Size: 140,1 MB
Time: 60:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Jazz: Vocals
Art: Front
01. Oh What A Beautiful Morning (4:40)
02. You Took Advantage Of Me (3:39)
03. Orange Blossoms In Summertime (6:47)
04. Here Comes The Sun (4:35)
05. Comes Love (4:16)
06. Love Is Stronger Far Than We (6:20)
07. La Isla Bonita (3:33)
08. I'll Follow The Sun (4:51)
09. Midnight Sun (7:46)
10. Lazy Afternoon (4:00)
11. Blame It On The Sun (5:13)
12. The Last Day Of Summer (4:35)
Linda Ciofalo's Sun Set has connected all the dots to make for an impressive listening experience. Starting with a concept—songs with the word "sun" in the title, or sun-related—the package offers an eclectic collection of selections, innovative arrangements and performances by an engaging vocalist with major chops and choice instrumentalists: John di Martino (piano), John Hart (guitar), Marcus McLaurine (bass), Joel Frahm (sax) and Matt Wilson (drums).
Ciofalo's vocal clarity is refreshing and she knows what to do with her instrument. She can deliver a ballad reading with warmth, but also has enough of an edge to swing when necessary. The opening track, "Oh! What A Beautiful Morning," features Ciofalo's vocal floating over a 6/8 tempo accompanied by Frahm's fills. On "You Took Advantage of Me," Ciofalo swings, backed only by Wilson's wonderful hand drumming, and a straightforward reading of George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun" takes us back to Beatletime. Another interesting material choice is a lovely and haunting reading of "Love Is Stronger Far Than We" from the film A Man and A Woman.
There is something to be said for every track. The players are well-attuned to each other and comprise a tight ensemble. Di Martino's piano work is outstanding; his harmonies and ability to play exactly what needs to be played behind a vocalist well on display. Frahm also delivers, wailing on his "Summertime" solo and also on "Midnight Sun." Hart has some shining moments on guitar and McLaurine's solid bass work throughout completes the picture. But, most of all, this is a vocalist's album and Ciofalo shows off her talent from start to finish. The CD bears more than one listening to discover all of its pleasurable dimensions. ~Review by Marcia Hillman
Personnel: Linda Ciofalo: vocals; John di Martino: piano; John Hart: guitar; Marcus McLaurine: bass; Joel Frahm: sax; Matt Wilson: drums.
Ciofalo's vocal clarity is refreshing and she knows what to do with her instrument. She can deliver a ballad reading with warmth, but also has enough of an edge to swing when necessary. The opening track, "Oh! What A Beautiful Morning," features Ciofalo's vocal floating over a 6/8 tempo accompanied by Frahm's fills. On "You Took Advantage of Me," Ciofalo swings, backed only by Wilson's wonderful hand drumming, and a straightforward reading of George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun" takes us back to Beatletime. Another interesting material choice is a lovely and haunting reading of "Love Is Stronger Far Than We" from the film A Man and A Woman.
There is something to be said for every track. The players are well-attuned to each other and comprise a tight ensemble. Di Martino's piano work is outstanding; his harmonies and ability to play exactly what needs to be played behind a vocalist well on display. Frahm also delivers, wailing on his "Summertime" solo and also on "Midnight Sun." Hart has some shining moments on guitar and McLaurine's solid bass work throughout completes the picture. But, most of all, this is a vocalist's album and Ciofalo shows off her talent from start to finish. The CD bears more than one listening to discover all of its pleasurable dimensions. ~Review by Marcia Hillman
Personnel: Linda Ciofalo: vocals; John di Martino: piano; John Hart: guitar; Marcus McLaurine: bass; Joel Frahm: sax; Matt Wilson: drums.
Sun Set
Size: 119,6 MB
Time: 51:17
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Jazz: Vocals
Art: Front
01. Tangerine (4:06)
02. Talk To Me Baby (3:52)
03. I'm Old Fashioned (3:10)
04. The Days Of Wine And Roses (3:38)
05. That Old Black Magic (4:28)
06. Early Autumn (4:34)
07. P.S. I Love You (4:30)
08. Skylark (4:46)
09. Day In,day Out (3:18)
10. Moon River (3:22)
11. One For My Baby (4:47)
12. I Remember You (3:37)
13. Come Rain Or Come Shine (3:04)
Linda Ciofalo may have missed the Johnny Mercer centenary by a few months, but her addition to last year’s mini-flood of tribute albums serves as a lovely, inventive coda. As the title suggests, Ciofalo’s overarching goal was to interpret Mercer for your dancing pleasure and, more specifically, to assist you in refining your samba skills. Latin rhythms, ranging from soothing to scorching, invade all 13 tracks, invariably enhancing Mercer’s lyrical intent. Ciofalo’s early training as a big-band vocalist shines through on the sizzling opener, “Tangerine,” and a flame-licked “That Old Black Magic,” both superbly propelled by Brian Lynch’s trumpet.
As effective as Ciofalo is on the swinging numbers, her sound, with its enticing hint of Boz Scaggs-esque nasality, is most appealing in simpler settings. Atop percussionist Little Johnny Rivero’s bongos, she achieves precisely the right tone of conversational intimacy on “P.S. I Love You,” perfectly captures the Lynch-enfolded mistiness of “Early Autumn,” shimmers through the slithery slyness of “Talk to Me Baby” and, amid gentle waves from Paul Meyers’ nylon-string guitar, bathes in the dreamy reflection of “Moon River.” Most poignant is Ciofalo’s “One for My Baby,” neither sorrowful nor self-pitying yet brilliantly manifested in the soul-deep heartache that only a sympathetic bartender and a few too many can allay. ~By Christopher Loudon
As effective as Ciofalo is on the swinging numbers, her sound, with its enticing hint of Boz Scaggs-esque nasality, is most appealing in simpler settings. Atop percussionist Little Johnny Rivero’s bongos, she achieves precisely the right tone of conversational intimacy on “P.S. I Love You,” perfectly captures the Lynch-enfolded mistiness of “Early Autumn,” shimmers through the slithery slyness of “Talk to Me Baby” and, amid gentle waves from Paul Meyers’ nylon-string guitar, bathes in the dreamy reflection of “Moon River.” Most poignant is Ciofalo’s “One for My Baby,” neither sorrowful nor self-pitying yet brilliantly manifested in the soul-deep heartache that only a sympathetic bartender and a few too many can allay. ~By Christopher Loudon
Dancing With Johnny
