Album Review: Jazz Republic: Taiwan, the United States, and the Freedom of Swing from Alexis Cole

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Album:  Jazz Republic: Taiwan, the United States, and the Freedom of Swing
Artist:  Alexis Cole
Label:  Tiger Turn Music
Websites:  Alexiscole.com
Facebook.com/alexiscolefanpage
Instagram.com/alexiscole
Youtube.com/alexiscole
JazzVoice.com

Singer-arranger Alexis Cole not only has an attractive voice, she sings songs in a manner that makes them last in the listener's head long after the track has finished.  It is not unusual to find one's self singing the lyrics after the Cole recording has ended.  That is the indelible trait of Alexis Cole's voice.

Her 2024 release Jazz Republic: Taiwan, the United States, and the Freedom of Swing shows her accompanied by the Taiwan Jazz Orchestra, directed by Cheng-Yu Jimmy Lee.  The selection of jazz standards and classic pop novelties are some American favorites like Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" and "I've Grown Accustomed To His Face," a spin on Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner's "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" from the 1956 musical My Fair Lady.

Cole displays a smooth vocal glide akin to Ella Fitzgerald along "Bye Bye Blackbird," a dreamy resonance reminiscent of Lainie Kazan sailing across "Here's That Rainy Day," and a seductive tilt in her lilt that is entirely of her own engineering, discernible in her delivery of "Beyond the Sea" and "Begin the Beguine."  Her depth of reverence for these jazz standards is evident, illustrated in her poignant inflections and clarion fluctuations.

Her reworking of "Moon River" shifts the melody into a bopping romp that puts a hop in the listener's step, interspersed by interludes of a glaring clarinet, twinkling and twittering energetically overhead.  Turning suave and exotic, Cole's voice beckons the listener through the balmy bossa nova swells of "Corcovado," while “Uptown Girl” is tweaked as a big band mashup blending Billy Joel's original lyricism with Count Basie's orchestral elegance.

Although based in New York City, Alexis Cole has played and taught in locales worldwide, including teaching at an affiliate of the Berklee College of Music in Ecuador, South America.   She has headed the jazz programs at William Paterson University and SUNY Purchase, where she taught multi-Grammy Award-winner Samara Joy.  In 2020, Cole founded JazzVoice.com, the online educational community, and in 2021 co-founded the Virginia Beach Vocal Jazz Summit (VocalJazzSummit.org).

Her talents as a singer, arranger, leader, and educator are copious.  She inserts a cheerful personality in the songs that is contagious.  Her tone is inspiring and her timing is pristine, keeping the tune lingering in the listener's head long after it has finished.

Musicians:
Alexis Cole - vocals and arrangements
Dr. Gene Aitken - conductor of Taiwan Jazz Orchestra
Scott Arcangel - arrangement on "I've Grown Accustomed To His Face"
Tedd Firth - arrangement on “Here’s That Rainy Day”
Tom Ranier - clarinet solo on "Moon River"
James Linahon - trumpet solo on "Beyond the Sea"
Ben Stivers -  piano arrangement on “You Make Me Feel So Young"

Taiwan Jazz Orchestra are:
Cheng-Yu Jimmy Lee - director/woodwinds
Kaoru Uno & Teresa You - piano
Daniel Chen - guitar
Ikeda Kinya - bass
Yi Hsuan Kuo - drums
Jhih Yu Shih - percussion
WOODWINDS - Ruby Pan, Justin Liao, Chia-Chi Chang, & Sean Wang TROMBONES - Ya-ying He, Michael Wang, Wang-Yih Cheng, & Jung-Hui Hsieh
TRUMPETS - Hawaii Liang, Hunagxian, Tsai Kai Lin, & Szu-Yu Shao

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