Album Review: Tis Autumn from Marty Elkins

-

Album:  'Tis Autumn
Artist:  Marty Elkins
Label:  Elktone Records 
Websites: www.martyelkins.com
                  facebook.com/ocdivagirl/ 
                  mikerichmondmusic.com 
                  facebook.com/mike.richmond.378 
                  jazzheads.com (distributor) 
 
Jazz siren Marty Elkins demonstrates a heavenly sonorous on her latest release 'Tis Autumn.  Accompanied by Mike Richmond on bass and cello,  the pair weave bewitching interpretations of several standard jazz scores. From the emulsifying caress of Richmond's pluckings and strums to Elkins' magnetic elocution, the recording seduces the listener with its hypnotic  strut.  The spacious waddle of Richmond's playing gives Elkins the freedom to tool around with her phrasing and vocal nuances.  The swinging melodic grooves provide a trampoline for her vocal leaps and bolster the soulful granulars in her register.

The smooth bristling in Richmond's bass trelises the trundling stride of his cello as Elkins' vocals bow and recline at a leisurely rotation along "Stairway To The Stars," composed by Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli with lyrics by Mitchell Parish.  Bernice Petkere and Joe Young's Tin Pan Alley treasure "Lullaby Of The Leaves" spotlights Elkins' scat calls, prevailing a feline glide while paving a sultry lisp along "My Mother's Eyes" as Richmond's cello strings contour her vocals with tender footprints. The lounging cadence in her swagger through "I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues" is sweetened by the honeyed tones in her resonance, and stoke a romantic gleam along "Old Devil Moon."

A jazz stylist, Elkins' fluid crooning bows and flares to punctuate the emotions smoldering beneath the lyrics.  Her sleek phrasing bonds to Richmond's syncopated pivots and smooth swerves.  Elkins' command of the verses is penetrative, entrancing audiences.  All the songs on the release are written between 1926 and 1947, having survived the changing cycles of listening music.  In the hands of Elkins and Richmond, these songs project a contemporary tilt as though they were written yesterday especially for Marty Elkins.

Musicians:
Marty Elkins - vocals
Mike Richmond - bass & cello


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: Becoming Marlene Dietrich from Myriam Phiro

-
Image
Album:  Becoming Marlene Dietrich Artist:  Myriam Phiro Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.myriamphiro.com Smooth jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro introduces a new generation of music listeners to jazz standards that made Marlene Dietrich famous in her time from the 1920's to 1940's with Phiro's new release Becoming Marlene Dietrich .  Although Phiro immerses herself in melodies that had been Dietrich's trademark tunes, Phiro tailors the songs to her likeness.  Her illustrious mezzo-soprano register is higher on the vocal spectrum than Dietrich's contralto pitch, which stamps the tracks with her own unique nuances and inflections.  Her treatment of the verses is finessed with a distinctly soft, feminine touch and a delightfully, hypnotic resonance, setting her style apart from Dietrich's. Her vocals cradle the lyrics of "Quand L’Amour Meurt," written by Georges Crémieux and Octave Millandy, with a warmth that penetrates the listener's soul as Hyuna Park...
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