jazz2love

  Album:   Alice Blue Artist:   Ravita Jazz Label:   Ravita Music Website:   https://www.baltimorebass.com/   Ravita Jazz is a jazz sextet led by bass player Phil Ravita and includes: percussionist Mark Leppo, saxophonist Paul Carr, pianist Greg Small, drummer Nucleo Vega, and vocalist Deidre Jennings.  Their 2025 release Alice Blue canvasses a wide breadth across the adult contemporary jazz spectrum, intersecting swaying bossa nova swells with bebop trimmings, torchlight atmospheres, and straight-ahead jazz harmonies.  Ravita Jazz's sonic representations are reflective of the adult contemporary jazz culture, featuring five originals by Ravita, two compositions by Small and three covers. Diving in, the dreamy atmosphere of "Almost Blue" is blanketed in ruminating keys, traveling along plush rhythmic beats, creating a tranquilizing vibe. The soothing timbres of Jennings's vocals caress the lyrics tenderly with a deep reverence in "From the Start," ...

Album:   Love on the Tyrrhenian Artist:   CeCe Gable Label: CCGableLLC Website:   https://cecegable.com   Love on the Tyrrhenian , the sixth full-length recording from vocalist CeCe Gable blends American swing with Latin influences and easy listening/contemporary adult pop serenity.   Track after track weaves a melodious tapestry of picturesque tunage, sweeping listeners away along a blissful cruise. A lounging samba rhythm transports the title track and "Little Boat" into a balmy, paradise-imbued realm with the keys twinkling softly as Gable's warm vocals blanket the listener in succor-rich vibrations.   There is a nostalgic slant in the music reminiscent of the alluring escapes penned by Antonio Carlos Jobim.      Gable continues serenading the listener with the luxurious atmospherics of "The Riviera," a staple of Cy Coleman and Joseph Allen McCarthy .   The arrangement is given an elevating boost by pianist-arranger John Shipley, en...

Album: Next Gen Artist:  John Stein Label:  Tiger Turn Artist Website:  Johnstein.com A mix of jazz standards and originals, guitarist-composer John Stein's 2025 offering Next Gen features music inspired by his five grandchildren.  Making the tunes personal for him while appealing to listeners on a broad scale, Stein's 19th project displays the flexibility and the sonorous lilt of the guitar, riffing with his band mates Ed Lucie on bass and Mike Connors on drums in splendid synchronicity. Opening with "AJ," a track Stein wrote for one of his granddaughters, the arrangement synchronizes puffy rivulets from Stein's guitar perched on the calming knolls of Lucie's bass.  The track is followed by the lounging grooves of the jazz standard "Lover Man," brandishing a soft simmering ether that jumps into the bouncy rhythm of "Kai," named after Stein's oldest grandson. Another jazz standard, "Star Eyes," is illuminated in pixilated gui...

Album:  It's Hard To Say Goodbye Artist:  Enrico Granafei Label:  CAP Records Website:  www.enricogranafei.com http://Facebook..com/enrico.granafei]Facebook.com/enrico.granafei YouTube channel: Youtube.com/@johnmeixner1809 IG: @granafei Jazzbeat.com/project/enrico-granafei It's Hard To Say Goodbye , the fourth US release from harmonica virtuoso, classical guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and composer Enrico Granafei, is a compilation of Latin-infused jazz rhythms sauté ed in Granafei's soulful playing.  Inspired by harmonica master Toots Thielemans, Granafei illustrates the potency of the reed instrument to helm the melodic direction of arrangements as its wind-imbued texture intensifies the make-up of the scores.  Composing six of the 11 tracks, Granafei's delivery affects the listener profoundly. He titled the album It's Hard To Say Goodbye in memory of three people who were very special to him:  Toots Thielemanns, and two musicians who pla...

Album:  Christmastime in Rio Artists:  Romero Lubambo and Pamela Driggs Label:  Sunnyside Records Website:  https://www.romerolubambo.com Ringing in the holiday season, vocalist Pamela Driggs and her husband, guitarist Romero Lubambo, present Christmastime in Rio to audiences.  The 12-track holiday special is a selection of ambient, fireside melodies that will enliven spirits and elicit good cheer.  Joining the couple is their daughter Luisa on vocals in addition to Peter Martin on piano, Vitor Gonçalves on accordion, Joe Locke on vibraphone, Itaiguara Brandão on bass, and Rafael Barata on drums. Lubambo's breezy guitar strokes illuminating "Christmas Love Song" encircle Driggs's vocals in whispery flutters like sparkles radiating from tinsel on a tree.  Driggs cradles the lyrics with a perceptive regard for family ties, emblematic of a nightingale.  Her phrasing displays a sentimentality with warm timbres that are magnetic.  She expresses a...

