Lauren Henderson - A La Madrugada

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:45
Size: 142,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:48)  1. You and the Night and the Music
(3:54)  2. Stranded
(3:45)  3. Accede
(4:48)  4. There Is No Greater Love
(5:16)  5. Hasta Nunca
(6:50)  6. My Foolish Heart
(6:22)  7. A La Madrugada
(4:53)  8. Twisting Squares
(5:02)  9. December Ballad
(4:49) 10. Quizas Vaya
(4:53) 11. What You Won't Do for Love
(5:21) 12. There Will Never Be Another You

Lauren's Afro-Caribbean and Latin Heritage are central themes in her original music. Her eclectic vocal influences and style spread across genres. The distinct yet versatile sound is rooted in jazz and extends to pop, flamenco and other genres.

Lauren Henderson is a jazz and latin jazz vocalist and composer from Massachusetts. Henderson's Caribbean and Latin Heritage are central themes in her original music and performance. In 2011 she released her first debut album, Lauren Henderson. The record was recorded almost immediately upon her arrival in New York City after graduating from Wheaton College (Massachusetts) where she was inspired by her masterclasses with Paquito D'Rivera and Take 6. She created the hour long recording with her close friend, Sullivan Fortner (pianist and composer under Impulse! and member of the Roy Hargrove Quintet), Ben Leifer (bass) and Jesse Simpson (drums). The original intent of the recording was to help Lauren ease into the competitive New York Jazz Scene and increase her work as an artist. The quartet recorded classics by noted composers like Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Rogers and Hart. After the work was shared with colleagues and fellow musicians, it was reviewed by various publications, including DownBeat Magazine, JazzTimes and All About Jazz. which is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby and is accessible as a Pandora.com station. Henderson's eclectic vocal influences and style spreads across genres. Her Afro-Latin influence aids her in producing a distinct yet versatile sound. Lauren's diverse musical background is rooted in jazz and expands to rhythm and blues, latin, soul, gospel, classical, fusion, neo-soul, pop, nuevo-flamenco and many other forms. Beginning piano lessons at the age of 7 and singing in church and school choirs, molded her into the growing and developing musician she is today. She has composed, performed, studied and directed music in the United States and internationally and is currently incorporating the influences of her travels to create a second record.

Currently based in New York, She has performed at various clubs and participated in workshops around the city including: Millesime of the famous Carlton Hotel where she has a Thursday Night Residency. She has had the opportunity to study with legendary and influential musicians like Barry Harris at the Barry Harris Workshop and Grammy Nominated Vocalist, Jane Monheit. Having earned college degrees in both Music and Hispanic Studies, Lauren continues to combine her love for music and culture. While living in Puebla, México she studied the traditional music of the Yucatán and popular music throughout the country at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. 

Through her international piano and voice studies, she worked on developing her musicianship. In Córdoba, España she studied flamenco and the similarities it shares with jazz. An avid nuevo-flamenco listener, Lauren often quotes the new and popular sounds of various countries while nurturing the roots of classic forms. Her new unreleased recording features Sullivan Fortner on piano ( Impulse - Universal Music Group Artist and member of the Roy Hargrove Quintet and current finalist in the American Pianist Association 2015 Jazz Competition), Ameen Saleem on bass (Recording Artist and Member of the Roy Hargrove Quintet), Louis Fouche on alto saxophone (Member of Eddie Palmieri Afro-Carribean Sextet, Recording Artist and collaborator with Christian Scott), Jonathan Powell on trumpet (Member of Eddie Palmieri Afro-Carribean Sextet, Arturo O'Farrill's band and Grammy Winning Album, and voted "Best Latin Jazz Trumpeter" 2009 by Latin Jazz Corner), Riley Mulherkar on trumpet (Member of Julliard, named "Rising Jazz Artist" by Wynton Marsalis) and Jeremy Bean Clemmons on drums and percussion (Award Winning Producer and prior member of Grammy Nominated, Andy Bey's Quartet, Member of Soul Understated). http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/laurenhenderson2

A La Madrugada

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Lauren Henderson - Riptide

Styles: Vocal
Size: 54,5 MB
Time: 23:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Art: Front

