René Marie - Voice Of My Beautiful Country

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:26
Size: 173,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:06)  1. Strange Meadowlark
(9:06)  2. O Shenandoah
(3:33)  3. Imagination
(7:18)  4. Just My Imagination
(7:51)  5. White Rabbit
(7:16)  6. Drift Away
(6:36)  7. John Henry
(7:10)  8. Angelitos Negros
(4:41)  9. America The Beautiful
(3:11) 10. Drum Battle
(1:20) 11. Piano Blues
(6:24) 12. My Country 'Tis Of Thee
(2:38) 13. Lift Ev'ry Voice and SingStar-Spangled Banner
(2:13) 14. America The Beautiful-Reprise

The track list on René Marie's latest release reads like an iPod in random shuffle mode gone haywire: a Temptations classic is followed by a Jefferson Airplane classic, which is followed by Dobie Gray's hit "Drift Away." There's Dave Brubeck's "Strange Meadow Lark" and the American folk standards "John Henry" and "O Shenandoah," and a sensuous Latin ballad, "Angelitos Negros." The rest of the program makes for no less incongruous a list, but René Marie's gift is that she wraps each song around her dynamic, smoky, malleable, experienced voice until it feels as if she's written it. (Her next album will consist solely of her own compositions.) Marie is a latecomer to performing; now in her fifties, she's only been recording for about 15 years. Perhaps because she took so long to get started, she's had time to develop a personalized style without falling prey to outside influences. Fronting a tight, supple jazz combo, Marie is down to earth, full of surprises, and clever in her approach to a song. The Airplane's "White Rabbit" is rendered in a simultaneously dreamy and intense fashion: Marie, after building up to her first crescendo, lays back, turns things over to the pianist, waits it out till it's become frenzied, and only then returns to drive it home. A medley of Jimmy Van Heusen's "Imagination" and the Temps' "Just My Imagination" makes more sense in Marie's hands than on paper: the first is a whispery, breathy voice and sullen piano; a seamless segue and then the second song, which is soulful, free, tough, and fun. The eclecticism isn't for its own sake, though, Marie gives no impression that she's jumping all over the place to be hip. So when she closes it out with what she dubs "Voice of My Beautiful Country Suite," a six-part medley that runs the gamut from "America the Beautiful" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee" to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" and the "Star Spangled Banner"  with drum and bluesy piano solos tossed in it all still makes perfect sense. ~ Jeff Tamarkin https://www.allmusic.com/album/voice-of-my-beautiful-country-mw0002099459

Personnel: René Marie (vocals); Kevin Bales (piano); Quentin Baxter (drums).

Voice Of My Beautiful Country

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René Marie - Black Lace Freudian Slip

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:07
Size: 159,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:32)  1. Black Lace Freudian Slip
(6:29)  2. This For Joe
(5:53)  3. Wishes
(7:28)  4. Thanks, But I Don't Dance
(4:52)  5. Free For A Day
(6:24)  6. Ahn's Dream
(4:18)  7. Gosh, Look At The Time
(5:39)  8. Rim Shot
(6:04)  9. Fallin' Off A Log
(5:23) 10. Deep In The Mountains
(2:56) 11. Serenity Prayer
(4:06) 12. Rufast Daliarg
(4:56) 13. Tired

Budding jazz instrumentalists are often told that they need to find their own voice but, ironically, those who use their actual voices are often expected to adhere to the sonic standards of those who came before. Fans and press who value originality in jazz instrumentalists wring their hands in frustration when more John Coltrane clones come into the picture but, on the other side of the coin, the masses applaud and herald singers with voices crafted in the images of jazz icons (e.g. Madeleine Peyroux's Billie Holiday-like voice), creating a double standard that does a disservice to those singers who don't fall in line.

While the ability to interpret songs from The Great American Songbook, and understand and borrow musical mannerisms from notable artists, has undeniable merit, vocalists like the one and only Rene Marie deserve to be measured for their originality in voice, spirit and song. Marie's steadfast commitment to her own vision of music has won her wide acclaim for a string of fine recordings, and placed her in controversial situations, as with her "Lift Every Voice" rewrite of "The Star Spangled Banner," but she always remains confident in her artistic decisions, never letting populist ideals or the changing winds of the music industry sway her from her chosen path.  Black Lace Freudian Slip comes closely on the heels of Marie's personally patriotic Voice Of My Beautiful Country (Motéma, 2011), but the focus is now on Marie-as-composer. Ten of the thirteen tracks on this album are Marie originals and, while her honesty and spirit shine through in each and every performance, she touches on various themes and styles throughout.  

