Peter Leitch - Blues On The Corner

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:06
Size: 162.8 MB
Styles: Bop, Guitar jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 7:13] 1. Blues On The Corner
[ 6:57] 2. The Hillary Step
[ 7:20] 3. Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You
[10:23] 4. Johan Carolyn
[ 6:34] 5. Monk's Mood Bemsha Swing
[ 7:42] 6. K. Zee
[ 8:24] 7. Wendy's Shoes
[ 2:40] 8. Bud 'n Bird
[ 7:53] 9. How Long Has This Been Going On
[ 5:55] 10. From This Moment On

Canadian jazz guitarist Leitch continues to be a top player in this idiom as evidenced by his track record of fine recordings, this being another one. There are curiosities that pop up when Leitch's sparsely treated, lean electric guitar sound melds with Kendra Shank's mostly wordless vocalizing and the saxophone musings of Bobby Watson. Renee Rosnes plays piano on six of the ten cuts, while the bass of Dwayne Burno and the poignant drumming of Billy Hart anchor the varied combos. Leitch wrote half of the material. "The (Sir Edmund) Hillary Step" is steeped in bop; Shank's over-the-hump scat sets off a busy Watson and Rosens, then Shank and Hart trade ideas. The lovely, light-bossa swinger "Johan Carolyn," running over ten and a half minutes, sports beauteous guitar and alto sax unison over the modal chords of Rosnes as a vehicle for longer solos. The most gloriously constructed melody is extant during "K. Zee," which offers another unison line but darker, with Shank's sultry voice added to Watson's soprano and Leitch's wide-eyed line. Rosnes is more astounding on a choppy, chiming piano solo. "Wendy's Shoes" is a straight bluesy number scatted by Shank and spiced by Watson's fluent alto. Leitch goes it solo on "Bud & Bird," all in a fast, bright, evenly keeled bebop language. The guitar/bass/drums trio do the Gershwin ballad "How Long Has This Been Going On?" while "Nothing Ever Changes for You My Love" uses the same instrumentation in a bossa-to-swing style. The session is bookended by two anomalous, nay, disappointing or perhaps questionable numbers. The McCoy Tyner-written title track has Leitch displaying a little twang, and the intro chorus has Shank scatting only the first few bars of the melody twice, but all the way through at the end. The hip, charged bop of "From This Moment On" has Shank only singing the name of the tune, but not the lyric, then scatting a bit. This is an interesting aside for Leitch, not his best, but a change up of instrumentation and stance which is certainly unique for him, and, in many instances, welcome. ~Michael G. Nastos

Blues On The Corner

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Kendra Shank & Geoffrey Keezer - Half Moon: Live In New York

Size: 155,2 MB
Time: 66:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Alone Together (Live) (6:48)
02. The Music Is The Magic (Live) (7:33)
03. Kneel (Live) (8:38)
04. Song Of Life (Live) (4:58)
05. Half Moon (Live) (4:43)
06. Life's Mosaic (Live) (7:30)
07. When Love Was You And Me (Live) (5:02)
08. I'm Movin' On (Live) (4:52)
09. Healing Song (Live) (4:33)
10. You Are There (Live) (5:57)
11. A Weaver Of Dreams (Live) (6:08)

Kendra Shank and Geoffrey Keezer's musical association began in 2008 at the Athenaeum jazz series in San Diego, CA when a cancelled flight prevented Shank's New York pianist from making the gig. With just 30 minutes to rehearse, Keezer stepped in with a seamless performance and instant chemistry with Shank that inspired a standing ovation. Kendra called on Geoffrey's trio for subsequent West Coast tours and their musical connection deepened. In January 2015, while Geoffrey was in Manhattan on an engagement with Chris Botti, he and Kendra performed an afternoon concert at a friend's home. The intimate duo setting provided the pianist and vocalist unlimited freedom to create spontaneously in the moment, taking the enthusiastic audience on a magical journey that was captured on this Ride Symbol recording. The title song "Half Moon," inspired by a lamp hanging over the piano, was completely improvised and reveals Shank at her most vulnerable. Keezer's 88-key orchestra of harmonic and rhythmic virtuosity and Shank's exotic wordless vocalizations are highlighted in Cedar Walton's "Life's Mosaic," while the duo's lyrical side shines on the debut recording of Jeremy Siskind's "Kneel" (winner of ASCAP's Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award). The chart for "When Love Was You and Me" (Abbey Lincoln/Thad Jones) was given to Kendra in 1994 by her mentor Abbey Lincoln when Kendra visited her Upper West Side apartment -- coincidentally in the same building where this concert took place. Throughout this diverse and inspired set, Shank & Keezer embody the joy and playful inventiveness of making music as interactive partners, transcending the singer-accompanist mold.

