Carol Welsman - Memories Of You

Styles: Piano And Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:51
Size: 139,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:49)1. Don't Be That Way
(2:45)2. Why Don't You Do Right
(3:28)3. Moonglow
(3:10)4. Stompin' At The Savoy
(5:47)5. As Time Goes By
(4:49)6. When You're Smiling
(4:10)7. Johnny Guitar
(4:02)8. Fever
(2:53)9. Goody Goody
(3:08) 10. The Very Thought Of You
(2:39) 11. On A Slow Boat To China
(4:50) 12. Memories Of You
(3:03) 13. Sing Sing Sing
(3:50) 14. Where Or When
(4:15) 15. More Than You Know
(4:06) 16. The Glory Of Love

Carol Welsman is a talented singer/pianist who hails from Canada and now spends much of her time in Los Angeles. Her numerous achievements include five Juno (Canadian Grammy) Award nominations and several CDN Smooth Jazz Awards. Like bossa nova icon Joao Gilberto and his guitar, Carol's honey-and-whiskey voice and her crisp, rhythmically articulate piano lines seem an integral part of each other. Also possessing wonderful arranging skills, she's an authentic vocal/instrumental artist who brings an irresistible blend of musicality and lyrical insight to everything she touches.

Memories of You is a special project she did in partnership with Producer Takao Ishizuka, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his company, All Art Promotion. For the past 50 years, Ishizuka and All Art Promotion have been a major driving force in bringing jazz musicians to Japan. The year 2009 also was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benny Goodman, so they decided to join forces with Ken Peplowski the best jazz clarinet player in the world now in my opinion to do a Benny Goodman tribute album. They also wanted to include vocal numbers popular in Japan, and found the tunes made famous by Peggy Lee a perfect fit.

Thus, the program consists of well-known tunes associated with Goodman and songs associated with Peggy Lee. Her Los Angeles-based regular band (Pierre Coté on guitar, Rene Camacho on bass and Jimmy Branly on drums) is augmented by Brazillian percussionist Cassio Duarte, and legendary drummer Frank Capp, who used to play with Peggy Lee, appears on two tracks as guest drummer. This is a wonderful jazz vocal album, full of wonderfully inventive arrangements, superb singing, and musicianship of highest order. Pressed on the superior-sounding HQCD, the sound quality of this CD is so good that it received the highest honor from the Jazz Critique Magazine of Japan, the 2009 Jazz Disc Gold Award in the vocal album category. It means that the magazine recognized it as the best-sounding jazz vocal album released in 2009. Recommended!
http://www.eastwindimport.com/product-info.asp?CategoryName=HQCDProductID=1584

Personnel: Carol Welsman (piano, vocal); Ken Peplowski (clarinet); Pierre Conté (guitar); Jimmy Branly (drums); Cassio Duarte (percussion); Frank Capp (drums)

Memories Of You

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Carol Welsman - Fourteen

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:00
Size: 112,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:08) 1. Pick Yourself Up
(4:41) 2. I Concentrate On You
(3:23) 3. The Night Has 1000 Eyes
(3:04) 4. Sometimes I'm Happy
(3:20) 5. Que Reste-t-il De Nos Amours?
(6:05) 6. If You Could See Me Now
(3:48) 7. Somos Novios
(3:17) 8. Plus Je T'embrasse
(3:36) 9. Be My Valentine
(3:31) 10. Come Fly With Me
(5:59) 11. Black Coffee
(5:02) 12. C'est Le Printemps

Currently closing in on 30 years as one of jazz’s most stylistically and culturally diverse jazz singers, vocal interpreters and pianists, six time Juno Award nominee Carol Welsman has occasionally tied the songs on her collection neatly together with a specific overall theme as she did on two of her best in the last decade sharing her passion for travel and cultures on Journey (2012) and her splendid immersion into Latin Jazz on Dance With Me (2020).

