Shea Breaux Wells - A Blind Date

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:57
Size: 129,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:32)  1. Baltimore Oriole
(6:20)  2. Dark Matters
(4:55)  3. Song To The Siren
(4:27)  4. Corcovado
(4:37)  5. Night In Tunisia
(5:43)  6. Blue Skies
(7:23)  7. Oh Yes, I Remember Clifford
(2:54)  8. Bye Bye Blackbird
(5:49)  9. All Blues
(7:12) 10. Caravan

There is a noticeable shift in the room when Shea begins to sing. Whether it is her rich voice, her compelling presence or her obvious devotion to the music, it is crystal clear that you are in for something special. Shea's love of jazz was born many years ago, while listening to her father's albums - Chris Conner, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and many others. She also became deeply enamored of the Motown sound - particularly the harmony groups. While in school, Shea studied music, and sang in an a capella septet, as well as appearing in musicals, such as “Guys and Dolls” and “Godspell”. Her love of music continued through college where she sang in an alternative rock band. After they split, she began singing jazz in nightclubs around Los Angeles. She joined the Little Big Band, singing swing hits and harmonizing with two other singers, fleshing out a ten piece band. Shea was also involved in studio vocal work - singing on commercial specs, trance and trip hop projects, as well as children's albums. These varying influences of rock, jazz, swing, and more coalesced into a versatile quality in Shea's voice, presentation and also her songwriting skills. 

Shea relocated to the Bay Area to record an EP of original songs with Grammy Award winning producer, Michael Rosen. These songs went on to be featured on MTV's Road Rules creating a soft spot in Shea's heart for the beloved royalty check! With a move up to Sonoma County, Shea has found a fantastic musical community. After appearing in the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, she came to know its Artistic Director, Jessica Felix. Jessica's deep reach into the varying echelons of jazz musicians, both locally and nationally, have led Shea into some wonderful musical relationships. With Jessica's introduction to pianist Noam Lemish, Shea was inspired to her 2006 release, 'Piece of the Light”, a full-length album of mostly original songs, with a few cover versions thrown into the mix. Titled, “Piece of the Light' this album featured the legendary Robben Ford on guitar, as well as excellent jazz musicians such as Noam Lemish, David Ewell, Bill Ortiz and Alex Aspinall. “Piece of the Light” was arranged by Shea and co-produced with Oz Fritz, known for his work on Tom Waits' Grammy Award winning “Mule Variations”. The Healdsburg Jazz Festival again exerted its influence with Jessica Felix's orchestration of another kind. How's about a jazz recording with some internationally renowned musicians who would be in town for their performance at the Festival? 

Now, with the release of Shea's new album, appropriately titled, “A Blind Date”, her embrace of the traditional jazz genre is true. Featuring the mighty work of George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Craig Handy on sax and flute, and David Weiss on trumpet, “A Blind Date” is a raw, diverse romp through standards and then some. Shea contributed an original piece called, “Dark Matters” which lends a haunting, middle-eastern feel to the album. Produced by David Weiss and engineered by Oz Fritz, “A Blind Date” is packed to the gills with electrifying performance from all the musicians. A true jazz lover's gem, this work goes beyond that of the typical jazz singer. Working with such fine musicians has whetted Shea's appetite for even deeper musical exploration. “To jazz or not to jazz, there is no question!” ~  Louis Armstrong    http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/musician.php?id=1969#.U2ae9iiS-PM

Personnel: Shea Breaux Wells (vocals); Craig Handy (flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); David Weiss (trumpet); George Cables (piano); Billy Hart (drums).

A Blind Date

---

Shea Breaux Wells - Piece Of The Light

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:50
Size: 134,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:12)  1. Soothe Me
(5:24)  2. Warm
(4:39)  3. Through The Fire
(4:59)  4. Piece Of The Light
(3:52)  5. The Keeper
(4:04)  6. The Candy Man
(4:26)  7. State Of Love
(3:59)  8. Blackbird
(5:12)  9. Finest Of Lines
(5:03) 10. Ship Of Music
(4:08) 11. Sands Of Time
(5:35) 12. Nothing Stays The Same
(4:11) 13. Always Something There To Remind Me

From the opening notes of Shea Breaux Wells’ album, “Piece of the Light”, you are drawn in - with evocative imagery, a diverse emotional landscape, intriguing melodies and lush vocals. Shea wrote 10 of the 13 songs on "Piece of the Light", and has blended the genres of jazz and complex piano pop in a way that gives the songs a distinctly classic feel. In addition to writing the lyrics and music, Shea also arranged the album, and co-produced it with producer/engineer Oz Fritz of Grammy Award-winning Tom Waits’ "Mule Variations" and "Alice" acclaim. The album features the legendary Robben Ford on guitar, Bill Ortiz on trumpet, Noam Lemish on piano, and David Ewell on stand-up bass, and Alex Aspinall on drums. Fresh out of college, where she studied music and film, Shea played in most of the Hollywood nightclubs with her alternative rock band, Forrest Lawn (seriously, that was their name). 

After they disbanded, Shea began to learn, study and sing jazz standards - almost every night  all over Hollywood and Los Angeles. As her repertoire rapidly developed, Shea lit up the clubs as a member of the Little Big Band, as well as performing as a solo jazz singer. All the while, she was quietly writing her own material. The combined influences of her rock background and her burgeoning obsession with jazz were beginning to form a signature sound in Shea's voice, presentation and songwriting. Shea then relocated to the Bay Area to record an EP with Grammy Award winning Fantasy producer Michael Rosen, and featured musicians Bill Ortiz, Karl Perazzo and Trevor Dunn. Songs from this release, "Smolder", were chosen to be played on MTV's "Road Rules", from whence Shea developed a deep reverance for the royalty check...and an addiction to songwriting. Of the songs on "Piece of the Light", TAXI said the following:

"These are all fantastic songs, performances, etc.,. There is nothing I could tell you that could improve upon anything that's already here. This is a very authentic sounding project - a nice, rich voice with nice, jazz influenced songs." Of "Soothe Me", they said: "Cool, smoky vocal delivery...the track feels great. LOVE the tempo here. Love the verse melody. Love the horn; your vocal on this one is pure honey."

Shea's sold-out performance at the Healdsburg Jazz Festival last summer captured the eyes and ears of many appreciative new listeners. Festival Director, Jessica Felix said, "I rarely hear vocalists of Shea's quality her heartfelt approach to the music is very natural ...I think Shea can be one of the jazz world's success stories in the next few years."
Shea's additional release, "A Blind Date", featuring the staggering talents of George Cables, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Craig Handy and David Weiss is a straight ahead jazz project that also showcases Shea's versatility with an intensely different musical palette. The rich and textured quality of Shea’s voice, melded with her compelling presence finds Shea inhabiting a world that is rich with originality, artistry and deep respect for the craft of making delicious music.   

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sheabreauxwells

Piece Of The Light

---