"Black Lace Freudian Slip" is a study in contrasts, as Marie uses a sensuous delivery that shows off her feminine wiles, while also infusing her vocals with the type of boastful braggadocio usually reserved for male rappers, but that's only one side of this complex individual. Elsewhere, she touches on a folk-country hybrid that leans toward the sound of Ray LaMontagne ("Wishes"), boisterous pseudo-samba ("Rufast Daliarg"), stunning, soulful displays of vocal intensity ("Deep In The Mountains"), and music with earthy bass and tom grooves that wear textural designs often found in the work of Cassandra Wilson ("Ahn's Dream"). While Marie rails against the notion of people comparing her to other famous voices like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan during her aural response to a club owner who told her that jazz singers should interpret rather than write ("This For Joe"), it's hard not to notice a Nancy Wilson-like zeal in her voice on the waltzing "Free For A Day." Here, and on her ode to a drummer's accent ("Rim Shot"), Marie is at her most lighthearted. With so many different styles and sounds coming in and out of the mix, Black Lace Freudian Slip doesn't really come off as a statement from a jazz singer. Instead, it arrives as a musical gift from one of the most arresting and complex vocal personalities performing today.~ Dan Bilawsky   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=40710#.UwKeRYVQE9c
 

Personnel: Rene Marie: vocals; Kevin Bales: piano; Rodney Jordan: bass; Quentin Baxter: drums; Bill Kepper: acoustic guitar (3); Lionel Young: electric guitar, fiddle (10); Dexter Payne: harmonica (3); Michael A. Croan: vocals (10).

Black Lace Freudian Slip

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René Marie - How Can I Keep From Singing?

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:47
Size: 145,4 MB
Art: Front

(3:43)  1. What A Difference A Day Makes
(6:44)  2. Tennessee Waltz
(1:28)  3. Motherless Child
(6:11)  4. Four Women
(5:01)  5. The Very Thought Of You
(4:07)  6. I Like You
(6:47)  7. Afro Blue
(6:21)  8. A Sleepin' Bee
(6:04)  9. Hurry Sundown
(5:08) 10. God Bless The Child
(5:25) 11. Take My Breath Away
(5:41) 12. How Can I Keep From Singing?

A forty-something singer who retired to raise a family in the Virginia-D.C. area, Marie is making a comeback, and it's a welcome egress. She has a strong individualistic, enjoyable voice which includes parts of Ella, Sarah, Dinah, Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson, and Teri Thornton most closely Thornton. She's smooth but never slick, easy on the ears, with a good range and a deep, rich instrument that can easily belt when commanded. Pianist Mulgrew Miller, guitarist Marvin Sewell, and drummer Gerald Cleaver comprise the glue of these sessions, the ultimate musical accompanists and button pushers. Marie tackles some interesting re-arrangements, like the quick samba version of "What a Difference a Day Makes," atypical hard scattish bopping "God Bless the Child," and Sewell's Duane Allman-ish slide guitar during a bluesy swing take of "Tennessee Waltz" with Marie moaning, groaning, and yeah-ing on the bridge.

"Motherless Child" starts with Ugonna Okegwo's bass and Marie's voice, then merges to light Fender Rhodes based funk for Nina Simone's tale of the black Aunt Sarah, yellow woman/white fathered Sefronia, tan prostitute Sweet Thing, and brown toughie Peaches on "Four Women." Most in the mainstream, Marie sings with Miller in duet and trio on the ballad "The Very Thought of You," the cute, standard, easily swung "A Sleepin' Bee," and on the edge, the delineated, slow 6/8 "Afro-Blue" with jungle percussion by Jeffrey Haynes, soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, Oscar Brown's deep lyric, and Marie's nervous oohs. As a songwriter Marie shines on the best cut of the date, "I Like You," a hip, swinging modal piano buoying an exhaustive, extended lyric where she likes this special someone more than just about anything. There's also the light bossa original, not the pop tune, "Take My Breath Away" with Sewell's acoustic guitar, and the Enya penned title track, using various pop, folk, and ethnic nuances with Newsome and hand percussion inserted. All in all this is a credible effort that should pave the way for much more, as Marie is quite capable and talented. Recommended. 

~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/how-can-i-keep-from-singing-mw0000064441

Personnel: Rene Marie (vocals); Sam Newsome (soprano saxophone); Mulgrew Miller (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Marvin Sewell (guitar); Ugonna Okegwo (bass); Gerald Cleaver (drums); Jeffrey Haynes (percussion).               