Yet even when she’s more eclectic and freewheeling in her choices of material as she shares on her latest coolly cosmopolitan, multi-lingual (English, French, Spanish) latest collection Fourteen Welsman is always offering an intimate opening to the music that has literally jazzed her life. As her first post-pandemic recording, she seems determined to help soothe the complex wave of emotions that rock our worlds every day, with an eye and ear towards lifting our exhausted spirits starting with the playfully swinging, exuberantly optimistic romp through Nat King Cole’s “Pick Yourself Up.”

She's also keen on reminding us that life can still be joyful and romantic with three charming tunes sung beautifully in French, including the lush, dreamy closer, the Rodgers & Hammerstein waltz “C’est le printemps” (which the singer memorably recorded in English as “It Might As Well Be Spring” on her 2015 album Alone Together. Her Spanish on the balmy bossa twist on the Mexican originated “Somos Novios” – more familiar to us as “It’s Impossible” – is equally delightful and sweetly infectious. One of the most unique stories connected to the choice of material on Fourteen is her sassy and hipster samba-fied invitation to escape on “Come Fly With Me,” which gets extra buoyancy from her percussive piano, breezy, inventive scatting and lively interaction with her Quebec based band, including guitarist Pierre Côté and bassist Rémi-Jean LeBlanc.

It’s hard to believe she originally recorded it for her self-titled 2007 album but it didn’t make the final cut; fortunately Sammy Cahn’s son Steve felt it was the best version of the song since Sinatra and Welsman felt now was the appropriate moment. Coming after these anxious few years, its sparkling uplift indeed hits the heartstrings just right.

She likewise lifts our spirits throughout with more of her remarkable scatting, from the sweet breezes she creates in duet with Côté on “I Concentrate on You” and the peppy improvisational vocal whimsy a few minutes into the lighthearted “The Night Has 1000 Eyes” to the sly duality with LeBlanc’s plucky bass on “Sometimes I’m Happy.” Balancing the overall upbeat energy of Fourteen are two more melancholy tunes that showcase her trademark emotional expressiveness as a balladeer, “If You Could See Me Now” and the Peggy Lee originated “Black Coffee.”

Also a gifted songwriter, she graces us with a lone original (“Be My Valentine”) which connects to the dominant forward thinking vibe of the album. The Canadian born, L.A.based Welsman is a true treasure who, over a quarter century into her career, never fails to draw us into her splendor and surprise filled autobiography.Jonathan Widran https://www.jwvibe.com/single-post/carol-welsman-fourteen

Fourteen

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Carol Welsman - What'cha Got Cookin'?

Styles: Vocal, And Piano Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:44
Size: 141,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:22)  1. Hey Good Lookin'
(3:52)  2. Stand by Your Man
(3:57)  3. Everybody's Talkin'
(5:22)  4. It's My Party
(3:37)  5. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
(4:47)  6. Your Cheatin' Heart
(3:33)  7. Just a Little Lovin'
(4:54)  8. Always on My Mind
(6:09)  9. Walkin' After Midnight
(3:43) 10. I Feel Lucky
(3:37) 11. Baby Come Easy
(4:26) 12. Daddy's Little Girl
(5:17) 13. I Can't Stop Lovin' You
(4:59) 14. I'm Walkin' the Floor over You

Although Carol Welsman has moved to the Los Angeles area, she is best known in her native Canada. While frequently identified with smooth jazz, she has also recorded vintage standards and can swing in straight-ahead jazz settings, too. Her father was a big jazz fan with a large record collection, introducing his daughter to jazz. Not only did she hear his records, but from the age of 12 she often accompanied him to concerts, developing a love for the singing of Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé. Welsman played guitar from the age of ten, accompanying her singing of bossa novas and folk music. She began to perform jazz more in her late teens. Welsman attended the Berklee College of Music during 1980-1981 and studied voice in France with Christiane Legrand. She started the Welcar Music label in Toronto, recording her debut CD, Lucky to Be Me, in 1995. She performed throughout Canada and also worked as a jazz vocal professor at the University of Toronto. 

