LaVerne Butler - No Looking Back

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:34
Size: 112,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:35)  1. The Song Is You
(6:13)  2. I Cover the Waterfront
(4:10)  3. Sunday in New York
(5:29)  4. Speak Low
(2:50)  5. It's Alright with Me
(6:10)  6. Easy to Love
(4:18)  7. Isn't It a Pity?
(4:20)  8. Make Me Rainbows
(6:28)  9. Ballad Medley
(3:57) 10. Come Fly with Me

If justice had prevailed, No Looking Back would have made LaVerne Butler well known in jazz circles, but this fine debut was more of an artistic success than a commercial one. In contrast to the laidback, relaxed mood and pop influences that defined the singer's sophomore effort, Day Dreamin', No Looking Back is very much a hardcore bop effort. Butler's impressive phrasing sounds like a combination of Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, but when she passionately tears into hard-swinging, high-energy interpretations of "It's Alright With Me," "Sunday In New York" and "The Song Is You," it's clear that Butler is very much her own person. Equally captivating are a sensuous bossa nova take on "Speak Low" and an unexpected version of "Come Fly With Me," which was defined by Frank Sinatra but also fares quite well in Butler's capable hands. Guest Joe Henderson (tenor sax) is in excellent form on "I Cover the Waterfront," "Easy to Love" and "The Song Is You," all of which prove that the ton of favorable publicity he was receiving in the early to mid-1990s was well deserved. This is a CD that fans of straight-ahead jazz singing should make a point of searching for. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/no-looking-back-mw0000121830

Personnel:  Vocal - Laverne Butler; Acoustic Guitar – Romero Lubambo;  Bass – Chip Jackson;  Drums – Klaus Sounsaari;  Piano, Arranged By – Mike Renzi;  Tenor Saxophone – Chris Potter (2), Joe Henderson;  Trumpet – Joe Magnarelli, Jon Faddis

No Looking Back

---

Laverne Butler - Love Lost And Found Again

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:17
Size: 120,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:40)  1. Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home
(3:57)  2. Be a Sweet Pumpkin
(4:06)  3. I've Told Every Little Star
(5:29)  4. Eveybody's Somebody's Fool
(3:33)  5. The Bluest Blues
(4:46)  6. Travelin' Light
(4:08)  7. That's All
(6:11)  8. Be Anything (But Be Mine)
(4:36)  9. In My Own Little Corner
(5:39) 10. I'll Never Be Free
(3:07) 11. Smile

LaVerne Butler has recorded only sporadically since her 1992 debut, but it isn't due to a lack of talent. Steeped in jazz with an appreciation for R&B, she tackles a mix of Broadway tunes and pop, backed by her frequent collaborator, the gifted pianist Bruce Barth, who also penned the arrangements, along with bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Rudy Royston, with tenor saxophonist Houston Person added on seven tracks. Butler makes it all sound effortless with her expressive alto, gliding through the arrangements as if they've long been part of her repertoire instead of being created just before the sessions. She makes the most of the variety of music, excelling in standards like "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star" and a forgotten gem like Rodgers & Hammerstein's "In My Own Little Corner," but really delivers with a memorable rendition of Charlie Chaplin's decades-old tearful ballad "Smile." Person's presence is welcome, reminiscent of his many appearances in support of the late singer Etta Jones, adding a soulful touch that complements Butler on "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home," "Travelin' Light," and "Be Anything (But Be Mine)."~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-lost-and-found-again-mw0002417492

Personnel: LaVerne Butler (vocals); Houston Person (tenor saxophone); Bruce Barth (piano); Rudy Royston (drums).

Love Lost And Found Again

---

Laverne Butler - Day Dreamin'

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:30
Size: 106,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:41)  1. Friday Afternoon
(3:24)  2. Love Me
(2:49)  3. The Happy Song
(4:19)  4. Little Girl Blue
(4:21)  5. When Your Lover Has Gone
(5:08)  6. Let Your Tears Hang Out
(4:14)  7. Gonna Give Lovin' A Try
(5:37)  8. For the Love of You
(3:41)  9. Day Dreaming
(4:59) 10. Photograph
(3:10) 11. Two Different Worlds

With LaVerne Butler having provided so much passionate, intense hard bop on her debut album, No Looking Back, it came as quite a surprise when the singer took a more mellow and laidback approach on her second album, Day Dreamin', which was devoid of loud horn solos and found her joined by an intimate piano trio. Not thrilled to hear Butler interpreting songs by the Isley Brothers and Aretha Franklin, some jazz purists dismissed the CD as lightweight quiet storm music and argued that Butler should have stuck with standards and hard bop. But in fact, Day Dreamin' has a lot going for it. By choosing less obvious material, Butler was taking chances, and they pay off handsomely. The Isleys' "For the Love of You" and Franklin's "Day Dreamin'" work well in an acoustic jazz setting, as does Brazilian singer Dori Caymmi's "Photograph." This CD can function as mood music, but it's personal, heartfelt mood music that is as rewarding as it is thoughtful. ~ Alex Henderson http://www.allmusic.com/album/day-dreamin-mw0000119633

Personnel: LaVerne Butler (vocals); Peter Bernstein (guitar); Rob Bargad (piano); Mark Sherman (vibraphone); Gregory Hutchinson (drums); Daniel Sadownick (percussion).