MC
Ziddu

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Kendra Shank Quartet - Mosaic

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:42
Size: 166,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:06)  1. So Far Away
(6:14)  2. Life's Mosaic
(8:46)  3. Reflections in Blue/ Blue Skies
(4:40)  4. Laughing at Life/ Smile
(4:53)  5. The Shining Sea
(8:47)  6. Water From Your Spring/ Beautiful Love
(6:43)  7. For Duke
(4:43)  8. All of You
(5:30)  9. Time Remembered
(6:36) 10. I'm Movin' On
(4:38) 11. I'll Meet You There

Kendra Shank is a complete vocalist an appealing and intelligent interpreter of known and unknown material, a startlingly inventive improviser and the possessor of a rich, darkish voice that draws in the listener with feelings both familiar and brand new. Mosaic is a beautiful collection of tunes from favorite composers some her friends, others her inspirations, all now her musical family.

Right from the start Shank makes it known that what matters is expressively emotional music through a poignant ballad reading of the Carole King pop hit "So Far Away." She's gorgeously complemented by the incandescent clarinet of Billy Drewes. Pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tony Romero her regular group lock together tightly but manage to give each other the space to expand. Drewes and guitarist Ben Monder are guests but they become part of the same dynamic.

Shank draws from composers as diverse as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Johnny Mandel on the longtime standard side and from some contemporary wizards such as Kirk Nurock and Kimbrough. Lyricists John and Paula Hackett turn Cedar Walton's "Mosaic" into "Life's Mosaic" and it's buoyed by the singer's mysterious "Eastern" improvisations and the tenor obligati by Drewes and Monder's sensitive guitar. Kimbrough and his wife, vocalist Maryanne DeProphetis, have contributed the noble "For Duke" and Shank finds the sensuous majesty in both the tune and its original inspiration. Nurock is a notably prolific composer of a broad array of tunes and Kendra mines treasure in two the lightly anthemic "I'm Movin' On" (with lyrics by another vocalist, Judy Niemack) and the hymn-like adaptation of texts by the 13th century Sufi poet, Rumi, "I'll Meet You There."  Mosaic reflects what feels like just a part of Shank's vast and complex interests but it becomes, as with all of her recordings, a world unto itself. ~ Donald Elfman http://www.allaboutjazz.com/mosaic-kendra-shank-challenge-records-review-by-donald-elfman.php

Personnel: Kendra Shank: voice; Frank Kimbrough: piano; Dean Johnson: bass; Tony Moreno: drums; Billy Drewes: soprano and tenor saxophones, clarinet; Ben Monder: guitar.

Mosaic

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Kendra Shank - A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:31
Size: 154,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:13)  1. The Music Is The Magic
(6:24)  2. I Got Thunder, And It Rings
(3:53)  3. Not To Worry
(6:56)  4. Down Here Below
(5:42)  5. A Circle Of Love
(7:34)  6. Incantation/Throw It Away
(4:02)  7. Bird Alone
(7:03)  8. The World Is Falling Down
(7:55)  9. Wholly Earth
(4:06) 10. Natas (Aka Playmate)
(5:38) 11. Being Me

An album devoted to Abbey Lincoln's glorious compositions is such an obvious and appealing idea it's a wonder it's taken so long for someone to do it. For decades, Lincoln has written one gorgeous song after another, imbued with passion, emotion and her wise lyrical observations on life, love and loss. Yet while almost every major and minor figure in jazz has been the subject of a "tribute album, Lincoln's was nowhere to be found. Until now, that is. Kudos then to the fine New York singer Kendra Shank, a friend and disciple of Lincoln's, for finally taking on the challenge of recording an "Abbey Lincoln Songbook and a challenge it is, given how difficult and idiosyncratic Lincoln's tunes can be. But Shank, a former folksinger who shares some of Lincoln's theatrical intensity, knocks the eleven songs on A Spirit Free out of the park, capturing the essence of these deeply personal tunes without attempting the losing proposition of imitating Lincoln's wholly inimitable approach.

