Jaclyn Guillou - To the City

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:39
Size: 142,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:04)  1. Sunny Sunday
(4:30)  2. To The City
(4:02)  3. Little Red Shoes
(4:47)  4. Hiding Town
(5:15)  5. California
(5:16)  6. All or Nothing at All
(5:16)  7. That's All (Feat. Denzal Sinclaire)
(3:52)  8. Sweethearts In Love
(5:55)  9. Attends
(4:05) 10. Honey Blues
(3:51) 11. O Pato
(3:01) 12. No Moon at All
(4:39) 13. You Are (Bonus Track)

"To The City, the debut studio CD of Jaclyn Guillou is polished and playful. Jaclyn’s voice has rhythm, movement, and unique expression. When you layer this over a cast of players who can sculpt notes with their instruments, you have an album that is so rich with dimension you need a pair of 3D glasses to listen to it. There are a number of standout tracks on this CD one of which is “That’s All”. Guest vocalist Denzal Sinclaire raises the bar high with his impeccable phrasing which is met every step of the way by Guillou and Evan Arntzen’s clarinet. Little Red Shoes is fun song that highlights some of the playfulness of the album. The smooth tinkling of the vibes is a good contrast to the fullness of Chris Davis’s trumpet and Rod Murray on trombone. The title track To the City has a cosmopolitan feel to and when you listen you will hear shades of Guillou’s story in every line. Jaclyn Guillou has surrounded herself with outstanding musicians that support her beautifully without giving up any of their own presence, making this album interesting to listen to. There is a reason she was chosen as a Galaxy Rising Star...Jaclyn Guillou is the whole package." ~ ! Earshot (review by Shelley Gummeson)

"Guillou sings with a purity that keeps this jazz-pop grounded. Piano-based with some savory touches of clarinet and trumpet, To The City sounds playful yet classic. It’s possible to imagine Guillou has a sparkle in her eyes and it’s that kind of joy the album radiates." ~ The Province (review by Tom Harrison)

"BC has produced another rising star, someone perhaps to follow in the footsteps of international jazz artist Diana Krall in the years to come." ~ Review Vancouver

“Guillou’s originals have the brassy, mellow glow of jazz standards as if they were plucked straight out of the vault and given a gently modern spin.” ~ Slocan Valley Current http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jaclynguillou

Personnel:  Vocals – Jaclyn Guillou;  Piano – Randy Porter;  Vibraphone – Tom Beckham;  Bass – Michael Rush;  Drums – Joe Poole;  Piano (tracks 1, 5) – Bruno Hubert;  Vocals (track 7) – Denzal Sinclaire
Trumpet (tracks 3,4, 8, 10, 13) – Chris Davis;  Tenor Sax (tracks 3, 10) & Clarinet (track 7) – Evan Arntzen;  Trombone (track 3) – Rod Murray;  Percussion (track 8, 9, 11) – Rafael Geronimo

To the City

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Alex Pangman - 33

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:38
Size: 81,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:23)  1. I Found A New Baby
(3:20)  2. Ain't Cha' Glad?
(3:24)  3. A Hundred Years From Today
(3:22)  4. Thanks
(3:04)  5. Honeysuckle Rose
(2:21)  6. Happy As The Day Is Long
(3:14)  7. Shine
(4:09)  8. I Surrender Dear
(3:26)  9. As Lovely Lovers Do
(3:26) 10. Hummin' To Myself
(3:26) 11. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

Although Alex Pangman grew up a couple of generations late to have sung with Teddy Wilson, the vibrant young vocalist is proud to be known as Canada's Sweetheart of Swing. With pipes aplenty, Pangman possesses the requisite taste, talent and the historical knowledge of an avid record collector to breathe new life into the sturdy standards of the classic jazz era. A superb song stylist with growing compositional chops, the gifted Toronto scenemaker has built a loyal fanbase amongst jazz listeners and dancers alike through her critically acclaimed work with her stacked Alley Cats in the studio, nightclubs and concert halls across Canada including three stellar showcases at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. 

