Sweet Baby J'ai - Straight To That Place

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:01
Size: 128.2 MB
Styles: R&B, Jazz vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:39] 1. Feeling Good
[4:45] 2. Feva (Fever)
[4:51] 3. Straight To That Place
[5:01] 4. Killer Joe
[4:01] 5. When You're In Love
[4:09] 6. Black Magic Woman
[4:12] 7. That's All
[4:24] 8. Scofield's Blues
[5:22] 9. Call My Name (Message From Your Angel)
[4:26] 10. Girl From Ipanema
[5:22] 11. I'm Consumed
[4:20] 12. Rock Me, B.B.
[2:23] 13. Feeling Good (Still)

This latest cd, Straight To That Place, produced by renowned pianist, arranger, producer Jane Getz, critically acclaimed singer, composer, producer Sweet Baby J’ai and Grammy award winning engineer, producer Bob Tucker, showcases sublime offerings fusing jazz, blues, R&B and Latin. “It’s been a while since my last recording so with this project I wanted to go straight there – straight to that place where I go to in my heart and soul, ” says J’ai, “I wanted to express what I’ve been going through in love and life, celebrate some of my favorite musicians and composers, and share some of my own compositions. Every note, every chord and every word tells a story!”

There are incredible nuances and bold statements happening simultaneously on Sweet Baby J’ai’s current album, Straight To That Place. Respected for her considerable gifts as a vocalist and songwriter, J’ai’s original compositions draw us in with their openhearted lyrics, working into our consciousness and taking us to wondrous places. She breathes new life into classics with great reinterpretations giving us a new scope to appreciate timeless songs with a different perspective. Her deeply soulful vocals are infectious, and the stellar support by musicians Mimi Fox, Nolan Shaheed, Jane Getz, Karen Hammack, Chris Colangelo, Peter Buck, Carol Chaikin, Bob Tucker and others are electrifying. Straight To That Place delivers on what it promises, taking its listeners straight to wonderland. This is an outstanding album and well worth the wait!

Sweet Baby J’ai has performed extensively nationally and internationally and has been featured at numerous concert halls, festivals, and clubs. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as, Herbie Hancock, Etta James, Jill Scott, Joe Sample, KD Lang, Tom Waits, Terri Lyne Carrington, Patrice Rushen, Sheila E., and Eddie Harris, to name a few.

Straight To That Place

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Sweet Baby J'ai - Introducing J'ai Michel / Evolution

Album: Introducing J'ai Michel
Size: 108,1 MB
Time: 46:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2008
Styles: Jazz/Soul/Blues Vocals
Art: Front

01. At Last (4:36)
02. Think You Know Everything (3:43)
03. I Can't Cry For You (Until You're Gone) (5:14)
04. Sweet Corrine (4:03)
05. You Were Great Last Night (4:30)
06. Upside Down (4:22)
07. It's All Right Now (4:24)
08. Summertime (3:33)
09. Exactly Like You (Perpetrating) (4:07)
10. Word's Out (3:09)
11. Frida's Song (4:25)

"Jazz and soul singer Sweet Baby J'ai has been steady building a loyal fan base on the West Coast and beyond with her choice renditions of top shelf repertoire. She stretches herself even further with her latest release which finds her doing the Latin blues boiler "Sweet Corinne," tapping into her inner Helen Reddy on "I Can't Cry For You," recalling sensual moments in sweet afterglow on "You Were Great Last Night," and groovin' you with the jazz musings of her spoken word detour "Exactly Like You (Perpetrating)." Most special of all are two heartfelt pieces J'ai composed herself - "Frida's Song" (soulful props to the pain behind the paintings of the great Frida Kahlo) and the teardrop stained ballad "Upside Down." This super multi-talented lady is going places. Get on the train!" URBAN NETWORK

"I'd probably fit Sweet Baby J'ai somewhere between Chante Moore, Oleta Adams, and Anita Baker. If you find their voices to be appealing, you'll definitely find a way to bring J'ai Michel's music into your home." ~The Run-Off Groove

"With an inspiring collection of material from contemporary jazz, blues and pop, look for the new J'ai Michel to make a splash across the radio dial...5 of out 5 stars!" ~Arts & Entertainment