How Can I Keep From Singing?

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René Marie - Vertigo

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:55
Size: 153.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2001
Art: Front

[5:18] 1. Them There Eyes
[6:25] 2. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
[4:54] 3. I'd Rather Talk About You
[5:15] 4. Don't Look At Me Like That
[6:38] 5. I Only Have Eyes For You
[4:01] 6. It's All Right With Me
[7:55] 7. Vertigo
[5:32] 8. Detour Ahead
[7:34] 9. Moonray
[6:22] 10. Blackbird
[6:58] 11. Dixie Strange Fruit

Bass – Robert Hurst (tracks: 1-7, 9-11); Bass Clarinet – Chris Potter (2) (tracks: 6); Drums – Jeff "Tain" Watts (tracks: 1-4, 7, 9-11); Guitar – John Hart (tracks: 4,5); Percussion – Jeffrey Haynes (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 11); Piano – Mulgrew Miller (tracks: 2-14, 7-10); Tenor Saxophone – Chris Potter (2) (tracks: 7, 9); Trumpet – Jeremy Pelt (tracks: 4, 10); Vocals – René Marie. Recorded on February 22 & 23, 2001 at Avatar Studios, New York

Rene Marie's second CD for MaxJazz is, for the most part, a very enjoyable CD. This extremely gifted singer has a very appealing voice and is a talented arranger as well. Her playful arrangement of "Them There Eyes," with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, is very refreshing, with some fine scat singing, too. Her unusually deliberate and rather sexy take of "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" adds pianist Mulgrew Miller and also has some fine scat singing, too. Her Latin chart for "I Only Have Eyes for You" proves catchy, with some tasty guitar playing from John Hart. "It's All Right With Me" is slowed to a snail's pace with Chris Potter's noodling bass clarinet and Hurst's brooding bass backing her powerful vocal. "Vertigo," another Marie original, is easily the most exciting piece on the session. The only occasion when she follows anything resembling an expected path is her lush treatment of the ballad "Detour Ahead" in a memorable duet with Miller. There are some weak spots. The original "Don't Look at Me Like That" is monotonous filler; while the Beatles' "Blackbird" is drastically rewritten with a tedious vamp that gives the song a somewhat ominous sound, but it grows tiresome quickly. The medley of "Dixie" (a song reviled by most African-Americans) and "Strange Fruit" (with its dramatic description of lynching) invites controversy. She sings "Dixie" a cappella with a possible touch of sarcasm, then the band is added for the shift into the piece that was first put on the map by Billie Holiday, introduced with almost a funeral march-like cadence. Somehow Rene Marie's lovely voice seems inappropriate for this song, as she doesn't reflect the anguish of its lyrics very consistently. Even with these reservations, this is a highly recommended CD. ~Ken Dryden

Vertigo

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VA - New Jazz Divas: The Greatest Modern Female Jazz Singers

Size: 181,7+181,6 MB
Time: 78:07+78:02
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front & Back

CD 1:
01 Diana Krall - This Can’t Be Love (4:27)
02 Youn Sun Nah - Jockey Full Of Bourbon (3:39)
03 Terez Montcalm - Docteur (4:04)
04 Fay Claassen - Conception - Deception (4:12)
05 Mina Agossi - Ghost Of Yesterday (4:00)
06 Lisa Simone - Autumn Leaves (5:14)
07 Dee Alexander - Letter From Home (5:57)
08 Manuel Rocheman - Nature Boy (3:42)
09 Bireli Lagrene & Gipsy Project - What A Little Moonlight Can Do (3:31)
10 Remi Sciuto - Black Bird (2:18)
11 Olivier Hutman - What Did They Say Today (4:53)
12 Muriel Zoe - Have A Good Time (3:26)
13 Michel Benita - Oh Love (3:35)
14 Veronique Hermann Sambin - Pwomes (3:26)
15 Monica Shaka - Moon And Sand (5:32)
16 Maria Laura Baccarini - I've Got You Under My Skin (5:17)
17 Stephy Haik - It's Over (5:08)
18 Solveig Slettahjell - What Is This Thing Called Love (5:38)