During 2004-2005 she toured in Japan, Italy, and Brazil in addition to Canada and worked a bit in Los Angeles as a singer/pianist, but Carol Welsman has yet to become well known in the U.S. despite being a household name in Canada. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/carol-welsman/id7239327#fullText

Personnel:  Carol Welsman - piano, Fender Rhodes, vocal;  Kevin Axt - bass (acoustic & electric);  Ray Brinker – drums;  Grant Geissman – guitars;  Randy Waldman – keyboards;  Brad Dutz - percussion

What'cha Got Cookin'?

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Carol Welsman - Dance with Me

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:56
Size: 100,3 MB
Art: Front

(2:13)  1. You and the Night and the Music
(4:14)  2. A Taste of Paradise
(3:58)  3. Femme Fatale (Amor Fugaz)
(4:28)  4. Dance with Me (Si Tú No Bailas Conmigo)
(3:42) 5. Time to Dance Cha Cha Cha (Ya Llegó La Hora)
(3:35)  6. Yesterday (Como Fue)
(3:36)  7. Island Lullaby
(3:37)  8. I Think of You (Hoy Como Ayer)
(3:49)  9. I Won't Dance
(5:37) 10. Revelations
(4:03) 11. Yesterday I Heard the Rain (Esta tarde Vi Llover)

Juno-nominated vocalist and pianist Carol Welsman’s forthcoming album Dance With Me is a collection of jazz songs infused with traditional Latin rhythms.It’s the 13th album for the six-time Juno nominee and marks her first venture into Latin jazz. The song selections include popular Latin standards adapted into English, standards from the Great American Songbook, original compositions, and even a song written by Canadian rock icon Randy Bachman.The first single is a duet with Juan Luis Guerra on an English adaptation of the Grammy-winning Dominican superstar’s song Si tú no bailas conmigo. Dance With Me, which arrives this Friday, was co-produced by Welsman and Oscar Hernández, a four-time Grammy-winning composer and arranger.

Welsman is surrounded by the skills of saxophonist and flautist Justo Almario, percussionist Joey de Leon, bassist Rene Camacho and drummer Jimmy Branly.The Cuban-born Branly was instrumental in introducing Welsman to Latin music, particularly the work of Beny Moré. She and co-lyricist Jo Perry chose a number of Latin standards to include on the album and wrote English adaptations such as Y Hoy Como Ayer (I Think of You), Como Fue (Yesterday), and Ya Llegó La Hora (Time to Dance Cha Cha Cha) in the hopes of introducing these songs to a new audience.Among the album’s other cuts are Randy Bachman’s song A Taste of Paradise, which draws on his inspiration from Lenny Breau and Antônio Carlos Jobim, and two of Welsman’s own original compositions: Island Lullaby and Revelations. https://jazz.fm/carol-welsman-dance-with-me-new-album-latin-jazz/

Dance with Me

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Michael Kaeshammer - Tell You How I Feel

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:00
Size: 107.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Boogie woogie
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:35] 1. Doodlin'
[2:39] 2. Move It On Over (Feat. Guido Basso)
[4:40] 3. Sweet Georgia Brown (Feat. Guido Basso)
[4:57] 4. I'll Always Love You
[4:43] 5. Sunny Side Of The Street (Feat. Danny B.)
[4:57] 6. John Brown's Body
[4:08] 7. Caravan
[4:13] 8. Jivin' With Dal (Feat. Guido Basso)
[5:36] 9. Basin Street Blues (Feat. Carol Welsman)
[3:01] 10. Airmail Special (Feat. Kevin Breit & Guido Basso)
[4:26] 11. Same Old Blues (Feat. Doug Riley & Joe Sealy)

What sort of strange, cross-cultural jazz hybrid do we have here? This twenty-one-year-old whiz kid was born in Germany, moved to Vancouver and tickles the ivories like old time stride/boogie-woogie legends Fats Waller, Pete Johnson and Meade "Lux" Lewis! The eleven tracks on Tell You How I Feel, Michael's second release, run the stylistic gamut from Horace Silver (Doodlin'), Duke Ellington (Caravan), Benny Goodman (Airmail Special), to country legend Hank Williams (Move It On Over). Michael has enlisted the aid of some top-notch sidemen for this project. Guido Basso (trumpet), Doug Riley (organ), Phil Dwyer (saxophone) and Carol Welsman (vocals) all contribute Class-A accompaniment throughout the set. A pair of Kaeshammer originals, I'll Always Love You and the barrelhouse swing of Jivin' With Dal, show that this lad is not only a fleet-fingered pianist, but a talented composer as well. Tell You How I Feel captures the sheer joy of a maturing artist gleefully st! rutting his stuff. This one is a lot of fun. ~John Sharpe