Alex's dedication to her music goes far beyond was might be called a passionate obsession which began in her teens upon first discovering Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden along with amazing singers like Mildred Bailey, Julia Lee and Maxine Sullivan. "An exciting new world with this immense songbook opened up to me." Alex quickly began delving deeper into the sophisticated shellac of the 20s and 30s which eventually led to a fortuitous connection with guitar great Jeff Healey who knew a rare talent when he heard it. In very short order, Healey produced her impressive 1999 debut They Say (Sensation Records) as well as the 2001 follow-up, You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming. While facets of Ella Fitzgerald, Connie Boswell and Ruth Etting could be discerned in Alex's zesty delivery, that crisp clear voice was unequivocally her own. After getting a Songwriter of the Year nomination from the National Jazz Awards for her tune Melancholy Lullaby for the 2001 film Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story, Alex received two more nominations in the Vocalist Of The Year category and then a Ken Whiteley number she sang over the opening scene of the 2003 feature film Falling Angels won a Genie for Best Original Song.

While the gorgeously filmed videos for the aforementioned Melancholy Lullaby and One Night In Monte Carlo shot to the top of the Bravo! Countdown, Alex was busily scheduling collaborations with everyone from Grammy-nominated trumpeter Kevin Clark and the dashing Denzal Sinclaire to pianist Tyler Yarema and even Jim Galloway's All-Stars. But Alex was never keen on being anyone's "chick singer" and to underscore that point, she selected the repertoire, assembled her band and co-produced 2005's Live In Montreal (Real Gone Gal) album which stands among her finest recorded performances. he blessing of more frequent bookings would also prove to be a curse. Smoke-filled venues were definitely not the place for someone battling lung disease and Alex reluctantly slowed down to recoup. All the while, her interest in singing and playing music never waned. In fact, it was during her self-imposed exile that she stumbled onto the city's bluegrass and string-band underground. Alex fit right in with the scrappy Cameron House crowd who shared her excitement for the enriching sound of a bygone era when the lines between jazz, blues and country were still blurry enough to ignore. A Hook-up with the Backstabbers' frontman Colonel Tom Parker gave rise to the rollicking roots country combo Lickin’ Good Fried. 

But just as the tape was about to roll on their debut album session, Alex's physical condition worsened to the point where a double lung transplant was deemed essential. Determined to finish voicing her parts, vertical or horizontal, Alex's sweetly soulful crooning throughout the group's self-released Say Uncle! disc is testament to her unflinching dedication. The good news is that a donor was found in time and the surgery was a complete success. Alex has roared back to full strength in a remarkably quick recovery that's borderline miraculous. A happy ending? More like a thrilling new beginning.More recently a union with prestigious Montreal jazz label Justin Time further continues Alex’s return to form, with a disc released in April 2011. This disc, “33”, refers at once to Pangman’s age as well as to the fact that the bulk of the material (save for one self-penned number) was a popular song in the year 1933. This recording was promoted and toured across Canada in summer of 2011 with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. Also in the works is a project with renowned American guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, and, of course, an increasing number of club and concert gigs for which Alex is so well known an appreciated. She is also a busy advocate for organ and tissue donation. Bio ~ http://www.alexpangman.com/bio_1.html

Personnel: Alex Pangman (vocals); Ron Sexsmith , Denzal Sinclaire (vocals); Jesse Barksdale (guitar); Drew Jurecka (violin, strings, alto saxophone); Jack Dreweur, Duke Crewjar (strings); Ross Wooldridge (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Kevin Clark (trumpet); Peter Hill , Peter Hill (piano); Chris Lamont (drums).