CD 2:
01 Stacey Kent - Too Darn Hot (3:25)
02 Robin McKelle - Something's Gotta Give (3:08)
03 Norah Jones - Tennessee Waltz (4:18)
04 Jacky Terrasson Trio - Walk On By (2:39)
05 Rene Marie - Them There Eyes (5:15)
06 Ida Sand - Ain’t No Sunshine (3:40)
07 Laika Fatien - Just Say Goodbye (4:19)
08 Catia Werneck - Chegando No Rio (4:31)
09 Anne Ducros - God Bless The Child (Feat. Jacky Terrasson) (4:42)
10 Charlotte Wassy - Your Goal (5:20)
11 Cæcilie Norby - Diamonds & Gold (3:47)
12 Melanie Dahan - Star Eyes (Feat. Manuel Rocheman) (4:56)
13 Clotilde Rullaud - Fragile (6:48)
14 Louisa Bey - Everything Is Broken (4:45)
15 Viviane Ginape - You Must Believe In Spring (3:07)
16 Sinne Eeg - What A Little Moonlight Can Do (5:16)
17 Bugge Wesseltoft - Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover (4:59)
18 Seth Kallen - My Sweet Darling (2:58)

New Jazz Divas CD 1
New Jazz Divas CD 2

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The H2 Big Band - It Could Happen

Styles: Jazz, Vocal, Big Band
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:39
Size: 161,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:59)  1. Hocus Pocus
(6:55)  2. Black Lace Freudian Slip
(6:41)  3. C.P. You
(5:34)  4. The Look of Love
(6:30)  5. It Could Happen To You
(7:45)  6. The Healing Hymn
(5:19)  7. I Like You
(5:45)  8. Lynda B
(5:15)  9. B in C
(5:22) 10. Autobiography
(5:31) 11. You Go To My Head

As Shakespeare wrote, "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Who would dare argue with that? The point is that It Could Happen,the second recording by the H2 Big Band, is performed by a world-class ensemble. It's just not the H2 Big Band, which essentially remained home in Colorado save for its co-leaders, trumpeter Al Hood and pianist Dave Hanson. This is in fact a group of Los Angeles-based studio musicians and their kin masquerading as the H2 Big Band, and, make no mistake, doing a spot-on impersonation (in other words, smelling like a rose). And technically, as Hood and Hanson are present and accounted for, it is the H2 ensemble, or at least a close cousin thereof. As Shakespeare wrote . . .  To be fair (and accurate), one other member of the "regular" H2 Big Band is in the lineup: alto saxophonist Rich Chiaraluce who does his best to keep pace with trumpeter par excellence Carl Saunders on the memorable Johnny Burke / Jimmy van Heusen standard "It Could Happen to You," from which the album derives its name. Hanson wrote all the charts, and they are as bright and engaging as any big-band arrangements you're likely to encounter. He also composed three of the album's conclusive instrumental highlights "C.P. You," "Lynda B" and "B in C." The full band performs on eight tracks, smaller groups on the other three. A string section is added on "The Look of Love" and "Autobiography."

Even with so many thoroughbreds in the stable, the leaders apparently felt the band needed some extra horsepower (not true), so the well-known vocalist Rene Marie was enlisted to lend her talents to four numbers: Burt Bacharach / Hal David's "The Look of Love" and three of her own compositions, "Black Lace Freudian Slip," "I Like You" and "Autobiography." She's fine, in an unpretentious sort of way; enunciates clearly, respects a lyric and sings on-key. Rene Marie fares best on the fast-paced "I Like You," perhaps because it's the most charming of the four tunes on which she appears (enriched by Hanson's sharp arrangement). The "C.P." in Hanson's "C.P. You" is Cole Porter, the song his variation on Porter's standard "All of You." "Lynda B" is Hanson's salute to comic artist Lynda Barry, the bluesy "B in C" a tune originally written in the key of B but, Hanson notes, "a lot easier to play in C." The closing number is yet another high spot: Hanson's superb arrangement of the standard "You Go to My Head," with solo to match by alto Gary Foster.  Hanson, bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Joe LaBarbera comprise an unflagging rhythm section, and there are inspired solos along the way by Hood (featured on Jeff Jenkins' "Healing Hymn"), trombonists Andy Martin and Bob McChesney, tenors Rob Lockart and Brandon Fields, trumpeter Ron Stout and guitarist Larry Koonse. Even without their "regular" band, co-leaders Hanson and Hood have produced another unequivocal winner. Could they do any less? It Could Happen, but don't bet on it. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/it-could-happen-al-hood-dave-hanson-origin-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php
 