Tell You How I Feel mc
Tell You How I Feel zippy

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Carol Welsman - For You

Size: 106,0 MB
Time: 45:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Skylark (3:04)
02. The Shadow Of Your Smile (1:58)
03. Smile (2:17)
04. Les Feuilles Mortes (2:33)
05. Besame Mucho (3:19)
06. Bewitched (3:50)
07. It Had To Be You (1:21)
08. My Foolish Heart (3:09)
09. Les Parapluies De Cherbourg (2:23)
10. Corcovado (3:41)
11. My Funny Valentine (2:37)
12. Close To You (2:07)
13. Garota De Ipanema (3:03)
14. Ti Guardero Nel Cuor (2:03)
15. Les Moulins De Mon Coeur (4:34)
16. Someone To Watch Over Me (2:50)

Although Carol Welsman has moved to the Los Angeles area, she is best known in her native Canada. While frequently identified with smooth jazz, she has also recorded vintage standards and can swing in straight-ahead jazz settings, too. Her father was a big jazz fan with a large record collection, introducing his daughter to jazz. Not only did she hear his records, but from the age of 12 she often accompanied him to concerts, developing a love for the singing of Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé. Welsman played guitar from the age of ten, accompanying her singing of bossa novas and folk music. She began to perform jazz more in her late teens. Welsman attended the Berklee College of Music during 1980-1981 and studied voice in France with Christiane Legrand. She started the Welcar Music label in Toronto, recording her debut CD, Lucky to Be Me, in 1995. She performed throughout Canada and also worked as a jazz vocal professor at the University of Toronto. During 2004-2005 she toured in Japan, Italy, and Brazil in addition to Canada and worked a bit in Los Angeles as a singer/pianist, but Carol Welsman has yet to become well known in the U.S. despite being a household name in Canada. ~ Scott Yanow

For You

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Carol Welsman - The Language Of Love

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:50
Size: 121.0 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:12] 1. Taking A Chance On Love
[3:42] 2. You Take Me Away
[2:39] 3. On A Slow Boat To China
[5:43] 4. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
[3:31] 5. Can't Help Falling In Love
[3:31] 6. Just One Of Those Things
[4:11] 7. Coracao Leviano
[4:38] 8. Every Breath You Take
[4:00] 9. A Fool I Know
[4:47] 10. There's No Such Thing As Love
[4:12] 11. The Man I Love
[4:25] 12. Chanson De Maxence
[4:14] 13. Senza Fine

Acoustic Guitar – Oscar Castro-Neves; Backing Vocals – Kate Markowitz; Bass – Dave Carpenter; Drums, Percussion – Alex Acuña; Electric Guitar – Ramon Stagnaro; Flute – Gary Meek; Percussion – Calos Del Rosario; Violin, Viola – Charlie Bisharat.

Carol Welsman’s love letter sends its message around the world. She sings in English, French, Italian and Portuguese on this album of treasured memories. Traces of tango, samba and bossa nova mingle casually with sensual ballads and traditional fare. Poignant arrangements of “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” and Sting’s “Every Breath You Take” sweep away the clouds and reveal a veteran vocalist with heart.

