jazz2love

Album:  Not Quite Yet Artist:  Paul Marinaro Website:  www.paulmarinaro.com In the vane of great jazz vocalists like Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis and Tom Jones, singer-songwriter Paul Marinaro charms and captivates his audience on his latest release Not Quite Yet .  The collection presents Marinaro's emotive voicing as he performs a handful of jazz standards and pop/rock covers. The album opens with a swinging Mel Tormé standard “Born to be Blue,” trimmed in brisk bopping beats with Marinaro's vocal strolls giving the track a persuasive character.  Turning sensual and dreamy on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s bossa-nova gem “Someone to Light Up My Life," about the quest for new love after a breakup, Marinaro's vocals have a mesmerizing sway that continue through "Make Me Rainbows," from the 1967 Dick Van Dyke film Fitzwilly , composed by John Williams with lyrics by Alan and the late Marilyn Bergman, and contoured in a smooth rhythmic pulse. His treatment of D...

Album:  Songs of Berlin Artist:  Marc Secara and his Berlin Jazz Orchestra Label:  GAM Website:   https://marcsecara.de Founded in 2000 by German singer Marc Secara, the Berlin Jazz Orchestra has been regaling audiences for over twenty years with their blend of popular swing jazz.  Under the artistic direction of American trombone legend Jiggs Whigham, the jazz ensemble has proven to be a genuine crowd pleaser.  Their latest CD Songs of Berlin garners them another triumphant moment in their track record. Singing in both German and English, Secara's charming vocal strut adapt to the individual atmospheres, showcasing a flirtatious samba shimmy along "Haus am See" and modulating to a fluid flutter through "Berlin," displaying an intimacy with the listener of a Tom Jones persuasion.  Secara brings out a romantic leaning in the track, which switches to a vibrant spring along the swinging rompers "Berlin in Licht" and "Mackie Messer," alighting a...