Day Dreamin'

---

Laverne Butler - A Foolish Thing To Do

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 54:24

Size: 124.5 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 2013

Art: Front

[4:24] 1. A Foolish Thing To Do

[4:38] 2. End Of A Love Affair

[5:09] 3. Go Away Little Boy

[3:38] 4. One Minute To Zero / When I Fall In Love

[6:06] 5. Dindi

[4:09] 6. West Coast Blues

[5:44] 7. Affinity

[4:34] 8. Jubilee / Just One Of Those Things

[4:30] 9. Do Re Mi / Make Someone Happy

[3:30] 10. Make It Easy On Yourself

[4:01] 11. Never Let Me Go

[3:57] 12. Basin Street Blues

LaVerne Butler's jazz vocals on A Foolish Thing To Do emphasizes her fluid mastery of the jazz form and her genuine joy in the music. The beautiful vocalist sings 12 blues-inflected jazz gems written by some of America's most prolific songwriters on this follow-up to her chart-topping Blues In The City. Accompanied by Terrell Stafford on trumpet, Bruce Barth on piano, Darryl Hall on bass and Victor Lewis on drums, Butler opens with "A Foolish Thing To Do," a love-gone-wrong blues she co-wrote with Bruce Barth. Terrell Stafford's trumpet announces the fateful theme and punctuates Butler's vocals throughout the song before easing into a solo with a bluesy jazz dialect reminiscent of the great Louis Armstrong.LaVerne Butler takes command of the lyrics on "Make It Easy On Yourself" and finds her wringing the tears from it whereas so many other vocalists have delivered it in such a glib matter-of-fact way. In addition to the excellent string accompaniment on three compositions and Bruce Barth's piano stylings throughout this great program, LaVerne Butler's graceful creativity, tone, phrasings and emotion are among the shining elements that make up her very cool tools of vocal expression and natural talent. ~Paula Edelstein

A Foolish Thing To Do

---

Laverne Butler - Blues in the City

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:27
Size: 136,6 MB
Art: Front + Back

(3:21)  1. This Bitter Earth
(4:29)  2. Please Send Me Someone To Love
(2:47)  3. Hit The Road Jack
(5:42)  4. Willow Weep For Me
(3:32)  5. The Blues Are Out Of Town
(6:06)  6. One For My Baby
(6:22)  7. Late Sunday Afternoon
(5:04)  8. I'm A Fool To Want You
(4:30)  9. Born To Be Blue
(3:54) 10. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
(4:20) 11. All That I Know
(4:43) 12. Since I Fell For You
(4:30) 13. Backwater Blues

In the Tradition. Was Bessie Smith a “blues singer” or a “jazz singer”? What about Dinah Washington? Billie Holiday is an easier case. She recorded only two true twelve bar blues songs. But these other artists? They are not so easy. So with the case of LaVerne Butler. The music on Blues In The City is that seductive hybrid existing where the edges of barroom blues and high-style jazz begin to dissolve into one another, creating an aural taste and aroma that is at once sophisticated and earthy. This is a disc that remains firmly (and comfortably) in the middle of that intersection where popular music, jazz and blues kiss.  Influences. Colleagues have opined that Ms. Butler sounds like a pop Dinah or blue Billie. I think she is a female Sinatra. Her repertoire on this disc includes the Sinatra classics “One More for the Road” and “Willow Weep for Me”. 

Her phrasing is simple and lean in a thoughtful way, like the Chairman’s. Her delivery is in all good taste. There are no scat pyrotechnics. No, this is not Butler’s style. Instead, she concentrates on the nuances. Caressing syllables and rests in a sensuous way that is never cheap always tasteful and refined. This disc is populated with work-horse standards made fresh by Butler’s spare approach. The only possible quibble would be the inclusion of background vocalists, who detract from Butler’s authoritative delivery. Then again, the songs are all fun because of their inclusion. A sexy “Hit The Road Jack” is the disc highlight. The supporting trio is very fine delivering smart, understate solos that perfectly match Butler’s overall approach. This is not music of reverence, it is music of practice. Blues In The City is a pragmatic release illustrating how this music is supposed to sound. ~ Michael G. Nastos   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=4031#.UzBeVoUqPro

Personnel: LaVerne Butler: Vocals: Bruce Barth: Piano; John Webber, Bass; Klaus Suonsaari: Drums; Ava Burton and Janet Givens: Background Vocals

Blues in the City

---