Album:  World Traveler Artist:  Aleksi Glick Label:  Pinch Records Website:  https://www.aleksiglick.com World Traveler, the new recording from guitarist and composer Aleksi Glick fuses jazz guitar hooks with R&B/soul grooves and bossa nova trimmings, offering a listening experience filled with feel good vibrations from start to finish.  Featuring vocalist Laureana on a handful of tracks, Glick opens the listener's mind to picturesque soundscapes and aurally pleasing explorations. The bossa nova wavelets traveling along "Guitar and Me" are steered by Glick's shimmering chords, producing an atmospheric sonorous that suspends the listener, keeping one in blissful flight.  Laureana's soulful vocals sweep sensually across the bluesy terrain of "She Told Me," moves rhythmically along the bubbly R&B traction of "Leaving LA." and coasts smoothly through the soothing Latin tremors found in "Nordic Bossa."  Musical influences of jazz ...

Album:  A Window Within Artist: Olivia Foschi Label: Self-Released Website: OliviaFoschi.com Coalescing impressions of bossa nova, swing, scat, and smooth jazz, vocalist-composer Olivia Foschi's latest release A Window Within expresses an array of moods from festive to reflective and convalescing, as the listener follows her personal journey from her marriage to the loss of her grandmother.  The recording is a collaborative effort from Foschi and her drummer Mauricio Zottarelli in the the heart of the arrangements.  The tracks are further defined by pianist Matt King, bassist Marco Panascìa and guitarist Vinicius Gomes, giving Foschi’s compositions distinctive features and dimension. “Caught Me By Surprise” captures the memorable moment of Olivia’s first encounter with her future husband, Joel Kretschman. The piece is clad in percussive vocals that amplify raw emotion.  Shifting gears to the mollifying melody of “Pieces of Central Park,” Foschi creates a cozy and co...

Album:  Making It Up As We Go Along Artist:  Lauren White Label:  Café Pacific Records Website:  Laurenwhitejazz.com Making It Up As We Go Along is vocalist Lauren White's fifth album and showcases her refined vocal style.  Her voice shines on the ballads, demonstrating an easy command of the soft vocal inflections in her register and a penetrating tenderness when she cradles the lyrics as though she lived through the stories she describes.  Working with producer Barbara Brighton, White exhibits a leaning to sing love songs that delve into the complex entanglements bound to surface while consumed in a mature affair. The jazz romp “Unlikely Valentine," penned by Ron Boustead, is a poignant example of White's attraction for songs that delve into the complexity of love, portraying two people who like to play the field and are surprised when they fall in love. The swinging horns performed by Brian Swartz on trumpet and Katisse Buckingham on saxophone brim with...

Album:  Dreams Lost and Found Artist:  Halie Loren Label:  Nettwerk / Justin Time Records Website:  https://halieloren.com/ Jazz vocalist Halie Loren approached her 2024 release, Dreams Lost and Found, focusing on songs that speak to the listener about "finding new visions for love and life, allowing some dreams to die to make space for new dreams to be born," according to the press release.  Finding what she was looking in the classic folk pop repertoire and jazz vocals catalogs, Loren offers a delightful array of tunes that entice her audience to release entanglements of the past and leap into the present.  Well versed in soul pop, torchlight jazz, and coffeehouse folk, Loren provides her audience with an enthralling fare. Jumping out at the listener is Loren's rendition of "C'est Le Printemps," written by Jean Sablon, Jean Geiringer, Richard Rodgers, and Oscar Hammerstein.  Her nuanced vocals make the lyrics come alive, revealing a charming animat...

Album:  Wild Is Love Artis:  Naama Label:  La Reserve Records Website:  https://www.naamasings.com Naama sings and swings majestically on her latest release Wild Is Love .  On close inspection, her vocal inflections spur exhilarating sensations and the clarion tone in her vocal nuances cause listeners to pause and take notice.  Her sultry purring is reminiscent of the late Lena Horne, and her creamy crooning is akin to vintage Lainie Kazan.   The recording is elegant and refined like a gold reserve wine that equally satisfies the soul's need to be engulfed in a succor-rich escape. Naama's music is solace for the soul and mind.  Her sleek phrasing through "I Cried For You" intimates a vulnerability that audiences relate to instantly as she asserts, "Every road has a turning / that's one thing you're learning / now I cried for you / what a fool I used to be / my brown two eyes are a little bluer / I found a heart a little bit truer / I cried fo...

Album:  Islands Artist:  Dan Bonsanti and 14 Jazz Orchestra Label:  Self-Released Website:  https://www.14jazzorchestra.com/new-release---islands.html Islands , the 2023 release from composer and arranger Dan Bonsanti and his band, the 14 Jazz Orchestra, is a collection of swinging, big band jazz arrangements with 11 straight-ahead jazz tunes that merge big band bubbles with adult contemporary easiness, nuanced in jazz-imbued elegance.  Textured in jaunty keys liaised with smooth horns and cruising rhythmic beats, the recording fills the listener with pleasurable sensations that last from start to finish. A feel good recording,  Bonsanti and his orchestra attain a state of enjoyment achieved by the likes of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Guy Lombardo Big Band.  The warm aesthetics emanating from the horns along "Part of Me" bathe the listener in cozy atmospherics, then traverse into a bossa nova shimmy across "Carmencita," written by Mike Levine, B...