Introducing J'ai Michel

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Album: Evolution
Size: 142,4 MB
Time: 61:08
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Jazz/Blues Vocals
Art: Front

01. Nature Boy (4:35)
02. Hit The Road, Jack (5:35)
03. Suddenly (In Walked Bud) (3:27)
04. Hypnotized (5:46)
05. Autumn Leaves (4:33)
06. You Don't Know What Love Is (4:55)
07. Summertime (On Central Avenue) (5:58)
08. Evolution (4:03)
09. Wish I Could (4:55)
10. Cooler Than Cool (3:22)
11. Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On (4:16)
12. I'll Fly You Away (5:24)
13. The World Is A Ghetto (4:11)

Personnel:
Sweet Baby J'ai - vocals
Teddy Edwards - saxophone
Oscar Brashear - trumpet
Nate Morgan - piano & flute
Paula Gallitano - piano
Trey Henry - bass
Trevor Ware - bass
Sherman Ferguson - drums
Ronald Muldrow - guitar
Mike Simms - guitar
Jamie Findlay - 12 string guitar
Carol Chaikin - sax & flute
Nolan Shaheed - trumpet
Kerry Loeschen - trombone
Louis Taylor, Jr. - baritone
Tambu - percussion
Vicki Randle - percussion.

Sweet Baby J'ai's EVOLUTION takes you on an extraordinarily vivid journey. This multi-talented singer, composer, arranger and producer has managed to breathe new life into classic songs with her original, sometimes unexpected, often sophisticated interpretations. A wonderful collection of jazz, blues and spoken word, which includes four carefully crafted originals, EVOLUTION features some of the finest musicians on the scene today. Sweet Baby J'ai surrounds herself with a plethora of great musicians including Teddy Edwards and Oscar Brashear, all of whom, according to James Jannise, Program Host of KLON, 88.1, America's #1 jazz station, "...play up to the level that each of them are known and respected for. I can say with authority that this collection of works has elevated Sweet Baby J'ai from songstress to Diva."

Evolution

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Sweet Baby J'ai - Straight To That Place

Size: 130,5 MB
Time: 56:03
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Blues/R&B Vocals
Art: Front

01. Feeling Good (2:39)
02. Feva (Fever) (4:45)
03. Straight To That Place (Straight No Chaser) (4:51)
04. Killer Joe (Sweet And Low) (5:01)
05. When You're In Love (4:01)
06. Black Magic Woman (4:09)
07. That's All (4:12)
08. Scofield's Blues (4:24)
09. Call My Name (Message From Your Angel) (5:22)
10. Girl From Ipanema (4:26)
11. I'm Consumed (5:22)
12. Rock Me, B.B (4:23)
13. Feeling Good (Still) (2:23)

This latest CD, Straight To That Place, produced by renowned pianist, arranger, producer Jane Getz, critically acclaimed singer, composer, producer Sweet Baby J’ai and Grammy award winning engineer, producer Bob Tucker, showcases sublime offerings fusing jazz, blues, R&B and Latin. “It’s been a while since my last recording so with this project I wanted to go straight there – straight to that place where I go to in my heart and soul, ” says J’ai, “I wanted to express what I’ve been going through in love and life, celebrate some of my favorite musicians and composers, and share some of my own compositions. Every note, every chord and every word tells a story!”

There are incredible nuances and bold statements happening simultaneously on Sweet Baby J’ai’s current album, Straight To That Place. Respected for her considerable gifts as a vocalist and songwriter, J’ai’s original compositions draw us in with their openhearted lyrics, working into our consciousness and taking us to wondrous places. She breathes new life into classics with great reinterpretations giving us a new scope to appreciate timeless songs with a different perspective. Her deeply soulful vocals are infectious, and the stellar support by musicians Mimi Fox, Nolan Shaheed, Jane Getz, Karen Hammack, Chris Colangelo, Peter Buck, Carol Chaikin, Bob Tucker and others are electrifying. Straight To That Place delivers on what it promises, taking its listeners straight to wonderland. This is an outstanding album and well worth the wait!

Sweet Baby J’ai has performed extensively nationally and internationally and has been featured at numerous concert halls, festivals, and clubs. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as, Herbie Hancock, Etta James, Jill Scott, Joe Sample, KD Lang, Tom Waits, Terri Lyne Carrington, Patrice Rushen, Sheila E., and Eddie Harris, to name a few.