With fine, spare backing from a group featuring pianist Frank Kimbrough, saxophonist Billy Drewes, guitarist Ben Monder and accordionist Gary Versace among others, Shank makes some of Lincoln's best-known compositions her own. She squeezes all the melancholy drama out of the haunting torch song "Down Here Below and treats "The World Is Falling Down as a sort of Tom Waits-meets-circus-big-top theme. This will surely show up on many best vocal albums lists at the end of the year and will hopefully shine more light on the artistry of both Shank and Lincoln. ~ Joel Roberts  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-spirit-free-abbey-lincoln-songbook-kendra-shank-challenge-records-review-by-joel-roberts.php
 

Personnel: Kendra Shank: vocals; Frank Kimbrough: piano; Dean Johnson: bass; Billy Drewes: bass clarinet: soprano and tenor saxophones; Ben Monder: guitar; Tony Moreno: drums; Gary Versace: accordion.

A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook

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Kendra Shank & John Stowell - New York Conversations

Size: 135,6 MB
Time: 57:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Blue Skyes (6:15)
02. Throop (3:56)
03. Hard Travelin'/Motherless Child (5:25)
04. Rush Hour (1:24)
05. New York Conversations (4:28)
06. Ghost (3:35)
07. Silent Photographer (4:25)
08. My Romance (4:03)
09. Za-Zoh (3:55)
10. Songs & Lullabies (5:44)
11. Like Someone In Love (3:37)
12. Simple Pleasures (4:21)
13. Walk Talk (3:32)
14. I'll Be Seeing You (1:51)
15. Glad Mango (1:10)

At a time when it is often difficult to tell the difference between a supposed jazz vocalist and a run-of-the-mill Las Vegas lounge singer, when it comes to an artist like Kendra Shank there is never any question. Listen to her latest album, New York Conversations, a collaboration with guitarist John Stowell, due for an April 8 release. This is a jazz singer who plays her voice the way a Miles plays his trumpet, a Monk his piano, and Stowell is a musical match. They have put together an inventive hour of music that shows what a creative team can do when they have the confidence in each other to let themselves work freely outside the lines.

New York Conversations is not an album for those looking for the ordinary, the safe. This is music pushing the edge, and when you work near the edge, there is always the danger of falling off. Not to worry when it comes to Shank and Stowell. They push; they don’t jump. Of course when your set list includes completely improvised sink-or-swim pieces, you had better be on your game. With the exotic vocal phrasing and rhythmic strains of tracks like “Za-Zoh” and “Glad Mango,” the duo is clearly on the very top of its. As Shank describes the duo’s process in the liner notes, they find themselves “just sitting in silence until one of us hears a sonic idea that leads us down an unfolding, shape-shifting path,” in what she calls “the alchemy of collaboration.”shank and stowell

Still, the joy of inventive collaboration is not limited to the completely improvised pieces. Their original compositions and their work on standards is equally imaginative. Whether the skat opening to Rodgers and Hart’s “My Romance” or the haunting introduction to Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” which opens the album, Stowell and Shank take no prisoners. They work their magic from the songs’ openings to their conclusions.

Shank, an adept looper, uses her skills to add a variety of textures and colors to the performance even in the moment. Stowell, points to her skill “in using a loop station to create multiple voices and harmonies in real time.” Again, the emphasis is on spontaneity.

Original compositions range from the title song, which is simply a playful list of New York City neighborhoods leading to some vocal gyrations which some may find a bit affected, to the sensitive “Ghost,” a haunting lesson from beyond the grave. There is a lot of fine vocalese in Stowell pieces like “Throop” and “Simple Pleasures” with its hints of “Manhattan.”

If you’re looking for a musical experience that is out of the ordinary, New York Conversations is an album you need to hear.

