jazz2love

Album:  Spooky Jazz Vol. 2:  Songs for Halloween Artist:  Hannah Gill Label:  Turtle Bay Records Website:  http://www.hannahgillmusic.com Facebook.com/HannahGillMusic Turtlebayrecords.com YouTube: @turtlebayrecords9686 IG: @turtlebayrecords Jazz that once echoed from the depths of cabarets like Café Society, the Stork Club, 21 Club, the Cotton Club, 3 Deuces, and Club Carousel, some of which were located on Manhattan's 52nd Street dubbed Swing Street through the first half of the 20th century, are treated with a modern glint by vocalist-songwriter Hannah Gill.  Her sophomore release Spooky Jazz Vol. 2:  Songs for Halloween from Turtle Bay Records is a compilation of jazz standards, illustrating her affinity for boogie woogie, speakeasy swing, and ragtime rhapsodies. Accompanied by Mike Davis on trumpet and trombone, Gabe Terracciano on violin, Ricky Alexander on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Gordon Webster on piano, Justin Poindexter on guitar, Philip...

Album:  I Watch You Sleep Artists:  Scott Dunn, Richard Rodney Bennett, Claire Martin, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Label:  Stunt Records Website:  https://clairemartinjazz.co.uk/discography/songs-and-stories/ I Watch You Sleep is a tribute album to pianist Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, whose passing in 2012 closed a chapter on iconic film scores and classic symphonies.  Known for his compositions featured in such motion pictures as Far From The Maddening Crowd (1967) and Murder On The Orient Express (1979), Bennett's works reached far and wide around the world.  The tribute recording is the endeavor of pianist Scott Dunn who is joined by vocalist Claire Martin, a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) along with Rob Barron on piano, Jeremy Brown on bass, Matt Skelton on drums, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Martin's vocal delivery is heavenly as she traverses across a selection of original works by Bennett joined by an assortment of co...

Album:  We're All in the Dance Artist:  Rachel Caswell Label:  Turtle Ridge Records Website:  www.rachelcaswell.com Brimming with cafe society-style, vocalist Rachel Caswell puts audiences in a relaxing state of mind on her latest CD We're All in the Dance .  Her scatting is evenly clement and her bluesy vocalese has a pacifying Patti Austin-esque flare.  A collection of jazz and pop standards, Caswell's recording is extremely likeable as she contemporizes the concept of cafe society.  Produced by her guitarist Dave Stryker, Caswell's offering is melodically arranged and shaped with harmonious chord patterns from beginning to end. She forms a cascade of scatting sounds drizzling intermittently along "Devil May Care," a tune written by Bob Dorough and Terrell P. Kirk, Jr.  The dreamy ambience of "Two for the Road," a Henry Mancini gem, features Caswell's vocal elasticity, reaching and refracting, catching the feel of the music.  Her sister Sar...

Album:  And So It Begins Artist:  Lois Bruno Label: Wise Cat Records Website:  www.wisecatrecords.com Perhaps a part of the new generation of Las Vegas strip's Starlight Lounge vocalists and Manhattan's haughty Cafe Society icons, chanteuse Lois Bruno enchants, engrosses, and whisks listeners away with her rendition of popular jazz standards from the Great American Songbook on her latest release And So It Begins .  Supported by saxophonist Kenny Shanker, pianist Mike Eckroth, bassist Yoshi Waki, and drummer Brian Fishler, Bruno captivates audiences with her special brand of feminine touch. Her remastering of Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart's monumental novelty "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" accentuates the lush resonance in her vocals.  Equally spellbinding is her treatment of Johnny Christopher, Mark James, and Wayne Carson's popular single "Always on My Mind" as she places poignant pauses along the verses that intensify the lamenting fe...