Valerie Gillespie - It Takes A Village

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:18
Size: 179,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:36)  1. Nature Boy
(5:35)  2. A Night In Tunisia
(4:58)  3. I've Got The World On A String
(8:42)  4. Spain
(5:14)  5. Blame It On My Youth
(7:09)  6. Peel Me A Grape
(5:07)  7. Cherokee
(6:55)  8. Poinciana
(4:39)  9. Joy Spring
(5:17) 10. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:51) 11. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
(4:57) 12. I Love Being Here With You
(3:56) 13. When October Goes
(6:16) 14. Joy!

Valerie Gillespie's first appearance in The Villages was on June 1st, 2004. The reception was enthusiastic. Six Months later she was invited by The Jazz Lover's Club to return and it was SRO! Her ensemble continues to draw spirited, delighted and responsive devotees every weekend at a local venue in what has become an 'open ended' engagement. Now we have this recording of a spectacular live performance at The Villages, which features a happy sampling of the tunes that have enchanted our audiences over the past year! Why is the Valerie Gillespie Ensemble so endeared by Villages Jazz Lovers? That's easy- Listen to the recording! First of all, they swing like crazy! Further, Ms. Gillespie and her charges approach their material in the sam no-nonsense, sans-gimmick manner reminiscent (but still VERY original) of the acclaimed 'straight-ahead' Jazz masters of the past. Woodrow Wilson (Woody) Herman used a term to describe one of his later herds that we believes very appropriate here; "Relentless!" 

A close listen to the contents of this CD reveals, (and of course is even more evident in person), the strident effort by Valerie and her bandmates to respect the composers' original material, while subsequently pursuing it, via improvisation, with a goal of creating a new masterpiece. This approach (essentially the definition of the jazz genre) persists, whether it be a warm, sensitive vocal ballad like 'The Folks Who Live on the Hill' or a real steamer like 'Cherokee!' The relatively mature Villages Jazz crowds have been weaned on this standard and for many it has been missing from their life experience for quite a spell, especially the 'in-the-flesh' versions. The ensemble fulfills that pent-up demand with a flourish! I think it is fair to say that Ms. Gillespie and her cohorts understand, and perhaps more importantly, genuinely respect the gratitude and affection the have been afforded here. Ergo: 'It Takes a Village...' Jazz endures! HAppiness Abounds!  This CD is dedicated to my mother, Jeanne, who was a constant source of inspiration for me, and to my dad, Chuck, who loved her more than life itself. Together they were 'The Folks Who Live on the Hill'. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/valeriegillespie14

It Takes A Village

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Valerie Gillespie - Lush Life

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 72:44
Size: 166.5 MB
Styles: Straight ahead jazz
Year: 2011
Art: Front

[6:20] 1. Beautiful Love
[4:37] 2. Dearly Beloved
[7:42] 3. Honeysuckle Rose
[5:43] 4. Lush Life
[7:00] 5. Tanga
[8:00] 6. Maiden Voyage
[4:35] 7. Almost Like Being In Love
[5:01] 8. Don't Explain
[6:18] 9. Caravan
[6:29] 10. It's Alright With Me
[5:39] 11. Jane's Song
[5:12] 12. You're Everything

Valerie Gillespie was born in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania, where at the ripe old age of eight she picked up a saxophone for the first time. She was paid for her first professional gig at the age of fourteen and has been playing ever since, though not strictly on stage. Valerie paid her dues in the university classrooms just like the rest of us, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh with a major in Classical Saxophone Not content to stop there, she went on to get her Masters Degree in Jazz Saxophone from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Being a well-rounded player is something that is very important to Valerie. She might be seen one night playing classical pieces with the Florida Orchestra, the next evening playing with a jazz band in the park, then on Sunday morning you will usually find her playing in church.

Valerie's newest CD is entitled "Lush Life", and it spans a wide variety of straight ahead jazz, from the beautiful title track, "Lush Life" which is a Billy Strayhorn ballad, to the high-energy samba of Dizzy Gillespie titled "Tanga". From the traditional jazz tunes "Honeysuckle Rose", and Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain", to the more contemporary works of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" and Chick Corea's "You're Everything", this CD will take you on an historical jazz journey you won't soon forget.

Lush Life

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