1. Ámame (3:21)
2. Riptide (3:01)
3. Separate (4:17)
4. Bajito (5:12)
5. Ennui (3:28)
6. Slow Control (3:47)

Vocalist Lauren Henderson goes deep with a bedroom eyes of a voice on this seductive ep. The team of Chris Pattishallpp-key, Eric Englid/b and Joe Saylor/dr create deep and thick soulful moods for Henderson’s palpably soft coo. The team is a bit funky for the soulful “Amame” as Henderson gives hints of Melody Gardot’s bohemia on “Separate”.

Some clip clop drumming and chunky guitar creates an indie mood for “Bajito” and the stark “Ennui” gets things dramatic while she is playful and coy as she draws you into her world on “Slow Control.” She doesn’t rely on range or chops, preferring to let her implications bring you to the music.
https://www.jazzweekly.com/2018/12/lauren-henderson-riptide/

Riptide

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Lauren Henderson - La Bruja

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
Time: 37:52
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 88,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:15) 1. Perfidia
(2:55) 2. Veinte años
(2:40) 3. La bruja
(2:54) 4. Fría
(5:24) 5. Así
(2:55) 6. Febrero hums
(3:07) 7. La sitiera
(5:37) 8. Amistad
(3:24) 9. Deseo
(2:56) 10. Veinte años ii
(2:42) 11. Silencio

There may be many singers more famous even lionised than Lauren Henderson. But not a single one in recent memory can beguile the senses with the emotional seduction of her vocals, delivered almost continuously sotto voce. In fact it’s almost as if she doesn’t sing as much as she casts a spell on the hapless listener with her voice. How appropriate therefore, that her album should be entitled La Bruja.

Miss Henderson plays the role of la bruja to the hilt. But she turns her “inner-witch” into a good-spellbinding one. The thematic centrepiece [of sorts] of her proverbial witchcraft, then, is of her interpretations of the iconic song by María Teresa Vera – Veinte Años – which is interpreted three times with three different singularly metaphorical ways bringing the meaning of the original lyric written by the celebrated Miss Vera into the modern-day ethos which is characterised by the newly sinister discrimination and objectifying of women in the developed world.

Vocally Miss Henderson is in luxuriant form on this, her ninth album; her dark-tinted contralto is as edible as pure, bitter chocolate in all its luxury assortments. This is an enormous mitigation for the commonality in the lyrics that accompany the songs, making the continuous heartache and the profound density of the [lyrics and meanings of the] repertoire bearable, something that would otherwise be hard to endure for a half-hour-plus album.

Miss Henderson has also written four of these songs and what is most remarkable about this fact is not so much that they are made to fit the overall emotional ethos of [the rest of] the album, but that they, in fact, have an uncannily symbiotic relationship emotionally – indeed artistically with the rest of the repertoire, as if they are cut from the same proverbial cloth itself. This is a stroke of genius, one that belongs to Miss Henderson alone and to one else.

The recording features a superb instrumental cast – many of the names relatively unfamiliar to those outside the absolute inner circle of musicians haunting the studios and clubs of New York City [and other music hubs of the USA]. But some names do stand out: Joel Ross, who contributes the radiance [in sound and style] and pliant virtuosity of the vibraphone to La Bruja, Fría and Amistad, and John Chin, a pianist who has been woefully underrecognised for his ability to transform the songfulness of everything he plays on this album.

No matter the various degrees of the relative obscurity of the cast of musicians each proves himself to be completely attuned to the vision and ingenious artistry of Miss Henderson. Each more than pays his own [proverbial] way in this music. Indeed musician contributes to bringing a gleaming triumphant lustre to the elementally pained lyricism of this unforgettable album by the prodigiously-gifted Lauren Henderson.
https://latinjazznet.com/reviews/albums/featured-albums/lauren-henderson-la-bruja/