The Language Of Love is Welsman’s fifth album. Based in Toronto, and the granddaughter of Frank S. Welsman (founder and first conductor of the Toronto Symphony) has eluded the U.S. limelight. Until now. Starting out as a piano performance major at Berklee and a vocal student of Christiane Legrand in Paris, Welsman has become fluent in several languages: French, Italian, and Jazz. Her vocal preferences lie in the mainstream: pure swing with genuine passion and traces of creative invention. Welsman appears as comfortable with wordless scat singing as she does interpreting lyrics. Bongos and conga drums support her as casually as the guitars, bass and drums. Welsman’s piano accompaniment and brief solo sections enhance her vocal delivery, as do the other supporting instrumentalists. The album includes a lovely duet with Arnold McCuller on “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” But it’s the vocal impressions of Carol Welsman that take center stage on her Savoy Jazz debut. Recommended, this album heralds the arrival of an exquisite jazz singer to a wider audience. ~Jim Santella

The Language Of Love

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Carol Welsman - Hold Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:17
Size: 140.3 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[5:18] 1. Night And Day
[4:42] 2. Fragile
[4:08] 3. Love Junkyard
[4:12] 4. Hold Me
[5:09] 5. Brazasia
[5:21] 6. Talking Is Good
[5:14] 7. Bird Of Paradise
[5:10] 8. I Believe
[5:41] 9. Little Caesar
[5:56] 10. Why
[4:57] 11. Les Moulins Do Mon Coeur
[5:22] 12. And So It Goes

Spurred on no doubt by the growing popularity of the “smooth” jazz radio format, singer/pianist Carol Welsman’s latest CD is a decidedly middle-of-the-road affair. Though she’s often billed as a “jazz” singer, Hold Me contains a whole lot of “pop” and precious little jazz. Welsman floats through this 12-track collection without ever breaking a sweat, rarely displaying the vocal/piano chops she’s famous for. Hold Me is a decent easy-listening album but, as Clara Peller used to say – “Where’s the beef?” Classic tunes like "Night and Day" mixed with modern-day compositions by pop stars like Sting and Billy Joel make for less than challenging fare. This is the sort of album that fans of Diana Krall, Canada’s other fetching singer/pianist, hope she never makes. ~John Sharpe

Hold Me

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Carol Welsman - Alone Together

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:58
Size: 115,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:44)  1. Day By Day
(5:10)  2. It Might As Well Be Spring
(3:31)  3. Sand In My Shoes
(5:31)  4. My Ship
(4:14)  5. Alone Together
(3:35)  6. Disappointed
(4:42)  7. If The Moon Turns Green
(5:45)  8. You Taught My Heart To Sing
(4:37)  9. The Blues Are Out Of Town
(4:30) 10. I Didn't Know About You
(3:33) 11. Killing Time

“In Alone Together, her eleventh album, the briskly rhythmic swing of Carol’s piano playing, the warm, embracing sound of her voice, combined with her irresistible way with a lyric, brightly illuminate her rising ascendency to the upper levels of the contemporary jazz vocal world.” ~ Don Heckman - International Review of Music  http://carolwelsman.com/

Alone Together

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Carol Welsman - Lucky To Be Me

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:04
Size: 137.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1995/2014
Art: Front

[3:54] 1. Lucky To Be Me
[6:02] 2. You Taught My Heart To Sing
[6:57] 3. Garota D' Ipanema
[8:01] 4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[5:30] 5. May I Come In
[5:49] 6. Once Upon A Summertime
[6:18] 7. Heartbreaker
[7:46] 8. I Got Rhythm
[6:42] 9. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[3:02] 10. This Lullaby

Carol Welsman is an internationally acclaimed vocalist and pianist whose expressive vocal styling and dynamic stage presence have captivated audiences around the world. She has sold 60,000 jazz albums in Canada, a feat accomplished by few jazz artists; Nominated for Best Keyboardist and Best Female Vocalist at the 2006 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards; Nominated for Best Vocalist and for Best Original Composition “You take me away” at the 2005 Smooth Jazz Awards (Canada). Four Juno Award nominations (Canadian Grammys) for her five CDs; Featured artist in “The Language of Love” Documentary (1 hr. ) aired on CBC Canada, 2005, with special guests Herbie Hancock, Djavan, ad Oscar Castro Neves. Has written lyrics for various international pop stars including “Baby Close Your Eyes” recorded by Celine Dion on her 2004 “Miracle” CD, and for Ray Charles. “This Lullaby”, Co-hosted the 2000 Billboard Jazz awards with Herbie Hancock on BETStyle Blending international rhythms and languages showcases her ability to cross musical boundaries while remaining within the jazz idiom; Refreshing take on arrangements breathes new life into jazz and pop song classics, in a style that’s all her own; Interpretations range from sultry and warm to infectiously energetic; Vocals run the gamut from being hauntingly reminiscent of Peggy Lee, to swinging a la Ella; Block chord piano/vocal improvisations set her apart in today’s jazz world.