Straight To That Place

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Sweet Baby J'ai - The Art Of Blue

Size: 137,7 MB
Time: 59:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Blues Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. There Was A Time (4:52)
02. Soldiers Of Love (4:13)
03. Carmen's Blues (4:22)
04. Left Alone (5:45)
05. Stop The Word (5:29)
06. Neighbor, Neighbor (4:06)
07. Hop On The Pony (2:55)
08. Willow Weep For Me (4:56)
09. I Don't Want The Neighbors To Know (6:30)
10. Louisiana Stomp (4:33)
11. Don't Touch Me (5:41)
12. The Art Of Blue (5:41)

Elisa Kermody says... Yes, Sweet Baby J ai plays the washboard,and occasionally the spoons. But this ain t no backyard hoedown. With an amazing voice fresh and classic this woman could be a diva. She performs with known jazz talents, including pianist NateMorgan, bassist Nedra Wheeler, drummer Fritz Wise and saxophonist Louis Taylor Jr. She writes many of the songs she performs, a talent she s honed since writing her first blues song at 5. On her new album, The Art of Blue, she also acts as producer, composer and arranger. And she turns the washboard into a jazzboard, adding rhythmic accents and even solos using spoons, sticks and brushes, depending on the mood of the song. Beyond entertaining, Sweet baby J ai also informs, giving lessons in musical geography and history, as she takes you from LA to Kansas City to Texas to Louisiana, and tips her hat to jazz legends like Billie Holiday, Ray Charles and Carmen McRae ( Carmen s Blues ) sounds like a familiar jazz stand while at the same time contemporary). Sweet Baby J ai grooves, and her infectious personality and realness come through as she shares her love of jazz and blues in all its forms: It s all good; it s the art of blue. OC Weekly --The Weekly

"gumbo" probably would have been a more appropriate album title, because all the author: Steve Fullwood What do you do with a sister who possesses a voice of honey, an ear for the blues and jazz, and can play a washboard like nobody's business? You drop everything and run out to purchase her music, of course! (Wait. Finish this review first!) I'm referring to the one and only Sweet Baby J'ai, and the CD is The Art of Blue. Now run out and get it! (Need to know more? Read on.) The Art of Blue is exquisite, and by using such an overused word, I am bound to explain. Exquisite in that traditional blues and jazz seamlessly blend into a sound uniquely J'ai's. On the sublime, "I Don't Want the Neighbors to Know" she carefully drips her voice onto the sparse, silky muscular arrangements, and your ears eagerly lick it up. If that wasn't enough, she has the nerve to follow it up with "Louisiana Stomp," a down home romp through Cajun country that'll leave you longing for a nice bowl of gumbo! In fact, "gumbo" probably would have been a more appropriate album title, because all the songs make for one mesmerizing treat. She honors the legendary Carmen McCrae on "Carmen's Blues," explaining that it was McRae who taught her the value of precise pronunciation. Other notable cuts, many of them J'ai originals, include the charming "There Was a Time," the heartfelt "Soldiers of Love," and the raunchy "Hop on the Pony." End of story, now go, get outta here and buy it! --Music Connection Magazine

Los Angeles Times "....swinging...powerful...and haunting." New Times "...her voice is part cream, part honey and all soul..." Jazz Now "...extraordinary!" --The Times

Featuring some of the finest musicians on the scene today, with a special guest performance by renowned trumpeter, Oscar Brashear, her debut release, The Art Of Blue is a wonderful collection of jazz, blues and spoken word. Composer/producer Sweet Baby J'ai, serves up a multi-hued palette of songs that highlight her warm, velvety tones; sometimes fun and often thought-provoking lyrics. According to Scott Yanow, Editor of the All Music Guide to Jazz, "Every selection on the set is memorable in its own way and several have the potential of becoming future standards." Oscar Brashear - trumpet Nate Morgan - piano Bill Cunliffe - piano Wayne Peet - piano Trey Henry - bass Nedra Wheeler - bass Reggie Hamilton - bass Greg Brown - drums Jerry Brown - drums Mike O'Neill - guitar Louis Taylor, Jr. saxophone Ann King - trumpet

The Art Of Blue

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