Libby York - DreamLand

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:09
Size: 127,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:14) 1. Hit The Road To Dreamland
(5:33) 2. Estrada Branca (This Happy Madness)
(3:15) 3. Mountain Greenery
(4:59) 4. Cloudy Morning
(7:14) 5. Throw It Away
(3:44) 6. Rhode Island Is Famous For You
(4:32) 7. Still On The Road
(4:17) 8. When October Goes
(2:57) 9. Moonray
(4:27) 10. An Occasional Man
(5:24) 11. Something Cool
(4:27) 12. It's Love

The Johnny Mercer classic “Hit the Road To Dreamland” evoked the state of mind for singer Libby York and so many performers as stages in 2020 long went dark, but ultimately gifting the thrill of revival two years later. Dedication to the music and craft has flourished since, along with the connection to audiences and the music itself.

DreamLand was born from that landscape and York's chance encounter with guitarist Randy Napoleon, who was accompanying Freddie Cole at Chicago's Jazz Showcase. Randy’s playing and warm enthusiastic manner set the stage for their gathering in the studio in Fall 2021 for this intimate set of songs, each pure, classic, compositional gems in themselves. "..a gifted and experienced singer whose warm tone and sharp sense of humor bolster her restrained artistry." By The New Yorker
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/media/track-hit-the-road-to-dreamland-by-libby-york

Personnel: Libby York - vocals; Randy Napoleon - guitar; Rodney Whitaker - bass; Keith Hall - drums

DreamLand

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Libby York - Here With You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 47:11

Size: 108.0 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 2008

Art: Front

[5:51] 1. I Love Being Here With You

[4:26] 2. The Day The World Stopped Turning

[2:47] 3. For All We Know

[2:45] 4. Walkin' My Baby Back Home

[5:19] 5. You Go To My Head

[2:48] 6. A Beautiful Friendship

[5:01] 7. But Beautiful

[4:23] 8. Azure Te (Paris Blues)

[4:16] 9. Look For The Silver Lining

[5:15] 10. The Things We Did Last Summer

[4:15] 11. Flamingo

Chicago-born Libby York's third album, Here With You, is an expression of her jazz vocal techniques, with more than a little of Chris Connor and June Christy in her delivery. York goes right out on a limb by challenging Peggy Lee's "I Love Being Here With You" as an opener, a tune also associated with Chris Connor. It is York's second choice, however, the rarely heard Kaye/Springer song "The Day The World Stopped Turning," that surprises. This song appeared on Johnny Hartman's last Impulse! album, 1965's The Voice That Is, and was the most disposable tune on the album. York's small combo bossa nova version of "The Day The World Stopped Turning" easily trumps Bob Hammer's cornball arrangement for Johnny Hartman in 1965. It's still not a great song, but it does sound so much better.

York puts it all together with the assist of guitarist Howard Alden's arrangements. Guitarist Russell Malone also appears for some delicious duets on Coots/Lewis' "For All We Know," Cahn/Styne's "A Beautiful Friendship" and Douchette/Wolfe's "Azure Te (Paris Blues)," a song with which you just can't go wrong. York provides a rarely heard vocal version of Anderson/Grouyal's "Flamingo," and has some further fine support from cornetist (and vocal partner) Warren Vache.

What are the conclusions that can be reached regarding Libby York's musical career? After graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., she opened a club in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and then lived in Key West, Florida. It wasn't until 1981 that she settled in New York to study with singers Abbey Lincoln and Judy Niemack. Her only two previous albums have been with Chicago based Southport in 1998 and for BluJazz, also a Windy City label, in 2004. Here With You not only her declares her availability, but her full-fledged jazz vocal credentials. ~Michael P. Gladstone

Libby York: vocals; Russell Malone: guitar (3, 6, 8); Howard Alden: guitar; Warren Vache: cornet and vocals (4); Jon Burr: bass; Vanderlei Pereira: drums: percussion (2, 5, 9-11).

Here With You

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Libby York - Sunday In New York

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:38
Size: 109.1 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2003/2012
Art: Front

[8:07] 1. Midnight Sun
[2:53] 2. Sunday In New York
[4:35] 3. Waltz For Debby
[5:14] 4. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
[4:33] 5. Down In Brazil
[3:47] 6. I Go For That
[5:16] 7. All My Tomorrows
[4:33] 8. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
[5:12] 9. Like Someone In Love
[3:23] 10. That's All

With "Sunday in New York," York provides evidence that she is ready to be considered among the foremost jazz singers on the scene today. She is obviously very much at home with a wide range of material, including two often overlooked songs out of the Sinatra canon - "All My Tomorrow's" and "In the Wee Small Hours."