Lucky To Be Me

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Carol Welsman - Swing Ladies, Swing! A Tribute To The Singers Of The Swing Era

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 52:21

Size: 119.8 MB

Styles: Swing, Jazz vocals

Year: 1999

Art: Front

[3:33] 1. Honeysuckle Rose

[4:46] 2. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life

[3:25] 3. Fever

[5:53] 4. Never Let Me Go

[4:08] 5. More Than You Know

[4:08] 6. Cheek To Cheek

[5:06] 7. Black Coffee

[3:50] 8. Taking A Chance On Love

[4:59] 9. Over The Rainbow

[3:27] 10. If I Were A Bell

[5:16] 11. God Bless The Child

[3:43] 12. Do It Again

This is a beautiful timeless mix of American Song Book Classics with Symphony Orchestra. It is very rich musically.

My lifelong dream was to sing with a symphony orchestra. I am lucky that my grandfather, Frank Welsman, is the founder and first conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. I thought it would be wonderful to dedicate this album to him and also pay tribute to the sinegr who influenced me to sing jazz. They are showcased on this CD. Enjoy! ~Carol Welsman

Swing Ladies, Swing!

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Carol Welsman - Inclined

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 48:33
Size: 111.2 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[3:45] 1. Beyond The Sea
[4:58] 2. Samba De Uma Nota So
[4:56] 3. Fever
[6:27] 4. La Fiesta
[5:58] 5. Inclined
[5:30] 6. I'll Be Around
[4:19] 7. Fais Comme L'oiseau
[5:20] 8. Wings To Fly
[6:38] 9. New Day
[0:38] 10. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

It's getting harder and harder to break into the overcrowded jazz recording scene, and for a young vocalist, the odds must seem especially daunting. With ingenue Diana Krall already making waves, and audiophile favorites Holly Cole and Cassandra Wilson selling recordings in great numbers, even a great talent such as Carol Welsman must have felt the odds against her. Through the formation of welcarmusic, she did what many fine and versatile musicians are turning to - self-promotion. With the quality and presentation of her second album, Inclined, Carol Welsman has succeeded brilliantly.Carol has a beautiful and accurate voice which is sensitive to the various styles that she presents on her album. With the first track, Carol literally blows through the speakers, singing an up-tempo version of My Favorite Things. It sets a high standard of what is to follow. Other vocal highlights include Carol's gentle version of the One Note Samba - underlying her gorgeous vocal with unfailingly beautiful piano work. She sings a downright erotic version of Fever, with sophisticated changes that help erase some of the more unsavory covers I have heard. Also included is a stunning version of Alec Wilder's, I'll Be Around, and a particularly Spanish version of Chick Corea's, La Fiesta. Carol is fluent in French and Italian, and with her fluency in French, she beautifully interprets Fais Comme L'Oiseau. With all the performances, there are none of the feelings of embarrassment that come with the affectations of so many jazz singers. Carol's intuitive style suffers none of that nonsense. Her songs are very well chosen, showcasing her diction and exemplary breath control, and give the listener insight into the wonderful lyrics. This is the real power of a communicator, and Carol Welsman has it in spades.

Carol has surrounded herself with excellence. The accompaniment work, from Toronto jazz and session virtuosi, is wonderful. They support her throughout, with very tasteful solos and a rock-solid rhythmic foundation. The solos by sax-player Phil Dwyer and flugelhorn-master Guido Basso are, in turn, swinging, subtle, and beautiful. Listen to the amazing Basso and his perfectly chosen notes in I'll Be Around. It just doesn't get any better! The rhythm section, even with slight changes in personnel from song to song, is remarkably consistent. Their playing demonstrates a difficult and under-appreciated art, while complimenting the swing and subtlety of Carol's interpretations.

