Ellyn Rucker - This Heart Of Mine

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:03
Size: 135,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:29) 1. I Never Get Enough Of You
(4:40) 2. Sweet Lorraine (Ball & Chain)
(5:06) 3. At Long Last Love
(6:32) 4. Waltz For Debby
(3:48) 5. Get Out Of Town
(8:48) 6. Born To Be Blue
(4:14) 7. Stompin' At The Savoy
(5:35) 8. All This & Heaven Too
(5:50) 9. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
(6:56) 10. Solo Medley (Turn Out The Stars - This Heart Of Mine)

Pianist/vocalist Ellyn Rucker's second Capri release (a trio outing with bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith) is even better than her first. A particularly strong pianist soloist who is also the perfect accompanist for her soft-toned vocals, Rucker has long fallen into the "underrated" category due to her decision to live in Denver. However, as she shows throughout this CD, she is a world-class performer who deserves to be much better-known.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-heart-of-mine-mw0000269973

Personnel: Ellyn Rucker - Piano, Vocals; Red Mitchell - Bass; Marvin "Smitty" Smith - Drums

This Heart Of Mine

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Ellyn Rucker - Thoughts of you

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:34
Size: 127,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:46)  1. Velas
(4:45)  2. Very early
(5:21)  3. In your own sweet way
(5:42)  4. Spring is here
(6:14)  5. Times lie - High wire
(5:29)  6. Something funny
(3:28)  7. Kisses
(4:29)  8. Summer night
(3:55)  9. Thoughts of you
(5:07) 10. Creepin'
(5:12) 11. Gnuble ooze

She's billed as "Ellyn Rucker, vocals and piano," but why not reverse the order? Her solos and comping reveal excellent piano chops and swing. Nice moments throughout, but you'll have to work hard to understand her words-Gene Lees' poetry on "Velas" and Alan and Marilyn Bergman's lyric on "Kisses," for example-obscured in a haze of breathy vocalese and busy arrangements. The Denver-based group includes keyboardist Eric Gunnison, who contributes synth colors and a funky B-3 solo; Laura Newman, singing soprano sax; and John Gunther, fine tenor sax and flute; Mark Simon, acoustic and electric bass; Jill Fredericksen, drums; Randy Chavez, guitar; and Mike Marlier, percussion, lay down a groove on Corea's "Times Lie/High Wire (The Aerialist)" and Tom Garvin's "Something Funny." Other tunes are Stevie Wonder's jazz-funk, "Creepin'," Rucker's lyric to Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way," Bill Evans" "Very Early" and her original, the title track. Singer Mark Murphy's liner notes make clear he's really! enthusiastic! about Ellyn Rucker.~Dave Burns http://jazztimes.com/articles/10122-thoughts-of-you-ellyn-rucker

Personnel: Ellyn Rucker (vocals, piano); Randy Chavez (guitar); John Gunther (flute, tenor saxophone); Laura Newman (soprano saxophone); Eric Gunnison (keyboards); Mark Simon (acoustic bass, electric bass); Jill Fredericksen (drums); Mike Marlier (percussion).

Thoughts of you

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Ellyn Rucker & Spike Robinson - Nice Work!

Styles: Vocal, Piano and Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1995

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:47

Size: 135,0 MB

Art: Front

(3:27)  1. El Cajon

(8:16)  2. Ev'rything I Love

(7:39)  3. Lover Man

(5:15)  4. Nobody Else But Me

(6:14)  5. I Won't Believe My Eyes

(7:13)  6. Easy To Love

(4:43)  7. You Took Advantage Of Me

(5:20)  8. Gravy Waltz

(3:51)  9. As Long As I Live

(5:06) 10. I Fall In Love Too Easily

(1:37) 11. Nice Work If You Can Get It

Although she shares the billing on this session with tenor saxophonist Spike Robinson, this is very much an Ellyn Rucker album. A bop-based pianist so talented that she really does not have to sing, and a highly appealing jazz vocalist who would be quite notable if she did not play an instrument, Ellyn Rucker has long deserved to be famous in the jazz world. Based in Denver, Rucker combines her two skills at a level that has not been heard since Nat King Cole; when she accompanies her vocals, the piano playing is so stimulating that one would swear that there were two people involved. Spike Robinson, one of the last practitioners of the Four Brothers cool-toned Lester Young sound, is in excellent form and has swinging solos on most of the 11 standards. But it is for the playing and singing of Ellyn Rucker (heard at her best on such songs as "El Cajon," "Nobody Else but Me," "You Took Advantage of Me," and "As Long as I Live") that this CD (released in 1995 and also featuring the late bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Ralph Penland) is most highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/nice-work!-mw0000434983

Personnel: Spike Robinson (tenor saxophone); Ellyn Rucker (vocals, piano); Ralph Penland (drums).

