Julie Kelly - Everything I Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:50
Size: 107,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:38)  1. Moon Bird
(3:56)  2. Indian Summer
(4:38)  3. I Keep Going Back to Joe's
(3:16)  4. Berimbau
(5:56)  5. I'm Glad There Is You
(3:30)  6. Your Blues
(5:01)  7. Woodstock
(3:12)  8. You're My Everything (From 'The Laugh Parade')
(4:05)  9. Ela é Carioca (She's a Carioca)
(3:56) 10. Everything I Love
(4:35) 11. Both Sides Now

She looks like a suburban soccer mom and has a wide-open, sun-burnished voice to match. Which is not to suggest that Julie Kelly, who has been churning out terrific albums for over a decade, is a jazz lightweight. To appreciate the depth of Kelly’s talent, one need look no further than “Indian Summer,” the penultimate track of the dozen included on her latest, and most satisfyingly wide-ranging, disc. Most singers take the safe, predictable route with “Indian Summer,” injecting the Al Dubin/Victor Herbert chestnut with autumn chill to underscore the lyrics’ wistful sense of loss. Kelly instead does something marvelously clever, intensifying the ache by playing it lighter, filling her skies with clouds that are just starting to gray. I suspect it’s a technique she learned by studying June Christy so carefully (her previous disc was a full-length tribute to the misty Miss Christy), and it returns full force for the closing number, “I Keep Going Back to Joe’s” which, in the contemplative spirit of Christy’s classic “Something Cool,” lines the inherent regret with a layer of faint, fading hope. Such skill also pervades Kelly’s gentle blend of “Once Upon a Summertime” and “When the World Was Young” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” 

But there’s more to Kelly than just softly fogged remorse and reflection, as demonstrated by a double dip into the Brazilian bag she loves so intensely, with the yin-and-yang of “Ela E Carioca” and “Berimbau,” a Dr. John-worthy delight called “Your Blues,” written by Lou Rawls’ longtime pianist Jeff Colella, which Kelly aptly describes in the liner notes as a “New Orleans swampy thing,” and a gleeful reading of the title track, among the lesser known but most sublime of Cole Porter’s list songs. ~ Christopher Loudon  http://jazztimes.com/articles/18765-everything-i-love-julie-kelly

Personnel: Julie Kelly (vocals, guitar, percussion); Bob Sheppard (flute, saxophone); Mike Wofford (piano); Joe La Barbera (drums).

Everything I Love

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Julie Kelly - Into The Light

Size: 131,4 MB
Time: 56:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2000
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Love For Sale (4:11)
02. Hooray For Love (5:54)
03. Folks Who Live On The Hill (3:56)
04. Flor De Liz (Upside Down) (5:31)
05. Don't Be That Way (4:28)
06. Into The Light (One For Mogie) (4:40)
07. Heart's Desire (4:06)
08. Sonny's Bounce (Blues Steps) (3:53)
09. Kisses (5:17)
10. I've Got The World On A String (5:23)
11. His Eyes, Her Eyes (4:22)
12. They Say It's Spring (4:38)

Julie Kelly records all too infrequently. When a new album comes out, it is well worth looking forward to. She has not disappointed over the course of five records that have taken in jazz standards and new tunes with a sure-fire disposition that profiles a singer with heart.

Over the course of her long career Kelly has sung in a band with John Handy and has recorded with Ray Brown, Nat Adderley and Benny Green. Pretty good credentials, but it is her own work that gives her a presence.

Kelly interprets song in her own distinctive fashion. She gives a song a dimension that sets it apart and takes it into a new realm. Each song here is beautifully textured (save for the dry air that fills “Folks Who Live On The Hill”, which is just that tiny aberration) as she brings in her own interpretations riding on the exceptional arrangements of Bill Cunliffe and his lyrically resonant piano playing. Having said that, the rest of the band is expansive as well and adds to the atmosphere with clean ensemble lines and some fine solo spots.

Kelly lends a world-weary air to “Love For Sale”, an interpretation that testifies to the worn-out semblance of the offer. Brazilian music is at the heart of her disposition and she brings in a svelte snap to “Flor de Lis (Upside Down)” with an exultant flute solo. Ivan Lins is called upon for “Kisses” and Kelly weaves a warm, emotional performance.