The recording is warm, yet punchy, and allows the rhythmic complexities to come through. Where it really shines is in capturing the true beauty of Carol Welsman's voice. Changes in tessitura, subtle inflections, and the honesty with which she sings the lyrics will not go unnoticed. The quality of the songs on the album speaks for itself. Unfortunately, Carol's three original numbers, while very pleasant, may not sustain interest on repeated hearings. What did grip, however, was her arrangement of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - not a tune that readily comes to mind for a sophisticated jazz treatment! She does her great arrangement so beautifully that I predict your repeat button will get some serious wear. The "401 Singers" add the perfect backdrop to Carol's stunning vocal. With this song, "simple elegance" is the phrase that comes to mind. Rhythm is integral to the musical success of a jazz album, and, as producer, Gord Sheard allows rhythmic energy to invade the recording. With this conception, he does Carol Welsman (who also co-produces) and her colleagues proud. As listener, you will be touched by the beauty of Carol's voice, and as participant, your fingers will be snapping in all tempos. What more could you ask for? ~Anthony Kershaw

Carol Welsman - Piano/Vocals; George Koller, Colin Barrett, Danny Columby - Bass; Mark Kelso - Drums; Rob Piltch, Kevin Breit, John Findlay - Guitars; Phil Dwyer - Soprano/Tenor Saxophones; Al Heatherington, Brian Leonard - Percussion; Synthesizers - Gordon Sheard.

Inclined

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Peter Appleyard - Sophisticated Ladies

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:12
Size: 106,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:35)  1. Peter Appleyard Feat. Emilie-Claire Barlow - After You've Gone
(3:33)  2. Peter Appleyard Feat. Elizabeth Shepherd - It's Only A Paper Moon
(4:09)  3. Peter Appleyard Feat. Jill Barber - Love For Sale
(6:32)  4. Peter Appleyard Feat. Jackie Richardson - Georgia On My Mind
(5:23)  5. Peter Appleyard Feat. Sophie Milman - If You Could See Me Now
(5:02)  6. Peter Appleyard Feat. Molly Johnson - Sophisticated Lady
(4:03)  7. Peter Appleyard Feat. Carol Welsman - Night And Day
(4:12)  8. Peter Appleyard Feat. Barbra Lica - Satin Doll
(5:30)  9. Peter Appleyard Feat. Carol McCartney - Mood Indigo
(4:10) 10. Peter Appleyard Feat. Diana Panton - Smile

Peter Appleyard seems to have a way with the ladies. The octogenarian vibraphonist brings his virile mallet work to bear while escorting a dozen lovely songbirds through some smartly arranged standards on this, his second release the span of a few months. Appleyard started off the year by looking toward the past, issuing a previously unreleased all-star jam session from 1974, but his gaze is firmly on the present throughout Sophisticated Ladies. He hobnobs with some of the finest vocalists operating north of the 49th parallel today and a sense of mutual respect for the music and one another comes through in the music. 

While astute jazz vocal fans are probably aware that bassist Charlie Haden beat Appleyard to the conceptual punch, releasing his own Sophisticated Ladies (Emarcy, 2011) a year ahead of Appleyard, the basic format and album title are the only thing that these two releases share. Haden's album mixed instrumental pieces and vocal numbers, favoring slow material containing string sweetening and came off as a mostly-manicured set of music with mellow appeal. Appleyard, on the other hand, shares the stage with a singer on every song, covering a wider range of emotions. The playlist has no surprises, but Rick Wilkins' arrangements have their fair share. Tempo changes, funk-to-swing shifts ("Love For Sale"), double-time adjustments, Brazilian-tinged turns and intimate introductions ("Smile") keep things interesting. Each singer brings something different to the table and Appleyard responds in kind by shaping his solos around the specific songs and singers. 

