jazz2love

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 Acc...

Album:  I Thought About You Artist:  Jan Cronin Label:  Scootermusic Website:  https://jancronin.com Sonically exquisite, singer-songwriter Jan Cronin delivers a panoply of dreamy melodies on her recording I Thought About You from Scootermusic.  Accompanied simply by guitarist Andy Reiss and bassist Jim Ferguson, Cronin hypnotizes the listener with a stream of sparsely layered melodies that showcase the warmth of her resonance and the clarion smoothness of her timbres.  The emotional depth in her delivery penetrates audiences, drawing attention to the lyrics and their meaning. Her rendition of Victor Young and Ned Washington's classic gem "My Foolish Heart" speaks of human sentiment as she muses, "The night like a lovely tune / beware my foolish heart / how white the ever crescent moon / take care my foolish heart / there's a line between love and fascination / that's hard to see."  Ferguson's bass pumps plume like a field of delicate pansies that c...

Album:  Light at the End of the Tunnel Artist:  Angela O'Neill and the Outrageous8 Label: Outrageous8 Records Website:  https://www.angelamaeoneill.com/outrageous8 Light at the End of the Tunnel , the third release from Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous8 is so pristinely polished that its sonic shine is palpable.  Containing arrangements from Harry Smallenburg and Rocky Davis and produced by O'Neill and her bass player Bill Bodine, the recording is performed by an all-star team of Los Angeles session musicians and engineers.  From the swinging play of "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die," sung by Al Timss, to the torchlight glisten of "Come Rain, Come Shine," helmed by Angela O'Neill on lead vocals, the jazz-soaked palette has a traditional glint that fuels this endeavor. The Latin tint in the rhythmic beats of "Now and Again" resonates a big band flurry as the frolicking jaunts of the saxophones and Smallenburg's trombone entwine, supplemented ...