Album:  Tuesday's Child Artist:  Robert Kyle and Alyse Korn Label:  Dark Delishious Music Websites:  ARMusic.org Robertkyle.com Facebook.com/robertkylemusic Facebook.com/alysekornmusic Tuesday's Child , released from Dark Delishious Music, is comprised of nine original compositions written and performed by veteran reed player Robert Kyle and pianist-vocalist Alyse Korn. The songs are lyrical expressions, partnering smooth jazz with Latin swing, ambient aesthetics, and American soul and blues.  Accompanied by Kevin Winard on drums and percussion, Hussain Jiffry and Ahmet Turkmenoglu on bass, and Leonice Shinneman on tabla, each track emanates peace and harmony from every fiber. Kyle's saxophone soliloquy ruminates with a meditative slant in "Your Light," ebbing as Korn's breezy keystrokes amble softly along the melodic course.  The track incites quiet introspection, giving the listener some alone time with private thoughts.  The upbeat stride in Kyle's ...

Album:  In the Moment Artist:  Ella & The Bossa Beat Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.ellaandthebossabeat.com In the Moment  from Ella & The Bossa Beat is comprised of nine original songs composed by Ella Borges and her band, which features her father, Magrus Borges, on drums and percussion.  Ella sings in both English and Portuguese in a backdrop tinted in shades of R&B, soul, smooth jazz, bossa nova, and sonic pop.  The starry-eyed imaginary radiating from the brushed percussive strokes and elevating strings along "Dreamer" have a sonic pop hue reminiscent of Billie Ellish's penchant for stirring contemplation and Lewis Capaldi's fondness for intimating emotion through nuanced vocals. She muses, "When did I come to love this little dream / I think it started when I learned how to talk / And now it's bigger than me / It was not long ago / That I heard... if life's not about chasing my dreams / Then what will I hold on to when there's n...

Album:  Lemon Twist Artist:  Linda Carone Website:  www.lindacarone.com A connoisseur of the jazz parlance, vocalist Linda Carone presents her sophomore release Lemon Twist , combining swing and Latin jazz textures with the sixth sense of a bossa nova sophisticate.  From blues-enriched ballads to festive Latin-imbued romps, Carone takes listeners across ambient vistas and through sublime moods.  The listening experience is truly inviting. The breezy toots of the saxophones form a soft froth of smoke rings, encircling the wistful stride of Jeremy Ledbetter's piano keys ruminating lightly across "Free and Easy," cradled in Carone's sultry vocalese.  She fills listeners in balmy sensations. luring them into the tranquilizing ambience.  "Having It All" transitions into a cat-like strut in George Koller's bass grooves, accentuating Carone's rhythmic vocal purring.   The swinging rhythm of the title track elevates the recording with a flirtatious ...

Album:  Hangin' Out Artists:  Jim Self and John Chiodini Website:  https://www.bassethoundmusic.com Fluid and ambient, the music of tuba player Jim Self partnered with guitarist John Chiodini has a traditional jazz sonorous that flows seamlessly, advancing effortlessly through the sound passages. Their newest release Hangin' Out displays the sensitive playing of Self combined with the elegant strumming and chime-like fibrillations of Chiodini's guitar strings.  Joining the pair is trumpet player and flugelhornist Ron Stout, baritone saxophonist David Angel, tenor saxophonist Tom Peterson, and trombonist Scott Whitfield. The recording comprises of a mixture of straight-ahead jazz standards, samba romps, bossa nova ballads, and classic pop staples. Self and Chiodini each contributed one of their own original compositions with Peterson and Whitfield also contributing original material. The uncommon union of the tuba and guitar opens the jazz panoply to vibrant innovati...

Album:  What a Difference a Day Made Artist: Ermelinda Cuellar Label: Self-Released Website: www.ermelindacuellar.com   The lush and penetrative vocal textures of Ermelinda Cuellar are entrancing, displaying an elegance that’s unparallel to others, demonstrated on her latest release What a Difference a Day Made .   Fraught with modern jazz standards, Cuellar fuses bossa nova smoothness with swing blues sophistication.   The clarity in her voicing is inviting, encouraging an intimacy with her audience that is ideal for building a lasting bond with listeners. Her vocals caress the melodies, imprinting gentle cascades, sleek glides, and flickering embers along the melodic progressions with an ease that is bewitching.   Her treatment of “Midnight Sun” partners the smoothness of jazz vocals with the exotic tingles of Latin grooves.   The intensity in her storytelling, sung intermittently between English and Spanish, enhances the sentiment projected i...