Musicians – Lauren Henderson: vocals; Joel Ross: vibraphone [featured – 3, 4, 8]; Nick Tannura: guitar [featured – 1, 2, 5-7, 10]; Gabe Schneider: guitar [featured 9, 11]; Sean Mason: piano [featured – 3, 4, 8]; John Chin: piano [featured – 1, 5, 7, 9, 11]; Eric Wheeler: bass [featured – 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11]; Joe Dyson: drums [featured 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11]

La bruja

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Lauren Henderson - Conjuring

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
Time: 44:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 102,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. Spells
(5:12) 2. That Old Black Magic
(3:36) 3. Conjuring
(4:18) 4. Es Magia
(4:04) 5. Coercion
(5:21) 6. Day Dream
(5:40) 7. Potions
(3:34) 8. Amuleto
(5:05) 9. It's Magic
(3:05) 10. I Wish You Love

It is not really a stretch to discern the fact that Lauren Henderson with her smoky, dark vibrato is in the process of revealing a shapeshifting musical persona, inadvertantly positioning herself in the steamy spotlight as the Empress of Noir. And as Miss Henderson continues to be propelled on the upward arc of a spectacular parabolic artistic trajectory she draws [justifiably, in my view] parallel [close enough really] to no less a legend than Marlene Dietrich, the Queen of Noir from another era.

However, on the album she calls Conjuring, Miss Henderson has carved a niche of sorts for herself. She plumbs the depths of her Pan African-Caribbean-American heritage. [For the record, Miss Dietrich plumbed the dark side of wartime Germany of the late-30’s and 40’s]. Miss Henderson also draws strength from the spirit world and makes music as if pulling spells out of the burning cauldron of her dark and spellbinding voice, to seduce you into her world of love-potions.

Miss Henderson’s voice is monotonal and tremulous, which is unlike Miss Dietrich’s, which is almost monotonal and flat, sans tremolo. Both vocalists are, however, highly seductive [in their own way], and when she [Miss Henderson] holds notes interminably, with her teary vibrato she turns herself into a rare songbird, and quite irresistible.

Magic may be the theme and the overall metaphor and because of her distinctive vocal style, Miss Henderson turns these songs [a judicious mix of originals and standards] quite literally, into mystical essays in the art of musical theatre. Her voice is like an acoustic blooms in the dark. It brings every song to flower, often redolent of the golden radiance of the vibraphone on which Joel Ross performs to perfection. Everything here is luminescent and even as the rumbling contrabass of Eric Wheeler, which coaxes fat, round and dark but iridescent notes from his magnificent instrument.

Miss Henderson sings songs such as Spells, Coerción, Daydream and I Wish You Love with aching luminosity as Miss Henderson sings them with fine legato and just enough to the words to make you fall prey to their bittersweetness. Every aspect of thematic sadness is amplified, to brings characters to life and bring you to tears. As spellbindingly dark and shadowy as Miss Henderson wants you to imagine her world, by breathing her wispy spirit into the songs she frees you from their sadness with exquisitely classical pathos.

While the songs speak to Miss Henderson in an incredibly special way, it is remarkable that she can share perhaps even impose her mystical worldview on ‘love’ and ‘loss’ with every member of her musical entourage. As a result, each of the musicians, having imbibed the singer’s artistic vision and interiorized the music, perform with sensitive and idiomatic brilliance.
https://thatcanadianmagazine.com/reviews/albums/lauren-henderson-conjuring/

Musicians – Lauren Henderson: vocals; Joel Ross: vibraphone; Eric Wheeler: contrabass; Joe Dyson: drums; Gabe Schneider: guitar [4, 5]; Nick Tanura: guitar [7, 9]; Sean Mason: piano [1 – 3, 6, 8, 10]; John Chin: piano [4, 5, 9].

Conjuring

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Lauren Henderson - Sombras

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2024
Time: 32:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 73,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:35) 1. Fuego
(2:46) 2. Seasons
(3:41) 3. Venas
(3:12) 4. Sombras
(4:29) 5. Illumination
(3:51) 6. Tormento
(5:11) 7. Walking
(3:03) 8. Dignidad
(3:09) 9. Shadows

Every year, like spring, Lauren Henderson releases a new album. While technically they are always sumptuous albums, not all are equal. We adored the previous one, “Conjuring”, but this one seems somewhat lacking. By overemphasizing interpretation, one ends up getting lost and no longer understanding the real intentions behind each track. Lauren Henderson is certainly the most interesting artist from Latin America. Here, the tracks that seem most polished to me are “Shadows”, where Lauren reveals her true emotion, and also “Tormento”. For these two tracks alone, this album deserves your attention. “Sombras”, which gives its name to the album, is clearly formatted for radio but remains pleasant to listen to.