New York Conversations

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Kendra Shank - Afterglow

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:13
Size: 116,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:17)  1. Almost Blue
(5:34)  2. Photograph
(8:26)  3. Tes Yeux Bemol
(3:44)  4. Paris Bossa
(7:38)  5. There's Never Been A Day
(6:23)  6. Afterglow
(4:07)  7. Devil May Care
(3:42)  8. I Have The Feeling I've Been Here Before
(4:18)  9. Left Alone

Singer Kendra Shank, who has a beautiful voice, has grown a lot since her debut CD, but her maiden effort is still worth checking out. In general, this set emphasizes slow ballads, and her voice is quite haunting on the more atmospheric pieces. Shank, who plays a bit of basic Brazilian guitar, is joined by a trio that includes pianist Larry Willis, plus (on two songs) guest altoist Gary Bartz. Other than "Devil May Care," the material is generally pretty obscure; Jobim's "Photograph," Billie Holiday's "Left Alone" and Shank's "Paris Bossa" are among the highlights. ~ Scott Yanow   http://www.allmusic.com/album/afterglow-mw0000578706

Personnel: Kendra Shank (vocals, guitar), Gary Bartz (alto saxophone), Larry Willis (piano), Steve Novosel (bass), Steve Williams, Paul Murphy (drums), Steve Berrios (drums, percussion, congas). Personnel: Kendra Shank (vocals, guitar); Gary Bartz (alto saxophone); Larry Willis (piano); Steve Berrios (drums, congas, percussion); Steve Williams , Paul Murphy (drums).

Afterglow

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Kendra Shank - Reflections

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 58:03
Size: 132.9 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[5:53] 1. Alone Together
[5:52] 2. I'm Never Sure
[5:51] 3. Reflections (Aka "Reflections In D")
[4:57] 4. This Is New
[6:02] 5. Throw It Away
[5:22] 6. When Springtime Turns To Fall
[6:40] 7. Let It Be
[4:01] 8. Papillon Des Nuits (Aka "Cuban Waltz")
[9:49] 9. A Timeless Place (Aka "The Peacocks")
[4:12] 10. The Silence Of A Candle

Reflections is jazz vocalist Kendra Shank's second CD for the Jazz Focus label and it is one that speaks for itself. The vocalist, joined by pianist Frank Kimbrough, Dean Johnson on bass, and Tony Moreno on drums and percussion, interprets ten songs that compliment her excellent vocal experimentation. Since her selection as a Talent Deserving Wider Recognition by the Downbeat International Critics' Poll in 1999, Kendra Shank has continued to feature her highly lauded impressionistic approach and here she indulges her listeners on such rare gems as Duke Ellington's "Reflections," and international favorites such as "Let It Be." Her sensuous phrasing on "This Is New" is as innovative and alluring as her guitar playing on "The Silence of the Candle." Both artistic traits continue to endear her to adult, contemporary, and folk audiences around the world and have evolved beautifully since her first CD on Mapleshade, Afterglow. ~ Paula Edelstein

Recorded at Acoustic Studios, Brooklyn, New York on April 28 and 29, 2000. Includes liner notes by Terry Teachout.

Kendra Shank (vocals, guitar); Frank Kimbrough (piano); Dean Johnson (bass); Tony Moreno (drums, percussion).

Reflections

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Kendra Shank - Wish

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 70:55
Size: 162.4 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[7:32] 1. Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair
[5:56] 2. Should've Been
[4:27] 3. You And The Night And The Music
[4:08] 4. A Lover's Lie
[7:56] 5. Moves
[4:00] 6. That Lonesome Road
[5:09] 7. You Say You Care
[6:25] 8. Wish
[6:52] 9. Gone
[4:38] 10. L' Amour Est Bien Fort Que Nous
[6:58] 11. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
[6:50] 12. Angel Face

Kendra Shank, whose initial CD was for Mapleshade, has grown quite a bit since her maiden effort. The singer's Jazz Focus debut Wish starts out with the most adventurous track, a version of "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" that may not be as scary as Patty Waters' classic mid-'60s rendition for ESP, but certainly finds Shank stretching herself with some unusual wordless sounds. Other highlights of her date include Abbey Lincoln's "Should've Been," her own "Wish," a reworking of "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" (complete with verse), and two originals by bassist Jeff Johnson. Johnson is in Shank's backup group, which includes Hans Teuber on reeds, pianist Frank Kimbrough, drummer Victor Lewis, and vibraphonist Joe Locke. This continually surprising set, which displays Shank's interest in both adventurous jazz and folk music, is well worth checking out. ~ Scott Yanow

Recording information: Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY (04/20/1998-04/21/1998).

Kendra Shank (vocals); Hans Teuber (flute, saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Joe Locke (vibraphone); Victor Lewis (drums, snare drum); Frank Kimbrough (piano).

Wish

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