Karen Oberlin - Live at the Algonquin: The Songs of Frank Loesser

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:31
Size: 109,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:08)  1. If I Were a Bell
(2:40)  2. Lovelier Than Ever
(3:12)  3. Why Fight the Feeling?
(2:31)  4. My Time of Day
(3:18)  5. Love Isn't Born (It's Made)
(5:20)  6. Heart and Soul / I Wish I Didn't Love You So
(5:19)  7. Traveling Light / Wanting to Be Wanted
(3:09)  8. Hamlet
(2:57)  9. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
(0:17) 10. Spoken Intro: Animals
(5:42) 11. The Inch Worm / Snug As a Bug in a Rug
(2:40) 12. Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year
(0:29) 13. Spoken Intro: I Believe in You
(3:34) 14. I Believe in You
(3:08) 15. More I Cannot Wish You

Multi award-winning Oberlin received these raves, among others, for her three-week engagement at the legendary Oak Room at the Algonquin, when this CD was recorded: “Karen Oberlin is a demure pop-jazz singer who radiates a subdued glamour… Beyond having a pretty voice, poise and interpretive insight, Ms. Oberlin is a thorough researcher who placed many of the songs in a historical or personal context… A smart, polished show.”~Stephen Holden, The New York Times “A Christmas tree angel named Karen Oberlin is lighting up the Algonquin’s Oak Room with a show that sends you out humming. I loved the bebop jawbreakers, and she excels on the love songs. Subtle, elegant and musically spot on, the lovely Ms. Oberlin is such a welcome addition to the often noisy and pointless cabaret scene that one can even imagine her accompanied by a celesta without causing the slightest hint of boredom. She’s a keeper.”~Rex Reed, New York Observer

“How would you like your own private one-to-one performance by a sophisticated singer? All right, so there are other people with you in the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel. But everyone seems to fade away as Karen Oberlin has a love affair with the music and lyrics she has chosen and sings so intimately that it’s as if her songs are meant only for you. She sets the bar for her purity of tone and interpretation at the outset with “If I Were a Bell” from “Guys and Dolls,” sung with utmost clarity and attention to detail. She liltingly sings such ballads as “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You” (music in this case by Jule Styne), “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” from “Guys and Dolls,” and “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” from the 1947 film “Perils of Pauline.” Honoring the prolific composer and lyricist could not be in better hands.”~William Wolf, William Wolf’s Entertainment Guide

"Her voice warms like melting butter to infuse her love songs with emotion and passion. With shades of the whispery Doris Day intimacy, she luxuriates over the long lines and romantic intent of "Wanting to Be Wanted", an intense song cut from Most Happy Fella just before its New York opening... With her warmth and introspection, Frank Loesser's songs come to us as fresh and contemporary as the annual question, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?". Karen Oberlin has followed a straight upward path since she began her career. In a three-week engagement in the Oak Room, she proves her audiences were right and her critical acclaim is well-deserved."~Elizabeth Ahlfors, Curtainup.com

“Like a breath of spring, Karen Oberlin’s lush vocal renditions of the songs of one of America’s foremost writers of the American theater filled the air of the historic Oak Room. Oberlin, always in control, cleverly weaves lyrical wonders whether it’s a sensitive and plaintive “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You” (music by Jule Styne) or a meticulously sung novelty, “Hamlet” (1949 film: Red, Hot and Blue). Musical Director Jon Weber, skillful in his accompaniment and arranging, added vocal counterpoint to a sultry “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” From Pulitzer Prize winner How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (slated for a Broadway revival in 2011), Oberlin showed off flawless styling on “I Believe in You.” A mix of pop and jazz with an easy delivery, it feels as if she hugs each lyric, Oberlin is joyous to behold.”~Sandi Durell, Cabaret Scenes Magazine http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/karenoberlin

Live at the Algonquin: The Songs of Frank Loesser

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Karen Oberlin - My Standards

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:25
Size: 138,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:54)  1. And The Angels Sing
(5:44)  2. Something To Love For
(3:42)  3. A Nightengale Sang In Berkely Square
(5:52)  4. Love Dance
(3:10)  5. Doodlin'
(3:43)  6. Barangrill
(4:02)  7. Shipbuilding
(3:15)  8. Where Do You Start?
(3:32)  9. When (S)he Loved Me
(4:04) 10. Theme From "Valley Of The Dolls"
(4:32) 11. Happiness Is Hard To Sell
(7:53) 12. You Are Too Beautiful/ Too Beautiful
(5:31) 13. How Deep Is The Ocean
(1:24) 14. Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep

