Album Review: What We Had from Rebecca Angel

-

Album:  What We Had
Artist:  Rebecca Angel
Label:  Timeless Groove Records
Website:  www.rebeccaangel.net

Merging Latin swing, modern jazz, and cabaret blues, vocalist/composer Rebecca Angel's balmy broth is laden with creamy sensations making her debut release What We Had entirely mesmerizing.  The music gently shimmies and rustles as her gentle voicing massages the melodic swells.  She engulfs the listener in pleasing aesthetics from the calming undulations of the title track to the bossa nova-drenched wisps of "Agora Sim," both penned by Angel.

"Feel Alive" blossoms with a contemporary adult pop coating trimmed in Latin swing accents changing to a smooth grooving rhythm along "Stand By Me," written by Jerry Leiber and Mie Stoller.  Angel hitches the latter melody to a modern doo-wop inspired chassis that fits her vocals snugly.  The Latin-jazz facets of "Jet Samba" feature a sizzling cha-cha in the rhythmic action, saddled by Angel's tranquilizing vocalese as Gottfred Stoger's flute weaves soft flutters while her father Denis Angel adds a plume of wavy ripples on flugelhorn.  The electronica-infused version of "Stand By Me" tweaks the vintage R&B tune with scintillating dynamics.

A complete natural in the Latin jazz setting, Rebecca Angel partners contemporary sensibilities with classic refinement.  She deftly hones the melodies to her vocal specifications and in the process woos the listener gently.  Both breezy and stimulating, Angel's debut effort is beautifully crafted and  diligently arranged.  Her voice is charming and sophisticated, a blend that resonates vast appeal.

Musicians:
Rebecca Angel - vocals
Hailey Niswanger - soprano saxophone
Ricardo Silveira - guitar
Jonah Miles Prendergast- guitar
Christian Ver Halen - guitar
James Genus - bass
Reggie Washington - bass
Adam Dorn - bass
Brian Dunne - drums
Mino Cinelu - percussion
Cyro Baptista - percussion
Sebastian Stoger - cello
Denis Angel - flugelhorn
Gottfred Stoger - flute

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: This Could Be The Start from Linda Purl

-
Image
Album: This Could Be The Start Artist:  Linda Purl Label: Reaching Records Website:  https://www.lindapurl.com Vocalist Linda Purl and her music director Tedd Firth come together for their fourth album, This Could Be the Start .  The collection contains Purl's reimagination of a handful of jazz standards, tailored to her vocal specifications.  Supported by an intimate cadre of musicians that include bassist David Finck, drummer Ray Marchica and reed player Nelson Rangell, Purl finesses a selection of Great American Songbook jewels with a contemporary sheen. The playful merengue rhythm driving "Blue Moon," a swinging romp written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, is trussed in Ray Marchica's percolating percussion and a profusion of jutting keys performed by Ted Firth.  The track steps out of the customary schematics of swing jazz bolstered by blues vocals and articulates a Latin-imbued tremor.  The bossa nova curves shaping one of Cole Porter's signature pieces,
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr
Read more