33

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Denzal Sinclaire - My one and only love

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:18
Size: 136,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. Happier than the morning sun
(5:48)  2. Always on my mind
(5:34)  3. Smoke gets in your eyes
(4:33)  4. Follow you follow me
(4:54)  5. I can see clearly now
(5:14)  6. Here comes the honeyman
(6:12)  7. Stardust
(5:58)  8. Estate
(5:16)  9. For You, For Me, For Evermore
(6:31) 10. My One And Only Love
(3:53) 11. You're My Everything

Denzal Sinclaire is one of the finest jazz singers of his generation. His admirers include Diana Krall ("Denzal Sinclaire embodies the tradition of the great singers I love like Nat Cole, yet definitely has his own voice. He is one of my favorite singers...") and Dianne Reeves, as well as growing legions of jazz fans in his native Canada and abroad. From his early days as a canny interpreter of Nat ‘King’ Cole’s mentholated crooning, he’s grown into one of the most distinctive and individualistic singers anywhere. On his third Verve CD, "My One and Only Love," you can hear Sinclaire luxuriating in his own voice and the opulent accompaniments of his bandmates, an all-star mix of Sinclaire contemporaries from the New York and Vancouver jazz scenes. 

There is plenty of room for both the singer and his band to stretch out, because while it is entirely contemporary in its execution, in its conception this is a ballad album in the classic style.

"I think I’ve always been a ballads person," Sinclaire says. As a student at Montreal’s McGill University he used to sit in with visiting musicians including, memorably, the great saxophonist Clifford Jordan. As often as not, he’d forego the chance to swing for the fences with some flag-waving up-tempo number and stretch out, instead, on some simple old love song. Since he moved to Vancouver a decade ago, Sinclaire has diversified his portfolio considerably, of course. But here he’s back to ballads. "I think I’ve come full circle."~Editorial Reviews  http://www.amazon.ca/One-Only-Love-Denzal-Sinclaire/dp/B000E0LM26.

My one and only love

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Denzal Sinclaire - Denzal Sinclaire

Styles: Vocal
Label: Universal/Verve
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:16
Size: 126,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:23)  1. Day in day out
(3:00)  2. Exactly like you
(2:28)  3. Tofu & greens
(4:01)  4. Where or when
(4:27)  5. You and the night and the Music

(2:46)  6. You treat me so good
(3:53)  7. The art of living
(0:37)  8. I got rhythm (verse)
(3:39)  9. I got rhythm (refrain)
(4:31) 10. Never let me go
(2:48) 11. This is my lucky day
(3:34) 12. (You don't know) how glad I am
(3:31) 13. If I should lose you
(3:11) 14. Be my love
(3:46) 15. Having found you
(4:21) 16. A peaceful soul
(1:14) 17. Still got it

Toronto-born vocalist/pianist/composer, Denzal Sinclaire has earned his reputation as Canada’s most popular male jazz vocalist. Sinclaire is a graduate of Montreal’s McGill University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance. Denzal’s vocal timbre is similar to some of the great singers. Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman and there are even glimpses of Johnny Mathis’ jazz days. However, Denzal does have what every artist strives for. After singing just a few notes you know it is him. His trademark is the joyfulness in his voice and a special approach to phrasing a lyric or pushing or laying back on a beat. He is blessed with exquisite delivery, sensitivity to melody and a lyrical imagination. For Denzal,singing is as natural as breathing. A multiple Juno Award nominee, and recipient of the 2004 National Jazz Award for “Best Album”, he has graced the stages of numerous high-profile jazz festivals , performed with symphony orchestras, and starred in his own one hour television special for BRAVO! In 2005, Denzal was inducted into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame. Among Denzal’s admirers are Diana Krall, who was introduced to Denzal at the 1995 Jazz Winnipeg Festival and Diane Reeves, who became a fan after Denzal opened for her at the 2002 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. He has recorded three albums for Universal Music, I Found Love(EmArcy); the self-titled, Denzal Sinclaire (Verve); and his highly anticipated new release, My One and Only Love (Verve).

~ http://www.theagencygroup.com/artist/denzal-sinclaire/

Denzal Sinclaire

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