Emilie-Claire Barlow shows great range on the slow-to-fast "After You've Gone," Elizabeth Shepherd engages Appleyard in a scat-vibraphone solo trading session, Jackie Richardson's deeply resonant voice takes center stage on a soulful "Georgia On My Mind," Diana Panton turns the lights down low for "Smile" and Sophie Milman takes her time fleshing out the emotional ideals of "If You Could See Me Now." Molly Johnson, who interprets the title track with her smoky and dusky pipes, proves to be the only singer who seems ill-suited to her number. The female musicians on this album will probably get the lion's share of attention, but Appleyard has top billing for a reason. His vibraphone soloing enlivens and enhances the music. Guitarist Reg Schwager's comping is a key ingredient in the mix, as pianist John Sherwood takes the right tack on every tune, drummer Terry Clarke expertly navigates the through each number and bassist Neil Swainson keeps everything in check.  Appleyard may be 84 now, but his playing doesn't betray that fact. He's clearly young at heart and Sophisticated Ladies is the evidence that proves this case. ~ Dan Bilawsky   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=42527#.UwelFoVZhls

Personnel: Peter Appleyard: vibraphone; John Sherwood: piano; Reg Schwager: guitar; Neil Swainson: bass; Terry Clarke: drums; Emilie-Claire Barlow: vocals (1); Elizabeth Shepherd: vocals (2); Jill Barber: vocals (3); Jackie Richardson: vocals (4); Sophie Milman: vocals (5); Molly Johnson: vocals (6); Carol Welsman: vocals (7), piano (7); Barbara Lica: vocals (8); Carol McCartney: vocals (9); Diana Panton: vocals (10).

Sophisticated Ladies

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Carol Welsman - S/T

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:33
Size: 115.7 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal jazz
Year: 2007
Art: Front

[4:28] 1. Brazasia
[3:53] 2. Hold Me
[3:53] 3. Dans Cette Chambre
[3:59] 4. What A Fool Believes
[2:48] 5. Eu Vim De Bahia
[3:51] 6. Cafe
[4:56] 7. Live To Tell
[4:01] 8. Nosotros
[4:59] 9. Too Close For Comfort
[2:25] 10. With Me
[3:28] 11. Dans Mon Ile
[3:53] 12. Beautiful
[3:53] 13. Ora

If this self-titled CD had more of a straight-ahead jazz outlook, it would be easy to describe Carol Welsman as a member of the Cool School; the Canadian singer favors the type of relaxed, subtle phrasing that June Christy, Helen Merrill and Chris Connor were known for in the '50s. But for the most part, this 2007 release (which was produced by Jimmy Haslip of Yellowjackets fame) is not straight-ahead jazz but rather, is best described as jazz-tinged pop/NAC singing along the lines of Basia, Marilyn Scott and Sade. The 50-minute CD does have its improvisatory moments; the Brazilian-flavored "Café" (a Welsman original) demonstrates that Welsman can scat and improvise effectively when she puts her mind to it. But pop dominates the album, and that isn't a problem because Welsman's pop -- although certainly light -- is not lightweight. For all her subtlety and understatement, Welsman gets her emotional points across whether she is putting her spin on the Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes," Madonna's "Live to Tell" or the Latin standard "Nosotros." Welsman has no problem performing in Spanish on "Nosotros"; in fact, she performs in a total of five languages on this disc -- not only English and Spanish, but also in Portuguese on "Eu Vim de Ahia," in Italian on "Ora" and in French on "Dans Cette Chambre." The latter is an example of a familiar melody with new lyrics; "Dans Cette Chambre" is Welsman's French-language interpretation of Gordon Lightfoot's "Beautiful." A Lightfoot melody and French lyrics might seem an unlikely combination, but it works for Welsman. This disc falls short of exceptional, although it's a pleasing, likable effort that is worth hearing if one has spent a lot of time listening to NAC favorites like Basia and Scott. ~ Alex Henderson

Carol Welsman (keyboards); Pierre Côté (acoustic guitar); Vern Dorge (soprano saxophone); Jimmy Haslip (bass guitar); Jimmy Branly (drums); John Acosta (background vocals). Additional personnel: Eric Marienthal (alto saxophone).

Carol Welsman

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