“Sombras” was born from an idea that burned in Henderson’s mind all her life: how does an individual’s cultural heritage shape who they are? As someone whose roots extend to Panama, Montserrat, and the Caribbean but was raised in North America, Henderson embarked on a journey of discovery to answer this poignant question in the kaleidoscopic culture of contemporary society. Throughout “Sombras”, Henderson unveils her own journey through original compositions, shaping stories reflecting her African diasporic origins.

And this is where this album gains its significance. Once informed of the foundation of this album, one can understand the musical propositions it contains. The album title, “Sombras,” is a Spanish word that translates to “Shadows” in English. This title evokes the idea that someone’s ancestry is their shadow self. It represents a metaphor wherein present actions and the self are the light and visible world, while genealogy is the unspoken and hidden driving force that subtly shapes a person into what they are. Wrapped in mystery, each song on “Sombras” plays with this balance between the visible and the invisible, and the many elements, decisions, and events that have led each person even generations before to where they are today.

So, I set out to re-listen to this album. Initially, I couldn’t grasp the thread because I lack that culture. Where I saw a sort of void, it’s actually the most personal album Lauren has produced to date. What Henderson presents is not just an album; rather, “Sombras” stands as a testament to the power of an idea brought to life. By posing a bold question, Henderson has generated a response as diverse as the range of cultures she delves into. With a sparkling passion, “Sombras” hauntingly oscillates between the light and shadows of identity as Henderson depicts the formation of the person and the soul.

In fact, by the third listen, I began to feel the intentions, doubts, and risks taken by the artist on each track. It’s an album that needs to be tamed, listened to deeply, and appreciated for the work of Joel Ross (vibraphone), Sean Mason (piano), Jonathan Michel (bass), and Joe Dyson (drums, percussion). The album was recorded by Daniel Sanint of Flux Studios, who has recorded Henderson’s entire discography. What I appreciate in this kind of album is the need to be tamed, and in this case, this album quickly becomes indispensable. Let’s hope Lauren Henderson continues to bless us with such beautiful albums. By Thierry De Clemensat
https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/lauren-henderson-sombras-eng-review/

Sombras

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Lauren Henderson - Musa

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 126,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:54) 1. I Concentrate on You
(4:23) 2. La Marejada
(4:21) 3. Forget Me
(3:33) 4. Corazón, No Llores
(6:58) 5. Wild Is the Wind
(6:08) 6. Luz
(5:03) 7. Leeward
(4:15) 8. Ahora
(3:02) 9. The Sweetest Sounds
(5:06) 10. Musa
(5:04) 11. Leeward (Love)

Even if this album will not shine on the innovative side, the fact remains that the fabulous voice of Lauren Henderson, who sings in English or Spanish, is a pure marvel. Towards the start of the pandemic, the New York artist sought to record an album weaving the traditions that influence his sound: “I wanted my next record to be a mix of jazz, flamenco and Afro-Latin music” , Henderson explains, “a kind of fusion of everything that makes up my cultural and musical identity”. Let's admit all the same that the Flamenco consonances are here more a Hollywoodian vision than a real Flamenca interpretation of the guitar which accompanies the singer… but once again, here it is the voice which is the main actor, therefore…