Sunday In New York

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Libby York - Blue Gardenia

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:56
Size: 91,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:59)  1. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
(2:20)  2. You Could Be Fred
(4:25)  3. It Might As Well Be Spring
(3:05)  4. Where Do You Start?
(3:34)  5. Old Cape Cod
(5:00)  6. Almost Like Being in Love
(4:37)  7. Blue Gardenia
(3:32)  8. I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues
(4:51)  9. Out of This World
(3:29) 10. Imagination

First, thanks to Southport Records for resisting the temptation to have vocalist Libby York strike a seductive pose à la Diana Krall to promote Libby’s debut album, Blue Gardenia. Not much is said about York except that she’s from Chicago, started singing rather late at age 35, and logged time in New York City and Key West, Florida, before returning to her hometown. She’s a polished, smoky–voiced cabaret singer with acceptable range and articulation, but I heard nothing here that would separate her from the herd. On the plus side, I admire York’s sultry version of “Old Cape Cod” more than I do Patti Page’s. She generally chooses the proper tempos too, with the exception, to me, of “It Might as Well Be Spring,” whose passionate longings are obliterated by her breezy, upbeat reading. 

But tempos must vary, I suppose, and York turns on the after burners, more appropriately, on “Almost Like Being in Love” and the delightful endpiece, Jackie Allen/Dan Nahmod’s “You Could Be Fred.” The second half of the album is especially strong, thanks in part to the material (“Blue Gardenia,” “I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues,” “Out of This World,” “Imagination”) and unwavering support from Schiff, Portolese, Cox and Gratteau who are splendid throughout. York, who lists Abbey Lincoln, June Christy, Rosie Clooney and Betty Carter among her influences, has a way to go to overtake any of them but she’s a charming singer in her own right, and Blue Gardenia marks a promising debut. But please note the 39:51 playing time.

~ Jack Bowers http://www.allaboutjazz.com/blue-gardenia-libby-york-southport-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php#.VF1a78mHmtg 
 

Personnel:  Libby York, vocals; Bobby Schiff, piano; Frank Portolese, guitar; Jim Cox, bass; Phil Gratteau, drums.

Blue Gardenia

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Libby York - Memoir

Size: 122,8 MB
Time: 53:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Give Me The Simple Life (Feat. Russell Malone) (5:39)
02. When In Rome (I Do As The Romans Do) [Feat. John Dimartino] (5:37)
03. Put It There, Pal (Feat. Warren Vache) (2:45)
04. Thanks For The Memory (Feat. Russell Malone & Warren Vache) (6:31)
05. Take Me Back To Manhattan (Feat. Warren Vache) (4:31)
06. I Was Doing Alright (Feat. John Dimartino) (4:04)
07. My Little Boat (O Barqueno) (Feat. Russell Malone) (5:27)
08. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (Feat. Warren Vache) (5:02)
09. On A Slow Boat To China (Feat. Warren Vache) (5:36)
10. How Long Has This Been Going On (Feat. John Dimartino) (5:41)
11. Walk Between The Raindrops (Feat. Greg Sergo) (2:40)

While Diana Krall continues to top vocal polls and rack up platinum album sales, Chicagoan Libby York remains comparatively obscure. So consider this open invitation to all Krall fans to dip into York’s meager—just four albums across 15 years—but mighty oeuvre. Memoir, a terrific collection of standards, is an ideal place to start. What you’ll discover is an interpreter who is not only every inch Krall’s equal but also bears a strong vocal resemblance to the Canadian superstar: warm, intimate and imbued with a fogbound sexiness.

York has always demonstrated superb taste in both song selection and sidemen. Here, traveling from a tender “How Long Has This Been Going On?” and a sly “When in Rome” to a shimmering “My Little Boat” and sprightly “Walk Between the Raindrops,” she is seamlessly supported by pianist John di Martino (her co-arranger on all 11 tracks), bassist Martin Wind, drummer Greg Sergo and cornet player Warren Vaché. Guitarist Russell Malone joins on three tracks, including a misty “Thanks for the Memory,” and Vaché twice contributes vocal accompaniment, adding gravel-filled joy to “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and a cleverly updated take on the Bing Crosby-Bob Hope chestnut “Put It There, Pal.” ~Review by Christopher Loudon

Memoir

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