Personnel: Jeff Tower: conductor;  Al Hood: co-leader, trumpet, flugelhorn;  Dave Hanson: co-leader, piano, synthesizer;  Wayne Bergeron: trumpet;  Carl Saunders: trumpet; Ron Stout: trumpet;  Gary Foster: alto sax, flute, clarinet; Rich Chiaraluce: alto sax, flute;  Rob Lockart: tenor sax, flute;  Brandon Fields: tenor sax, flute;  Adam Schroeder: baritone sax, bass clarinet;  Bob Sheppard: saxophones (1);  Andy Martin: trombone;  Bob McChesney: trombone;  Alex Iles: trombone;  Bill Reichenbach: bass trombone;  Larry Koonse: guitar (3, 4, 9, 10);  Chuck Berghofer: bass; Joe LaBarbera: drums; Luis Conte: percussion (4). Strings (tracks 4, 10) – Robert Peterson: violin; Jerry Hilera: violin; Ed Persi: viola; John Acosta: cello. Special Guest – Rene Marie: vocals (2, 4, 7, 10).

It Could Happen

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René Marie - Serene Renegade

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:37
Size: 147.9 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[6:18] 1. Red Shoes
[7:10] 2. The South Is Mine
[4:49] 3. Autobiography
[6:30] 4. Wishes
[5:05] 5. Pause
[5:34] 6. Hard Day's Night
[5:41] 7. Lover Man Oh Where Can You Be
[6:16] 8. Many Years Ago
[5:29] 9. Little Girl
[4:09] 10. Rufast Daliarg
[7:30] 11. Ode To A Flower

Jeff Ballard: Drums; Bruce Barth: Piano; Roz Corral: Vocals; Steve Davis: Trombone; Larry Grenadier: Bass; John Hart: Guitar.

René Marie continues her string of inventive and soulful interpretations on Serene Renegade, her fourth MAXJAZZ adventure. Marie has it all -a rich, dark voice, an intensely brilliant sense of drama and a perfect presentation of song as entertainment and edification. And -like Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln -she writes strikingly personal and original songs that display all her wares to their best advantage. There are pain and discomfort in these songs to be sure but what raises them to a different level are the spirit and talent of the singer and the fact that the songs and the voice don't sound like anything else. Marie notes that her song "Wishes , to take one example, hits home with woman listeners but Marie's words and sound are so poignant and deep that the heartbreak is transformed into the positive beauty of art. That kind of experience happens often here.

Marie is blessed with musicians who translate her ideas and tunes into true visions and it doesn't hurt that she herself has created the beautiful arrangements in which they express themselves. Gorgeous indeed are the interplay of the muted trumpet of Jeremy Pelt, the piano of Takana Miyamoto, the delicate rhythmic underpinnings and punctuations of Herman Burney and Quentin Baxter and the amazing singing of the leader on "Pause. And talk about intriguing versions of other material -what a tapestry she weaves on the Beatles' "Hard Days Night! The song pulses like heavy breathing itself and builds to several powerful climaxes. John Toomey did the hip arrangement that's buoyed by the bowed bass work of Burney. The singing suggests a more out-and-out theatrical Shirley Horn.

On the notes here René Marie thanks "the little girl and the waterproof bitch who co-exist quite peacefully inside of me. These personae come together to create a dazzling individual talent. And she keeps on coming at you. ~Donald Elfman

Serene Renegade

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René Marie - Sound Of Red

Size: 151,6 MB
Time: 65:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Sound Of Red ( 5:57)
02. If You Were Mine ( 6:28)
03. Go Home ( 5:45)
04. Lost (10:33)
05. Stronger Than You Think ( 4:30)
06. Certaldo ( 7:03)
07. Colorado River Song ( 4:45)
08. This Is (Not) A Protest Song ( 5:36)
09. Many Years Ago ( 4:46)
10. Joy Of Jazz ( 4:06)
11. Blessings ( 5:53)

René Marie, the “outrageous” (Wall Street Journal) vocalist has taken the recording process one giant step further with the release of her most personal album on May 13. As the follow-up to 2013’s Grammy award-nominated album I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt), ‘Sound of Red’ is her first album of all-original songs written and co-produced by the contemporary jazz chanteuse herself.

It’s been a “remarkable path to jazz” (NPR) for René. As a fearless force in the contemporary jazz world, René has never been afraid to look into the more challenging places of human experience where love and contentment give way to discord and struggle. ‘Sound of Red’ is a musical statement that according to René, “attempts to cover the spectrum of human emotion.” The album’s 11 songs – most of them autobiographical – provide glimpses of the many small but profound turning points that are a part of an individual’s life.

