Album Review: My Funny Valentine from Grace Haggerty

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Album:  My Funny Valentine
Artist:  Grace Haggerty
Label:  Self-Released
Website:  www.gracehaggerty.com

My Funny Valentine, the new solo offering from vocalist Grace Haggerty, is pristinely put together.  An assortment of jazz standards from the perky swinging thrusts of Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" to the Brazilian smoothness of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Quiet Nights, Quiet Stars," Haggerty whisks listeners along a pleasing voyage that elevates the senses and stirs elation.

The repetitive tossing motion of Mauro Refosco's percussion contours Haggerty's vocals in a soft kindle along "You Go To My Head," giving the track a cocktail shaker trope.  Artfully, "Quiet Nights, Quiet Stars" is seasoned in Calpyso-hued flickers as Angelo DiPippo's accordion moves in and out of the track with whirling figures that stimulates the listener's pulse.  

Endowed with a whispery vocalese reminiscent of Judy Collins, Haggerty's voice has a lulling effect that warms the soul, enshrining her audience in a thermal wrap through "The Nearness of You."  The recording switches gears to the big band swinging tempo of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" then modulates the title track to a smooth blues gust that overflows with torchlight cinders tethered to the choir of breezy strings.

Taking the reins as executive producer, Haggerty works with her producers Fred Guarino and Angelo DiPippo to tailor the songs to her liking.  Arranged and conducted by DiPippo, the recording spotlights the melodic appeal of those songs chosen from the pool of Great American Songbook standards.  The warm embers of Haggerty's vocals are stellar, stoking the flames of elation in the songs.

Musicians:
Vocals - Grace Haggerty
Bass - David Finck 
Percussion - Mauro Refosco 
Accordion - Angelo DiPippo 
Piano - Lee Musicker and Mike Richiutti 
Guitar - Jay Berliner and Jim Hirshman 
Drums - Clint Deganon and Tony Tedesco 
French Horns - RJ Kelley, Kyle Hoyt, Theo Premiss, and Chad Yarborough 
Trumpets - Glenn Drewes and Don Downs 
Trombones - John Fedchock and Jennifer Warton
Cellos - Stephanie Cummins, David Bakamjian, and Arthur Fiacco
Saxes and Woodwinds - Dave Mann, Mark Phaneuf, Dan Willis, Aaron Hiecke, Charles Pillow, and Dave Rickenbach
 
Violins - Abe Appleman, Jon Dinkledge, Karl Kawahara, Karen Karlsrud, Sandy Strenger, Robin Braun, Bob Chasow, Peter Winograd, Antione Silverman, Belinda Whitney, Victoria Patterson, Shinwon Kim, Laurie Carney, and Sean Carney 




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