Lauren declares: “I like being a musician because you are constantly learning and growing ”. Contributed to this opus: Sullivan Fortner on piano, Eric Wheeler on bass and Joe Dyson on drums. When Henderson felt ready to share her music, she reached out directly to Fortner, her longtime collaborator, who has performed on all of her albums since 2011. “Sullivan is the first person I usually see to share. my original music , ”she says, “ just to get feedback from someone I trust, someone who I know will give his honest opinion on what he thinks about music. ”After a socially distant duo rehearsal, Henderson set the dates for the recording.“As a songwriter, I want to prioritize honesty and integrity,” Lauren says. “As a singer, it is my responsibility to deliver a story to the listener and share my interpretation of the story. I just try to be fairly straightforward with my compositions and let things breathe. It has been such an honor - and a blessing - to work with the people I have chosen for this project, because they add so much life and their own vision to the music. ”

Bassist Eric Wheeler casts vivid shadows of tension and tenderness on “La Marejada”, while Paco Soto's guitar radiates over Henderson's melodies and interludes. Full of grace and syncopation, “Luz” stages a characteristic play between Henderson and Fortner, supported by the nuanced and thoughtful touch of Dyson. “Wild is the Wind” reveals the impact of intimacy - contemplative, purposeful and engaging a mixture of temporal sensations. “Leeward”, the only original English song on the album, is a hymn to the enduring nature of love.Translate By Google https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/lauren-henderson-musa/

Personnel: Lauren Henderson (voice); Sullivan Fortner (piano); Eric Wheeler (bass); Joe Dyson (drums); Daniel J. Watts (spoken word); Marquis Hill (trumpet); Paco Soto (guitar)

Musa

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Lauren Henderson - The Songbook Session

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:48
Size: 99,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:03) 1. While We're Young
(4:55) 2. Day by Day
(4:40) 3. Sabor a Mí
(3:13) 4. People Will Say We're in Love
(7:11) 5. Meditação (Meditation)
(2:31) 6. Beautiful Love
(7:44) 7. Bésame Mucho
(5:14) 8. Tiernamente (Tenderly)
(3:11) 9. Day by Day (Duo Version)

Jazz and Latin Jazz vocalist, Lauren Henderson, paints reflective and impassioned stories with her haunting voice and enchanting compositions. Described as “somewhere between a comforting whisper and a cogent declaration” by The New York Times, Henderson's eclectic influences spread across genres producing a distinct yet versatile sound.Henderson combines her passion for music, philanthropy, and business as the CEO of Brontosaurus Records and an internationally acclaimed recording artist. Recently featured in the Financial Times, Henderson's achievements are celebrated worldwide. Her original music was recently featured in The Drowning, directed by Bette Gordon and starring Julia Stiles, Avan Jogia, Josh Charles and Tracie Thoms, as well as El Juego de Las Llaves, starring Ela Velden, Maite Perroni, and Marimar Vega. Henderson's compositions navigate journeys imposed through the African Diaspora in connection to her Panamanian, Montserratian, and vast Caribbean roots as they interplay with her North American upbringing. The recording artist, composer, and producer from Massachusetts broke the Jazz Week Charts - Top 40 for six consecutive weeks and the Year End Jazz Week Top 100 for 2018 and 2019.Her recent release Alma Oscura (2019) climbed to the Jazz Week Charts - Top 25.

Lauren's music resonates with listeners in the US and abroad. Having completed well over 10 successful international tours, Henderson has performed in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Russia, Mexico and South Africa! As the Founder and CEO of Brontosaurus Records, Lauren Henderson graduated with her Executive Master of Business Administration from Brown University (RI) and the IE Business School (Madrid) in May of 2019. Having earned degrees in both Music and Hispanic Studies, at Wheaton College (MA), Lauren continues to combine her love of music and culture. While living in Puebla, México she studied the traditional music of the Yucatán and popular music throughout the country at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Through her international piano and voice studies, she worked on developing her musicianship. In Córdoba, España she studied flamenco and its similarities to jazz at La Universidad de Córdoba.