She explains, “I wanted to make a record that people could go back to again and again to excavate their emotions,” says René. “We cover things over every day. We have to in order to move through the day and move through our lives. We can’t always afford to be vulnerable to things like pain, loss, confusion, hurt and frustration. I want this record to provide some kind of architecture to provide support in those moments when our emotions are not necessarily happy ones.”

The album features two-thirds of her longstanding trio – bassist Elias Bailey and co-producer, drummer Quentin Baxter, both of whom have been a part of her backup crew for fifteen years, with newcomer pianist John Chin. René summoned special guests for final polishing, like saxophonist Sherman Irby who delivers a bold solo on its title track. Trumpeter Etienne Charles is another guest of honor who performed on and arranged the horn sections – Michael Dease on trombone and Diego Rivera on tenor saxophone – for “If You Were Mine,” and the endorphin-lifting tune “Joy of Jazz.” The rich and sensual “Certaldo,” dedicated to the Italian town of the same name, gets its sensibility from guest guitarist Romero Lubambo.

Compassion and despair fuel “This Is (Not) a Protest Song,” a song tackling the plight of homelessness that affected her family as a young girl. “We were homeless for a few months. It was an experience that you don’t forget after you’re through it,” said René. Her tumultuous past coupled with a wealth of perspective on life’s highs and lows inform these songs that dig deep into the hearts of a broad audience. “I wrote these songs to create a safe place for people to tune in to their emotions and perhaps deal with them in a way that they might not be able to do otherwise.”

Sound Of Red

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René Marie - Live At Jazz Standard

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:47
Size: 157.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[ 7:16] 1. Deed I Do
[ 6:57] 2. Babes In Arms/Where Or When
[ 6:11] 3. State Fair/It Might As Well Be Spring
[ 4:04] 4. Porgy And Bess/I Loves You, Porgy
[ 9:26] 5. Nature Boy
[10:01] 6. Suzanne
[ 7:11] 7. Shelter In Your Arms
[ 6:22] 8. A Damsel In Distress/A Foggy Day
[ 6:51] 9. Paris On Ponce
[ 4:23] 10. How Can I Keep From Singing

Idiosyncratic jazz vocalist Rene Marie makes her presence unequivocally apparent on her second MaxJazz release, Live at Jazz Standard. Recorded over three nights in 2003 at the New York City club, the album features Marie's usual mix of standards and originals. Stylistically resting comfortably somewhere between Betty Carter and Shirley Horn, Marie digs into such classics as "Where or When," "Nature Boy," and "A Foggy Day," making each song different from the next and utterly unforgettable. You may never hear another version of "It Might as Well Be Spring" sang as spritely as the one that appears early on, and her take of "I Loves You Porgy" is as heartbreaking as her a cappella turn on "How Can I Keep From Singing?" is dramatic. Backed sensitively by pianist John Toomey, bassist Elias Bailey, and drummer T. Howard Curtis III, Marie just gets better with each solo release. ~Matt Collar

Live At Jazz Standard

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René Marie - I Wanna Be Evil: With Love to Eartha Kitt

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:09
Size: 138,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:04)  1. I'd Rather Be Burned as a Witch
(5:48)  2. C'est si bon
(5:33)  3. Oh, John
(7:58)  4. Let's Do It
(6:14)  5. Peel Me a Grape
(7:12)  6. My Heart Belongs to Daddy
(4:42)  7. I Wanna Be Evil
(4:52)  8. Come On-A My House
(6:08)  9. Santa Baby
(7:31) 10. Weekend

A brilliantly entertaining tribute to the musical spirit of the divine Eartha Kitt as performed by René Marie, whose unique style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. Her reputation as the most provocatively risk-taking of today's jazz divas makes her the perfect performer to deliver the first full-album tribute to Miss Kitt.  'I Wanna Be Evil' features both well-known and obscure gems of the Kitt repertoire including "C'est Si Bon", "Come On to My House", "Santa Baby" and more. "The voice is as stunning as always, her phrasing immaculate, her ability to pack emotional wallops equalled by very few." ~ JazzTimes   

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wanna-Evil-With-Love-Eartha/dp/B00E5QJ9V6

Personnel: Rene Marie (vocals), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Adrian Cunningham (tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute), Etienne Charles (trumpet), Kevin Bales (piano), Elias Bailey (bass), Quentin Baxter (drums)

I Wanna Be Evil: With Love to Eartha Kitt

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