jazz2love

 Album:  You, Me & Cole Artists:  Noa Levy and Shimpei Ogawa Label:  Self-Released Website: noalevylive.com                basshipogw.wixsite.com/shimpeiogawa An emotive chantueuse, singer Noa Levy is paired with upright bass player Shimpei Ogawa on their latest CD You, Me & Cole , The recording consists of the duo's interpretations of some of Cole Porter's most memorable tunes, fusing traits of caberet blues, torchlight jazz, and Broadway style burlesque.  The arrangements reflect the duo's melodic sensibilities for playful nuances and whimsical improvisations.   Levy's sensuous vocal phrasing through "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" purrs like a siren leading the Broadway show Gypsy.  The pair's mixture of sultry tango and beefy klezmer form a complementing harmony that resonates a American jazz feel with an European flare.  The pulsating beat of Ogawa's bass driving  the s...

Album:  Midnight Bloom Artist:  Miki Purnell Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.mikipurnell.net With a penchant for making beautiful music, vocalist Miki Purnell weaves elements of nocturnal blues, jazz lullabies, and smooth swing on her new recording Midnight Bloom .  Arranged by pianist Tamir Hendelman, the program has a springy vibe generated by Purnell's perky vocals, anchored by a fluid consistency in Hendelman's ruminating keys.  Warm and meditative, the music is a calming balm on the soul and a soothing libation on the aural senses. A combination of jazz standards and original works, Purnell brings the two worlds together on "Midnight Madness Called Jazz."  Harnessing the gentleness of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight," Purnell takes the listener back to 1941 in her lyrics, describing the bright and lively scene at Minton's club during America's jazz age of the mid-20th century.  Laced with a hint of burlesque paired with noctu...

Album:  Close Your Eyes Artist:  Carolyn Lee Jones Label:  Catn'round Sound Website:  www.carolynleejones.com Cabaret jazz had a place in each decade of the 20th century with its leading vocalists from blues singer Bessie Smith to jazz crooner Michael Feinstein.  Often characterized as burlesque music and bohemian blues, singer Carolyn Lee Jones revamps the cabaret style on her fourth release Close Your Eyes .  From the gentle amble of the storytelling verses in "I Was a Fool" to the enthusiastic splashing of the horns and the grooving swells rollicking along "That Old Black Magic," Jones embraces the multiple aspects of the cabaret culture and infuses a modern twist into jazz favorites. The bossa nova trimmings of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" silhouette Jones's vocals like a silk glove, embellished by Daniel Pardo's tweeting flute.  The swinging vibe of the horns shower lively sparkles across "When I Found You" as Jones...

Album:  Five Play Live from the Firehouse Stage Artist:  Five Play Label:  Diva Jazz Orchestra Ltd. Website:  www.divajazz.com/about/five-play   Exploring the vast palette of straight-ahead jazz from swing, bop, samba, torchlight blues, and burlesque/Vaudeville-style minstrels, Five Play shares their expansive repertoire on their live recording from the Firehouse Stage, a club located in Johnson City, New York.  A quintet comprised of the rhythm section and two horn soloists from the Diva Jazz Orchestra, Five Play amasses a bright and uplifting collection of cover tunes and originals that celebrate the jazz mode of expression. "Just Squeeze Me," a Duke Ellington customized piece, is a fine sample of the quintet's ability to interpret the burlesque dialogue as reedist Jami Dauber and brass player Janelle Reichman strut and stroll across the sensual swells of the melodic progressions generated by pianist Tomoko Ohno, bassist Noriko Ueda, and...

Album:  Rise Up Artist:  Scott Ramminger Label:  Arbor Lane Music Website:  www.scottramminger.com Chicago blues with a bit of Tennessee-mountain honky tonk is the concoction that vocalist-saxophonist-songwriter Scott Ramminger puts together on his fifth solo recording Rise Up .  The compilation is a meeting of guitarist Albert Collins' gritty blues with tunesmith Bonnie Raitt's roots rock.  The tracks show similarities in their foundation while also offering plenty of moments to exercise one's inner spirit to gripe about life and to express appreciation for what's so lovely about life. The title track brandishes a grinding Hammond B3 organ played by Wes Lanich sitting on top of the grooving beats of bassist Paul Langosch and drummer Emre Kartari.  Ramminger's soaring sax sketches sonic squawks above the gravelly sounds of Lanich's organ and the flared yowls of Shane Theriot's guitar.  Expanding on the dialogue, "Daisy" is a sweet ditty about ...