Henderson began study piano at an early age. She grew up singing in church and school choirs, as well as listening to jazz records her parents and grandparents played in the house. Timid as a young musician, she was always reluctant to sing solos, until given a gentle push by mentors shortly before heading to Wheaton College (MA) to receive her Bachelor of Arts. At Wheaton, she discovered her voice, becoming the Musical Director of VUJ, a member of Jazz Band, studying classical voice and musical theatre, as well as finding inspiration in her professors and master classes with artists like Paquito D’Rivera, Take6, and the legendary Barry Harris at the Barry Harris Workshop. In 2011 Henderson released her debut album, Lauren Henderson. It was recorded almost immediately upon her arrival in New York. Henderson recorded with close friend and musical partner, Sullivan Fortner (piano), along with Ben Leifer (bass), and Jesse Simpson (drums). Intended as a demo to break into New York’s competitive jazz scene, the work was shared with colleagues and fellow musicians and ultimately reviewed by various publications, including DownBeat Magazine, JazzTimes and All About Jazz. Her second release, A La Madrugada (2015), features Sullivan Fortner on piano, Ameen Saleem on bass, Louis Fouche on alto saxophone, Jonathan Powell on trumpet, Riley Mulherkar on trumpet, and Jeremy Bean Clemmons on drums and percussion. It landed in the JazzWeek Top 100 for over 3 consecutive weeks.

In March of 2018, Henderson released ÁRMAME under the direction of Grammy-Nominated Producer and Emmy- Winner, Mark Ruffin! This album will features Terri Lyne Carrington, Josh Evans, Godwin Louis, Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler, Nick Tannura, Nanny Assis, and Joe Saylor. Riptide (2018), Henderson's bold EP, features six original compositions she developed with Nick Tannura (guitar), Chris Pattishall (paino), Eric England (bass) and Joe Saylor (drums). Alma Oscura (2019), Henderson’s fourth studio album is produced by Michael Thurber (Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CDZA, The Royal Shakespeare Company). This album features original compositions that reflect the roster's jazz, Latin jazz, flamenco, folk and classical roots. Featured Artists include Leo Sidran, Joe Saylor, Tessa Lark, Michael Thurber, Sullivan Fortner, Charles Overton, Allan Mednard, Emi Ferguson, Jon Lampley and Mark Dover. Lauren, Leo and Michael teamed up with the great flamenco singer and guitarist, Saúl Quirós, for a remix of the Henderson-Thurber original, Alma Oscura. Stay tuned for the The Songbook Session featuring Sullivan Fortner, Eric Wheeler and Allan Mednard in April 2020. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/laurenhenderson

The Songbook Session

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Lauren Henderson - Alma Oscura

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 29:55
Size: 69,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:25) 1. From the Inside Out
(4:57) 2. Something Bigger
(3:26) 3. Alma Oscura
(2:23) 4. El Árbol
(2:43) 5. Ven Muerte
(3:54) 6. Where Are You Now?
(2:00) 7. Protocol
(4:02) 8. Dream

With the exception of a cappella artists, a singer can’t soar without a supportive squad. And an empathetic producer is essential to the equation. Lauren Henderson’s sixth release, Alma Oscura, is a gem, thanks to a combination of strong material, a subtle vocal style and carefully crafted settings that showcase the vocalist’s strengths. Much of the credit belongs to Michael Thurber, who played bass on the sessions, produced the album, composed three songs in the program and co-wrote the title track with Henderson. Singing in Spanish and English, Henderson has a soft delivery that emphasizes nuance and heightens a narrative’s drama without pyrotechnics. She surrounds herself with a terrific supporting cast that provides powerful coloration, whether it is Jon Lampley’s trumpet echoing the lead vocal line on “Something Bigger,” Emi Ferguson’s poignant flute on the title track, Sullivan Fortner’s fluid pianism on “El Arbol” or Leo Sidran (Ben’s son) sculpting a fine bilingual vocal duet with Henderson on his composition “From The Inside Out.”