There is an abundance of joy in the music. To do without it would be cutting far too straight a groove. She bounces with abandon in the exultation of “Hooray For Love” and if one looks for that trait of the jazz singer, scatting, Kelly gets that into the uppity “Sonny’s Bounce (Blues Steps)”. Oh yes, she can swing too and with all else she does, hammers square on the head that she is one darned fine jazz singer! ~Jerry D'Souza

Personnel: Julie Kelly-vocals; Bill Cunliffe-arranger, piano; Tom Warrington-bass; Joe La Barbera-drums; Larry Koonse-guitar; Brad Dutz-percussion; Jeff Clayton-tenor sax; Holly Hoffman-flute

Into The Light

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Julie Kelly - Kelly Sings Christy (Thou Swell)

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 48:23
Size: 110.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. There's No You
[5:19] 2. Something Cool
[4:43] 3. It Might As Well Be Spring
[3:19] 4. Thou Swell
[4:59] 5. Lazy Afternoon
[2:45] 6. Gone For The Day
[5:16] 7. It's So Peaceful In The Country
[3:27] 8. It's A Most Unusual Day
[5:53] 9. Midnight Sun
[2:58] 10. The Best Thing For You
[5:53] 11. Lonely House

No discussion of '40s and '50s cool jazz would be complete without some mention of June Christy. Like Chris Connor and Julie London, the Misty Miss Christy (b. 1925, d. 1990) was a vocal equivalent of tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, or trumpeter Miles Davis -- her singing was characterized by subtlety, restraint, and economy instead of aggression or forcefulness. Although Christy was the essence of cool jazz, one doesn't have to be a full-time member of the Cool School to acknowledge her greatness. Julie Kelly is far from a carbon copy of Christy, and that's the thing that makes this Christy tribute as interesting as it is -- on Kelly Sings Christy: Thou Swell, Kelly salutes the cool-toned goddess on her own terms. Recorded in 2001 (11 years after Christy's death), this excellent CD is devoted to songs that people associate with Christy -- gems that include Billy Barnes' "Something Cool" and Lionel Hampton's "Midnight Sun." To her credit, Kelly doesn't go out of her way to emulate Christy's versions. Her own personality never becomes obscured, and Kelly does some things that Christy wouldn't have done. An Afro-Cuban-flavored version of "It Might as Well Be Spring," for example, is more aggressive and hard-swinging than Christy would have been -- and Kelly's interpretations of "Thou Swell" and "Lazy Afternoon" have a tougher, harder edge than one would expect from Christy. So even though Christy is among Kelly's many influences, no one will accuse this CD of being a carbon copy of Christy's work. Jazz tribute albums can be incredibly predictable, cliché-ridden affairs, but that isn't a problem here. Letting her individuality shine through, Kelly isn't afraid to offer some surprises on this inspired tribute to the Misty Miss Christy. ~Alex Henderson

Kelly Sings Christy (Thou Swell)

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Julie Kelly - Stories To Tell

Size: 112,3 MB
Time: 48:10
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (2:54)
02. Long Ago And Far Away (3:36)
03. Tomorrow (4:56)
04. My Man's Gone Now (5:37)
05. When In Rome (4:54)
06. Inside A Silent Tear (3:54)
07. Royal Garden Blues (4:17)
08. A Sleepin' Bee (4:17)
09. Billie's Bounce (3:35)
10. The Day It Rained (4:33)
11. Only Trust Your Heart (5:33)

This CD finds singer Julie Kelly in prime form. With the assistance of Bill Cunliffe on piano and synth, either Tom Warrington or John Clayton on bass, drummer Joe LaBarbera and several guests (guitarist Larry Koonse, tenorman Bob Sheppard, trumpeter Clay Jenkins and percussionist Brian Kilgore), Kelly creates fresh interpretations of such songs as "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," "Long Ago and Far Away," "A Sleepin' Bee" and a boppish "Royal Garden Blues." Most unusual is her transformation of "Tomorrow" (from Annie) into jazz. An excellent showcase for the talented singer, who both scats well and interprets lyrics with sensitivity. ~Review by Scott Yanow

Stories To Tell

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