Marilena Paradisi - I'll Never Be the Same

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:08
Size: 124,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:29)  1. You're My Thrill
(4:14)  2. You Won't Forget Me
(4:02)  3. Slow Hot Wind
(4:07)  4. Too Late Now
(4:41)  5. Laura
(6:40)  6. Detour Ahead
(3:30)  7. If You Go
(5:42)  8. Where Are the Words
(6:34)  9. A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing
(6:15) 10. All Night Long
(2:51) 11. It's All Right With Me

This seems to be singer Marilena Paradisi's debut recording as a leader, though there are no liner notes to provide any background about her career. Accompanied by an excellent rhythm section, which includes pianist Paolo Tombolesi, bassist Piero Leveratto, and drummer Eliot Zigmund (a veteran of pianist Bill Evans' trio), Paradisi contributed all of the arrangements for her rather interesting program. She captures the sassy, self-confident mood of the girl unjustly abandoned in "You Won't Forget Me," while she shines in the bossa nova setting of "Laura." Her wordless introduction to "Detour Ahead" is beautifully mirrored by Tombolesi. But Paradisi especially excels in her two duets: the tasty "If You Go" with Leveratto and the strutting rendition of "It's All Right With Me" with Zigmund (though his drums are a bit too prominent in the mix). Paradisi's enunciation could use some work in a few places, but this delightful singer is well worth checking out. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/ill-never-be-the-same-mw0000595520

I'll Never Be the Same

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Marilena Paradisi, Kirk Lightsey - Some Place Called Where

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:49
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:10)  1. Portrait
(5:32)  2. Some Other Time
(7:06)  3. Like a Lover
(5:35)  4. Soul Eyes
(4:07)  5. Little Waltz
(6:28)  6. Some Place Called Where
(5:36)  7. Autumn Nocturne
(6:13)  8. Fresh Air

Bunny Mellon, America’s foremost arbiter of superior taste, lived by the motto “Nothing should be seen,” meaning that in order to achieve true aesthetic beauty, nothing must stand out. As a defining principle it perfectly describes octogenarian pianist Kirk Lightsey’s exquisite craftsmanship across each of these seven covers and one original. And Lightsey has found an ideally symbiotic partner in Italian vocalist Marilena Paradisi. On what is only her second album performed entirely in English, Paradisi demonstrates the same captivating ability to fully meld with the songs without dampening their distinct moods. The duo opens with Mingus’ contemplative “Portrait,” sketching deeply personal tonal “pictures” based on lifelong experiences and observations. The gorgeously bittersweet “Some Other Time” connects with a wistful “Autumn Nocturne,” the darkly revelatory “Soul Eyes” and the staccato roil of Ron Carter’s “Little Waltz,” steadily rising in intensity as it progresses from sweet joy to bruised dejection. Exploring more fulfilling romantic sentiments, they add a rapturous “Like a Lover” and a beatific rendering of the Wayne Shorter/Dianne Reeves title track. Paradisi and Lightsey (alternating between piano and flute) close with the co-written “Fresh Air,” a gently flowing venture “into the light,” traveling not to a heavenly reward but toward more earthly and sensual pleasures. ~  By Christopher Loudon  https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/marilena-paradisi-kirk-lightsey/

Some Place Called Where

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