China Moses And Raphaël Lemonnier - Crazy Blues

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:43
Size: 139,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:27)  1. Resolution Blues
(4:55)  2. Why Don't You Do Right
(4:15)  3. Closing Time
(4:48)  4. You're Crying
(4:21)  5. The Mailman The Butcher And Me
(5:56)  6. Crazy Blues
(3:53)  7. Cherry Wine
(5:01)  8. I Just Wanna Make Love To You
(6:59)  9. Work Song
(3:57) 10. Hot Stuff
(6:39) 11. Just Say I Love Him
(4:26) 12. Move Over

Pouring old wine into new bottles has become a specialty of vocalist China Moses and Pianist/Arranger Raphael Lemonnier. Rejuvenating classics with a pint of spirited innovation is a landmark of the duet, who, for their first encounter revisited the best of Dinah Washington, This One's for Dinah. For their second collaboration they pay tribute to great dames of blues and soul, and reexamine how 'blues' can be so jazzy. As such, Crazy Blues is unchained and blurs the dividing line between blues and jazz. The powerful presence of Moses, as well as her vocal flexibility, combined with Lemmonier's exploratory vision confers verve to the takes. Comparison with the original songs is useless, as Moses and Lemonnier do not borrow. Rather, they capture a song's essence. Ranging from Mamie Smith, Lilian Smith, Dinah Washington, Little Esther and Nina Simone, to Etta James, the remakes trace roots of female blues singing, passing the pop and rock of Janis Joplin and Donna Summer along the way. The entire variety is worth rediscovering, and sheds light on the songs' jazz possibilities. The album opens with a slow, rhythmic yet funny ballad, "Resolution Blues," where Moses cries out in longing. 'Why don't You do Right" follows, to raise the beat and display each musician's talent and flexibility as they turn a tender song into bebop. In call and response style, "Closing Time" is a gentle ballad featuring Hugh Coltman. Similarly, "Crying" is contemplative and touching. The fifth song, "The Mailman, the Butcher, and Me'' is an original where Lemonnier and bassist Cedric Caillaud navigate through drive and rhythm while Moses punctuates pauses to pave the ground for impulsive starts. Sixth on the album, "Crazy Blues," sounds similar to Dixieland, with a horn section orchestrated with finesse.

By far, one of the album's most cheerful songs is "Cherry Wine," a second duet featuring vocalist Sly Johnson. The song recounts a couple's fight over a bottle of cherry wine and abounds with saxophone solos. The lustful "I Just Want To make Love To You" is played with a pint of suspense. The refrain is slowed and repeated several times until Moses improvises, and pushes for an ascending climax. Simone's "Work Song" is a wonderful percussion exercise, and an opportunity for the saxophone players to display their talent. Trumpet player Renaud Gensane blows his top at the end of the tune. On the other hand, "Hot Stuff" is one of the familiar hits that displays the band's creativity to twist disco with rock influences into masterfully arranged, orchestral blues in Chicago colors. In Simone's "Just Say I Love Him," Moses unleashes dramatic contralto singing, infused with Bastien Ballaz's trombone to reinforce the poignant lyrics. To liven up the album, the last song is a groovy version of Janis Joplin's "Move Over." 

With an ostinato on piano and rolling drums, Moses smooths out Joplin's original ascending rhythm to make it sound warmer. These covers by Moses and Lemonnier have all been re- imagined to sound fresh with creativity. They shine, intense and loud! ~ Mehdi El Mouden https://www.allaboutjazz.com/china-moses-crazy-blues-by-mehdi-el-mouden.php

Personnel: China Moses: vocals; Raphael Lemonnier : piano; Jean-Pierre Derouard: drums; Fabien Marcoz : bass; Guests Luigi Grasso: alto & tenor sax #1,2,4,6,7,8,10; Anne Paceo: drums #2; Pierrick Pedron: alto sax #2,10; Cedric Caillaud: bass #5; Hugh Coltman: vocals #3; Daniel Huck: alto sax #6,7; Sly Johnson: vocals #7; François Biensan: trumpet #6,7,8; Renaud Gensane: trumpet #2,9,10; Bastien Ballaz: trombone #2,10,11; Frédéric Couderc: baritone & tenor sax, clarinet #2,6,7,8,10; Jean-Claude Onesta: trombone #2,6,7,8,10; Claude Egea: trumpet #2,10; Nicolas Dary: tenor sax #2,10; Jean-Claude Tartour: violin; Camille Verhoeven: violin; Nicolas Galière: viola; Vincent Catulescu: cello.

Crazy Blues

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Angie Wells & Raphael Lemonnier - Love And Mischief

Size: 131,2 MB
Time: 46:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals
Art: Front

01. Peel Me A Grape (3:59)
02. The Moon Is Swinging On A Line (5:37)
03. She Ain't The Kinda' Girl (4:47)
04. You're My Thrill (5:36)
05. Come Rain Or Come Shine (2:26)
06. Nature Boy (3:58)
07. Ain't Misbehavin (3:39)
08. I'm In Moody's Mood For Love (5:24)
09. Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast (4:45)
10. Baby It's Cold Outside (2:35)
11. One Mint Julep (Bonus Track) (3:11)

Angie Wells has a smokey well rounded voice that can give listeners goosebumps on a ballad and then turn around to get them tapping their feet when she swings. She has the ability to entertain her audience in a way that is truly captivating. She gives a show in the true sense of the word with glamorous costume changes, humorous banter and a voice that keeps her audience hanging on to every note. She truly believes a performance is a symbiotic exchange of energy between herself and her audience and gives her all at every moment.