Nice Work!

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Ellyn Rucker - Ellyn

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:51
Size: 101,1 MB
Art: Front

(7:39)  1. In Your Own Sweet Way
(3:19)  2. One Morning In May
(6:12)  3. Close Enough For Love
(5:19)  4. Nadines's Waltz
(3:29)  5. Blues For Big Scotia
(6:30)  6. 'Round Midnight
(4:05)  7. The Night Has 1000 Eyes
(7:16)  8. Solo Medley:  Prisoner of Love/   Body & Soul /  Wonder Why

A talented bop-based pianist and a highly appealing and sensuous singer, Ellyn Rucker has long been a fixture in the Denver area. Although she started playing piano when she was eight, discovered jazz at 13, and studied classical piano at Drake University, she did not decide to become a full-time musician until 1979. Rucker has toured Europe several times (with and without Spike Robinson), recorded several albums for Capri, has a full-length video on Leisure Jazz, and performed at many festivals. Perhaps if Ellyn Rucker had taken up music full-time 20 years earlier or lived in a larger area than Denver she would be a bigger name. However, her talent has long been in the major leagues and her recordings are all quite appealing and powerful. ~ Bio  Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ellyn-rucker-mn0000175223/biography

Personnel:  Bass – John Clayton ; Drums – Jeff Hamilton;  Piano – Ellyn Rucker;  Tenor Saxophone – Pete Christlieb;  Vocals – Ellyn Rucker

Ellyn

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Ellyn Rucker - Now

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 71:09
Size: 162.9 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[ 5:33] 1. Now
[ 3:34] 2. Can't Get Out Of This Mood
[ 5:33] 3. Now
[ 7:02] 4. Strollin'
[ 5:06] 5. With You In Mind
[ 5:28] 6. Estate (Summer Passed)
[ 5:07] 7. Stockholm Sweetnin'
[ 5:32] 8. The Heather On The Hill
[ 6:25] 9. Last Resort
[10:52] 10. Useless Landscape Moon And Sand
[ 2:35] 11. The Best Thing For You
[ 2:09] 12. Lucky To Be Me
[ 6:07] 13. Here

Not many people can get away with putting two 5/4 bossa novas into a single program, but pianist and singer Ellyn Rucker has always done things just a bit differently. On her fifth album as a leader she steers clear of the usual repertoire of jazz standards, instead selecting a winning program of more obscure material both new and old, though a number of the songs and tunes were written by such familiar names as Horace Silver (the vocal version of "Strollin'"), Quincy Jones ("Stockholm Sweetnin'"), Ron Carter ("Last Resort"), and Irving Berlin ("Best Thing for You"). The arrangements call for a shifting complement of sidemen; her cool and lovely rendition of "Stockholm Sweetnin'" is performed by a standard quartet that includes alto saxophonist Rich Chiaraluce, while she handles Leonard Bernstein' s "Lucky to Be Me" all alone, singing and accompanying herself on piano. Rucker is an expert and charming singer, but for some reason this album's highlights tend to come on the instrumental numbers: her duo arrangement (with the exquisitely tasteful bassist Dave Young) of Lerner & Loewe's "Heather on the Hill" is simply gorgeous, as is her simple trio take on "Last Resort." And she effectively treads the fine line between excessive rhythmic looseness and effortless swing on those two 5/4 bossas, both of which could probably have done without the additional vocal contributions of their male composer. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Recorded at Greywood Studios, Denver, Colorado, March 2001.

Ellyn Rucker (vocals, piano); David Mackay (vocals); Mark Rose (soprano & tenor saxophone); Rich Chiaraluce (alto & tenor saxophone); Pete Sommer (tenor saxophone); Ron Satterfield (synthesizer); Mitchell Long (guitar); Dave Young (bass, percussion); Claudio Slon, Paul Romaine (drums).

Now

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