The title My Standards does not mean that this CD is a play list of classic entries in the Great American Songbook. Rather these are tunes that Karen Oberlin has listened to and adopted over the years, from Irving Berlin's to Elvis Costello's. Not only does the variety of music make this album bracing, but so does the way it is presented. Oberlin's primary genre is cabaret with a smattering of musical comedy. Yet she takes fascinating turns with the music within that framework. Her pure and crystalline like a mountain lake voice comes in loud and clear on an A Capella rendering of "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep". Fortunately, her tone is warm, not cold like a mountain lake. Although her voice has a classical bent (both her parents were classical musicians), she plants a feeling of jazz into such tunes as "Barangrill". "Theme from the Valley of the Dolls" is a successful mixture of lamentations by Oberlin with the funky jazz guitar of Dan Carillo. She takes on one of the saddest songs ever, "Where Do You Start?". Unlike versions by Shirley Horn and Susannah McCorkle which focus on the emotional wrenching caused by the impending separation to force a divvying up of the possessions, the direction that Oberlin takes stays with the process to make sure that each gets what belongs to them and nothing more. Things change again with an injection of a folk song element in "Shipbuilding". The demeanor changes again on such classics as Billy Strayhorn's "Something to Live For" where a decidedly passionate, yearning comes to the fore. And finally, she can be cute and coy on "Happiness Is Hard to Sell". Her chameleon like ability to change her delivery to meet the needs of the song prevents her from ever getting into a rut. A 16 year veteran of the singing scene, one can say with the release of this album, "it's about time". Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/my-standards-karen-oberlin-miranda-music-review-by-dave-nathan.php
 

Personnel: Karen Oberlin - Vocals; Arturo O'Farrill, Fred Hersch - Piano; Jay Leonhart - Bass; Victor Jones - Drums; Dan Carillo - Guitar; Peter Brainin - Sax; Roland Guerrero - Percussion

My Standards

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Jo Lawry, Karen Oberlin, Michael Winther - Waiting For The Angel

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 56:34

Size: 129.5 MB

Styles: Chamber pop

Year: 2015

Art: Front

[5:51] 1. Who Do You Belong To

[3:28] 2. Bad Idea

[4:41] 3. The Angels In The Attic

[3:23] 4. Nothing

[4:30] 5. Do You Think This Happens Everyday

[6:02] 6. Donna The Astronomer

[4:09] 7. The Girl In The Groovy Box

[6:26] 8. Suffer

[6:11] 9. Your Project

[4:19] 10. Good Things Happen Slowly

[3:19] 11. Lullaby For Nathan Charles

[4:10] 12. Weren't We In Love

After years of writing about songs in books and essays, David Hajdu has taken up writing them. Over the past five years, Hajdu has been working with several esteemed composers of jazz, pop and theater music: the pianists Renee Rosnes and Fred Hersch, the alternative-folk singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, and the veteran Broadway composer Michael (Mickey) Leonard. The result is Waiting for the Angel, a collection of quirkily artful songs that defy easy categorization.

An all-star group of artists came together to record the material: singers Jo Lawry, Karen Oberlin, and Michael Winther; pianists Rosnes and Hersch, playing the songs they composed; additional pianist Tedd Firth; and a band with saxophonist Steve Wilson, trumpeter Steven Bernstein, guitarist Peter Bernstein; oboist Charles Pillow, cellist Dave Eggar, bassist Sean Smith, and drummer Carl Allen. Much like Hajdu's writing in prose, the lyrics on Waiting for the Angel tell unexpected tales from unconventional vantage points. "David Hajdu's lyrics tell complex and moving stories -- always from his unique point of view," says Fred Hersch. "They are so easy to work with, the songs almost write themselves."

Jill Sobule adds, "I wish I wrote those lyrics myself." As Renee Rosnes says, "When David first asked if I might be interested in writing some songs together, I was very intrigued. I was well aware that he is a wordsmith of the highest order and was excited at the prospect that we might be able to create something of beauty together. Collaborating with David has been a true revelation. It was very fulfilling to hear Jo, Karen, and Michael bring our songs to life with their brilliant artistry. I feel that David's words have awakened a new compositional side of me, and it is one that I am looking forward to continuing to explore."

Waiting For The Angel

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Karen Oberlin & Sean Harkness - A Wish

Size: 115,1 MB
Time: 49:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. I'll String Along With You (2:50)
02. More Than You Know (5:29)
03. A Wish (3:29)
04. Train In The Distance (4:00)
05. Do You Think This Happens Every Day (3:00)
06. The Kind Of Man A Woman Needs (3:30)
07. Love (3:15)
08. Autumn Nocturne (4:54)
09. My Valentine (3:13)
10. Poor You (2:47)
11. No One Knows (3:59)
12. My One And Only Love (4:26)
13. Remind Me (4:24)

A Wish, like a hope or a dream, whether simple or complex, is always personal. Yet the wishes of two artists can be expressed in one creative project like this one by Karen Oberlin and Sean Harkness. Karen had wished for years to make a duo recording with only guitar and vocals, and she found the ideal partner in Sean. When they first played together, spontaneously in an impromptu performance, they both knew they had to make an album together, or that became their great, mutual wish. Kitty Skrobela of Miranda Music, as is her way, made their dream come to life, their hope become reality, their wish come true. The fascinating, eclectic mix of extraordinary songwriters on this album, like Dorothy Fields, Paul McCartney, Fred Hersch and Joni Mitchell, unwittingly collaborated on this project as the song springboard for what these two artists wished to express. Collectively, Karen and Sean have brought to life this multi-faceted, deeply felt wish with a deliciously personal perspective on life and love...as if anything else matters.

A Wish

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