Her performance as part of the 24th annual Jazz at LACMA series earned her a standing ovation and a wonderful critique by jazz journalist Scott Yanow in LA Jazz Weekly.

Angie began her singing career in an intimate little supper club in St. Germain des Pres in Paris when she joined the trio playing that night for a few tunes. Since then she has returned to France to tour with French pianist Raphael Lemonnier and has played and recorded at home with some of America's best jazz musicians including John Belzaguy,
Peter Buck, Carl Burnett, Bill Cunliffe, Quentin Dennard, Kenny Elliot,
Tim Emmons, Henry Franklin, Jim Hughart, Joe LaBarbera, Harry Kim, Paul Kreibich, James Leary, Jack Lecompte, Tom Warrington and Doug Webb. She has performed as guest vocalist with
Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra and with New Orleans' own Kermit Ruffins and The Barbecue Swingers at The Telluride Jazz Festival and The San Jose Summer Jazz Fest.

Love And Mischief

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China Moses & Raphael Lemonnier - This One's for Dinah

Styles:  Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:09
Size: 135,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:29)  1. Fine Fine Daddy
(3:21)  2. Dinah's Blues
(2:59)  3. Mad About the Boy
(4:31)  4. Lover Come Back to Me
(4:51)  5. Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby
(5:25)  6. Blue Gardenia
(4:49)  7. Teach Me Tonight
(5:41)  8. Cry Me a River
(2:35)  9. Call Me Irresponsible
(3:51) 10. Fat Daddy
(3:33) 11. Goodbye
(4:43) 12. Evil Gal Blues
(7:17) 13. What a Difference a Day Makes
(0:59) 14. Gardenias for Dinah

Once upon a time, the Queen of the Blues was visited in her dressing room backstage by a woman and her baby daughter. The Queen of the Blues picked up the baby, looked at her and said, "She's gonna be a singer. She's definitely gonna be a singer." The prediction came true. The Queen was Dinah Washington; the baby, Dee Dee Bridgewater. Many years passed. Bridgewater married film director Otis Moses and had a daughter of her own, who Moses insisted be named China. When her mother was away touring, China was looked after by her grandmother. One day she flicked through her gran's record collection, found a record and put it on. It was by Dinah Washington. Her grandmother was horrified, thinking the music far too suggestive for such young and tender ears, and took the record off. That did it. Young China saw Dinah Washington as forbidden fruit and whenever her grandmother wasn't around, she would play her records.

More years passed. Dee Dee Bridgewater took her daughter to live with her in Paris, France. Here China has returned to the forbidden fruit of her childhood. Accompanied by a big band led by pianist Raphael Lemonnier, she's cut an album paying tribute to Washington. Things get off to a great start with the 12-bar blues "Fine Fine Daddy" and Moses' own "Dinah's Blues." She also does an excellent job on Noel Coward's "Mad About the Boy," which in 1992 29 years after Washington's death made the charts after being used to advertise jeans on television. "Lover Come Back to Me" is a swinging affair, with some solid trumpet work from Francois Biensan followed by some nice scatting by saxophonist Daniel Huck. Then Moses handles Louis Jordan's "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" with aplomb and there are good, workmanlike solos by Fabien Marcoz (bass) and Lemonnier.

She's less sure of herself though on the slow ballad "Blue Gardenia." And "Teach Me Tonight" is quite frankly a mess. Her flippant, meandering and at times downright strident vocal eradicates any meaning the old song might still have in the modern age. She's still got a lot to learn from her mother. The mawkishly melodramatic "Goodbye" is little better, with Moses coming on like Screaming Jay Hawkins toward close of play. She's far more self-assured on "Cry Me A River" and the two up-tempo blues "Fat Daddy" and "Evil Gal Blues." Her version of Washington's greatest hit, the ballad "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes," is really quite remarkable. A bright new star has entered the jazz firmament. The album easily makes up for its failings in the enthusiasm and good humor it conveys. It should have ended with "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes." Instead it closes with "Gardenias for Dinah," an embarrassing 50-second soliloquy by Lemonnier very French, very solemn. Washington would surely have laughed her socks off. 

~ Chris Mosey http://www.allaboutjazz.com/this-ones-for-dinah-china-moses-blue-note-records-review-by-chris-mosey.php
 

Personnel: China Moses: vocals; Raphael Lemonnier: piano; Fabien Marcoz: bass; Jean-Pierre Derouard: drums; Daniel Huck: alto saxophone; Francois Biensan: trumpet; Jean-Claude Onesta: trombone; Aurelie Tropez: alto saxophone and clarinet; Frederic Couderc: tenor and baritone saxophone; Raphael Dever: bass; Henri Le Ny: additional vocals.

This One's for Dinah

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