Nancy Harms - Ellington At Night

Size: 119,1 MB
Time: 51:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Lush Life (3:39)
02. Rocks In My Bed (4:13)
03. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (2:56)
04. Lost In Meditation (5:41)
05. Troubled Waters (3:24)
06. Prelude To A Kiss (5:31)
07. Long, Strong And Consecutive (4:56)
08. Strange Feeling (4:27)
09. Reflections (3:15)
10. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (4:37)
11. I'm Beginning To See The Light (3:25)
12. I Like The Sunrise (5:08)

“…What makes ‘Ellington at Night’ so remarkable is the way that Nancy Harms and chief collaborator Jeremy Siskind have found a whole new way to sing Ellington, one that's perfectly in keeping with the Ellington tradition, yet, at the same time, fresh and original. …..her vocal timbre might be characterized as "cool" – though there's an undeniable warmth to her singing as well. Her sound is understated, yet it doesn't hold anything back. She doesn't give us anything more than we need – no note is unnecessarily higher or longer than it should be – and yet her spirit and energy are giving, even generous beyond the cool of duty. She swings like crazy, but she never makes the rhythm more important than the narrative……there's no doubt as to exactly what she means.……Ellington's most familiar songs...sound anything but overdone when Nancy sings them…… I can only imagine that on whatever turquoise cloud (Ellington) might be reclining on, he couldn't help but love her madly.” ~WILL FRIEDWALD (music critic for the Wall Street Journal and celebrated author) had this to say about "Ellington At Night":

Ellington At Night

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Nancy Harms - In the Indigo

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:39
Size: 98,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:24)  1. Bye Bye Blackbird
(2:55)  2. I Wished On the Moon
(3:58)  3. Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise
(2:51)  4. In the Indigo
(4:21)  5. On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
(5:07)  6. Cry Me a River
(3:02)  7. Great Indoors
(3:39)  8. Surprised By the Morning
(4:44)  9. I'm Pulling Through
(4:41) 10. Blue Skies
(2:53) 11. Reach for Tomorrow

Jazz vocalist Nancy Harms presents In the Indigo, a sultry yet intelligent offering of old standards, original material, and the occasional pop cover. She sings like a woman who's sure of herself. Whether singing John Mayer's "Great Indoors" or Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" she has a way of making even the simplest lyric sound like a masterpiece of thought. Armed with a talented band and beautiful vocals, In the Indigo is good packaging for even better music. If the recording could be summarized in a few words, then the general sound would have to be described as cool and confident. Singing is something that Harms is good at, approaching each song like a skilled scientist who knows how to dissect it and build something better. 

She doesn't scream when singing and doesn't try to reinvent Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, or Ella Fitzgerald; she has her own voice and that's good enough. On the disc's opening number, "Bye Bye Blackbird," Harms and the musicians sound as if their meeting was one of "love at first sight." Neither tries to one up the other the bass makes the first introduction, opening the song and laying the foundation for its structure. Harms joins in, sounding as though there's no place else she'd rather be.

Her voice is so inviting that before long, the trumpet, piano, and drums make their presence known as they all come together and soar. The relationship between Harms and the band strengthens from minute to minute and song to song, ending as beautifully as it began. With her best work shining through in the disc's title track, "In the Indigo" as well as "Cry Me A River," "Great Indoors," "Surprised By the Morning," and "Blue Skies," the singer has made it known that she's one to watch. With better known vocalists like Diana Krall, Gretchen Parlato, and Norah Jones at the forefront of the contemporary jazz vocalist movement, Harms will be in good company on her rise to the top. ~ Bridget A.Arnwine  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/in-the-indigo-nancy-harms-self-produced-review-by-bridget-a-arnwine.php#.U_jCvGMfLP8

Personnel: Tanner Taylor: piano, Hammond B3; Graydon Peterson: bass; Jay Epstein: drums (1-3, 5, 7-10); Kelly Rossum: trumpet (1, 2, 5, 8); Robert Bell: guitar (4, 7); Chico Chavez: cajon (4); Spencer McGinnis: drums (6).

In the Indigo

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Nancy Harms - Dreams In Apartments

Size: 100,9 MB
Time: 43:54
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Weight Of The World (3:34)
02. It Could Happen To You (4:19)
03. Mood Indigo (4:46)
04. And It's Beautiful (4:24)
05. Never Let Me Go (4:27)
06. From My First Moment (Gymnopedie For Piano No. 1) (4:07)
07. Out Of Comfort (5:21)
08. Something Real (3:38)
09. Midnight Sun (5:46)
10. While We're Young (3:28)

The voice of Nancy Harms has the power to light cigarettes and make ‘em smolder all night long. Following on the heels of her inspired performance on Jeremy Siskind’s Finger-Songwriter, one of 2012?s best releases, Harms returns with a quartet date that highlights her casual, seductive delivery. And though a couple album tracks on Dreams In Apartments do allow her vocal cords to raise their heart rate a bit, ultimately, it’s those songs that behave like moonlight that are most likely to draw the ear in and never let it go.

Your album personnel: Nancy Harms (vocals), Aaron Parks (piano), RJ Miller (drums), Danton Boller (bass), and guests: John Hart (guitar) on about half of the album tracks and Wycliffe Gordon (trumpet) on one track.

Tracks like “From My First Moment” and “It Could Happen To You” glow strongest of that moonlight. On the former track, Parks and Hart send out glittering notes on piano and guitar, an enchantment greatly enhanced by the entrance of Boller on bass arco. And the latter of those two tracks highlights the ability of Harms to deliver a heartbreaking verse with the fluttering lightness of doves.

Her rendition of “Mood Indigo” further illustrates her way of putting heartbreak to song. Voice heavy with emotion, she lights a path for the quartet to stroll pleasantly down. There is a togetherness here stronger than any other album track. It’s a different feel on “Out Of Comfort,” a song that has the disassembled presence of a dream. Harms’s cooing voice is accompanied nicely by Hart’s electric guitar, which remains unobtrusive in the background while adding orange sunset to the blue horizon of Parks’ piano contribution.

“While We’re Young” is a chipper tune, bolstered by some nice brush work from Miller. “Something Real” is, also, an up-tempo tune. It lets the volume rise, though not without getting in a catchy melody to hang onto for the ride. The only weak spot on the album is another faster piece… “Weight of the World” is all pop song, and doesn’t really provide the space which Harms so deftly is able to fill on her own, with succinct, evocative phrases. But that’s a small criticism for what remains an enjoyable, solid new recording from the vocalist.

Dreams In Apartments

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