Although a total of 15 musicians played on the sessions, Henderson and Thurber avoid excess at every turn, favoring a spare, impactful aesthetic. “Where Are You Now?” (a Thurber tune) has a smoky flavor that would appeal to fans of jazz, r&b and sophisticated pop, while “Protocol” has an infectious tango vibe. This album is 30 minutes long, inviting repeated spins and revealing Henderson’s admirable penchant for quality over quantity.= Henderson’s European tour includes a Nov. 22 gig at Zig Zag Jazz Club in Berlin.~ Bobby Reed https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/alma-oscura

Alma Oscura

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Lauren Henderson - Ármame

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:33
Size: 147.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[5:04] 1. The Great City
[4:43] 2. To Wisdom The Prize
[3:34] 3. Love Is A Losing Game
[5:09] 4. Let Me Love You
[4:26] 5. Tanto Amor
[5:29] 6. The Old Country
[3:08] 7. Inside A Silent Tear
[5:07] 8. El Ritmo
[4:54] 9. Better Days
[6:16] 10. Ármame
[4:51] 11. Open Your Eyes
[6:53] 12. We're Still Friends
[4:54] 13. Todo Tiene Su Final

On her lovely and coolly sensual new recording, Ármame, vocalist Lauren Henderson delivers an eclectic set of jazz, Latin jazz, and other styles in a program reflecting her African-American and Caribbean heritage and her omnivorous musical tastes. Produced by veteran broadcaster and Sirius/XM jazz host Mark Ruffin, the CD was released March 30 on her new label, Brontosaurus Records.

The album’s title translates as “Arm Me” (as from a broken heart), and the subtitle “Songs of Love and Loss” provides insight into Henderson’s repertoire choices. In addition to premiering three new originals, the vocalist adds to her already impressive credentials as a deft interpreter of others’ songs with heartfelt arrangements of “Love Is a Losing Game” by Amy Winehouse, Blossom Dearie’s heartbreaking classic “Inside a Silent Tear,” and Donny Hathaway’s “We’re Still Friends.” The two songs on which Terri Lyne Carrington sings backup vocals—“To Wisdom the Prize,” by Larry Willis, and “Better Days,” a nod to Chaka Khan, who’s a favorite singer of Henderson’s—are a particular highlight. “There’s this special, natural thing about how our voices go together,” Henderson says of working with Carrington.

One of Henderson’s major influences, Shirley Horn, is represented by two mid-tempo selections from that master of restraint’s songbook: Curtis Lewis’s “The Great City,” a onetime Nancy Wilson vehicle Henderson personalized with Spanish lyrics, and Bart Howard’s “Let Me Love You,” which was also recorded by Johnny Hartman. “I’ve always loved Shirley Horn’s delivery,” says Henderson. “There are a lot of layers to her singing.”

Ármame is anchored by the great young pianist Sullivan Fortner, a friend and colleague since Lauren first arrived in New York. “Not all pianists are as good playing with singers as they are working as solo artists,” she says. “He is.” Bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Joe Saylor of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert round out the rhythm section; the CD also features a strong set of soloists in alto saxophonist Godwin Louis, trumpeter Josh Evans, and guitarist Nick Tannura, plus percussionist Nanny Assis.

Lauren Henderson was born on November 5, 1986 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a town outside of Salem. Her father, of African-American and Caribbean ancestry, and her mother, the daughter of immigrants from Panama and Montserrat, are lovers of jazz and Latin music and exposed their daughter to these and other genres when she was growing up. ~Terri Hinte

Ármame mc
Ármame zippy

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Lauren Henderson - Lauren Henderson

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Latin Jazz

Year: 2011

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:47

Size: 98,4 MB

Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Dindi

(2:52)  2. Skylark

(5:57)  3. More Than You Know

(4:07)  4. Veinte Años

(2:57)  5. I Should Care

(3:12)  6. Do I Love You?

(4:05)  7. Só Tinha De Ser Com Você

(6:13)  8. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

(3:26)  9. Born to Be Blue

(2:51) 10. Monicas Vals (Waltz For Debby)

(3:19) 11. Taking a Chance On Love

This album is an eclectic mix of jazz and Latin jazz standards. The quartet explores smooth and seductive ballads and bossa novas, as well as swinging and funk influenced tunes. Swedish, Portuguese and Spanish are just a few of the languages featured on the album besides English. Lauren Henderson’s debut album features Sullivan Fortner on piano, Ben Leifer on bass and Jesse Simpson on the drums. They recorded this album at Flux Studios in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the Summer of 2011. All contemporaries, the four young musicians met on the New York Jazz scene after college and became fast friends. https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/laurenhenderson

Lauren Henderson

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