic Will Friedwald calls Barbara “a charismatic stylist who effectively channels the spirits of the great über-divas Lena Horne and Barbra Streisand” in his new book The Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers (Pantheon, 2010). On her CD, “Written In The Stars”, a Harold Arlen collection, she surrounds herself with an A-list jazz ensemble, including John di Martino on piano. The CD has garnered praise in publications as diverse as JazzTimes and Playbill, and receives radio play around the world. The New Republic’s David Hajdu raves, “With this record, Barbara Fasano proves that she is not just a great Italian crooner, an heir to Sinatra for our time, but a jazz singer of the first rank.” Barbara’s previous CD, “The Girls of Summer”, is an eclectic mix ranging from Springsteen to Sondheim, and based on her one-woman show of the same title. Both of these CDs were named Record of the Year by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Back Stage Bistro awards, and her work as a live performer has twice earned her awards for Female Vocalist of the Year.

Barbara grew up in a spirited Italian Catholic household – excellent preparation for a life in show business! From her early childhood, music and stories were a way of life. Her mother made the Sunday lasagna while listening to Italian American singers like Jerry Vale on the radio. Her father listened to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby and sang along in an effortless baritone, teaching Barbara many of his favorite songs. From the early Streisand albums, she learned the music of her favorite composer, Harold Arlen, and learned to play the guitar, memorizing recordings by Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and other singer-songwriters. Combine all this with her grandparents’ stories of Neapolitan singers and vaudeville and you see how her musical identity was forged. Within her eclectic choices, what remains consistent is her ability to invest a lyric with deep emotional truth, creating virtual one-act plays out of each song.

Barbara’s many New York headline engagement include concert appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s American Songbook at the Allen Room, Rose Hall, Town Hall and New York’s 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series. Starring engagements in cabaret and nightclubs include The Algonquin, Feinstein’s, The Carlyle, Birdland, Iridium, and Café Sabarsky. Arts centers and music festivals across the country include Caramoor, Arizona Jazz Festival, Jersey Jazz, Kanbar Center, Cooperstown Music Festival, and Kerrytown Concert House. In the words of jazz critic Ira Gitler, she “has it all, and then some … artistic, swinging, and superbly entertaining.”

The Girls Of Summer

Friday, February 28, 2014

Barbara Fasano - Written In the Stars

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:40
Size: 153,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:52)  1. It Was Written In the Stars
(3:35)  2. Let's Fall In Love
(2:19)  3. Here's What I'm Here For
(5:32)  4. Blues In the Night / I Wonder What Became of Me
(4:16)  5. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
(3:30)  6. Don't Like Goodbyes
(3:16)  7. As Long As I Live
(3:11)  8. I Had a Love Once
(5:48)  9. This Time the Dream's On Me
(3:42) 10. The Eagle and Me
(5:29) 11. When the Sun Comes Out
(4:34) 12. My Shining Hour
(3:58) 13. Last Night When We Were Young
(6:25) 14. Come Rain or Come Shine
(5:06) 15. One for My Baby

Singer Barbara Fasano is the real deal! In a perfect world, if this was forty years ago, Fasano could have been a world-class pop singer/star on par with Streisand. Does this sound far-fetched? It's not, if you consider that Streisand's eponymous album (in 1963) was comprised of tunes largely from Broadway and the Great American Songbook; and that The Second Barbra Streisand Album, released during that same year, consisted of the same pattern, with five of the eleven tracks by Harold Arlen. Consider what your own reaction was back then to the Streisand versions of "Right as the Rain," "Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home," "Down With Love" and "When The Sun Comes Out." Barbara Fasano's third album, Written In The Stars is, coincidentally, a tribute to the music of Harold Arlen, and it is just as important a work as the aforementioned 1963 recordings. I've recently seen Fasano's live performance of some of this same material within the framework of her Two For The Road cabaret concert with husband Eric Comstock. 

While the witty and urbane spoken word portion of that event is not included on this album, the beauty of the Arlen songs and the breathlessness of Fasano's beautiful singing comes fully through. While several of the Arlen songs are well known, like "Come Rain Or Come Shine," "One For My Baby" and "Blues In the Night," most of these fifteen selections range from the obscure to the underappreciated. Fasano is a natural romantic interpreter of the Great American Songbook, and her versions of such ballads as "Here's What I'm Here For," "Last Night When We Were Young," "I Wonder What's Become Of Me" and "Don't Like Goodbyes" are among her best. When she performs a downtempo version of "This Time The Dream's On Me," all of the yearning described within the Johnny Mercer lyrics, which presumedly comes from a 1940s environment, comes pouring out. Barbara Fasano's musical forte is cabaret music, yet the album is fashioned with a jazz sensibility. The ensemble is led by pianist/arranger John DiMartino, and it includes bassist Sean Smith (who was the third musician present at the above mentioned Fasano-Comstock Show), tenor and soprano player Joel Frahm, trumpet/flugelhorn player Tim Ouimette, guitarist John Hart and drummer Tim Horner. Eric Comstock joins Fasano on a light-hearted duet version of "As Long As I Live." 

The shading and solo opportunities from Di Martino, Frahm, Ouimette and Hart serve to make this a far more jazz-related album. Each musical genre has examples of albums that demand repeated listening and appreciation. In terms of the Great American Songbook, this is one of them! ~ Michael P.Gladstone  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=23179#.Uw9Jw4VZhhk
 
Personnel: Barbara Fasano: vocals; John Di Martino: piano and arrangements; Sean Smith: bass; Tim Horner: drums; Kahlil Kwame Bell: percussion; John Hart: guitars; Joel Frahm: tenor and soprano sax; Tim Ouimette: trumpet and flugelhorn; Eric Comstock: vocal (7).