jazz2love

Album:  Dream With Me Artist:  Naama Gheber Label:  La Reserve Records Website:  https://www.naamasings.com/ Endowed with a vocal depth reminiscent of CeCe Gable enhanced by a smooth vocalese reflective of Donna Singer topped in a sprightly youthfulness recalling of Fleur Seule, vocalist Naama Gheber's talent is vast and multi-layered.  She demonstrates an unwavering command of nuancing her phrasing with impromptu punctuation and interpolating poignant inflections, spiking the tracks on her latest recording Dream With Me with a liveliness that compels the listener's attention and holds each one spellbound. From the rhapsodic scatting she unleashes across "Weaver of Dreams" to the dulcet vocal swells wistfully ruminating through "Street of Dreams," Gheber keeps her audience enthralled.  Her focus to detail and staying true to the traditional swing ethos is applaudable.  Her talent to hold the listener magnetized makes her an alluring songstress, as her ...

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:  Becoming Marlene Dietrich Artist:  Myriam Phiro Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.myriamphiro.com Smooth jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro introduces a new generation of music listeners to jazz standards that made Marlene Dietrich famous in her time from the 1920's to 1940's with Phiro's new release Becoming Marlene Dietrich .  Although Phiro immerses herself in melodies that had been Dietrich's trademark tunes, Phiro tailors the songs to her likeness.  Her illustrious mezzo-soprano register is higher on the vocal spectrum than Dietrich's contralto pitch, which stamps the tracks with her own unique nuances and inflections.  Her treatment of the verses is finessed with a distinctly soft, feminine touch and a delightfully, hypnotic resonance, setting her style apart from Dietrich's. Her vocals cradle the lyrics of "Quand L’Amour Meurt," written by Georges Crémieux and Octave Millandy, with a warmth that penetrates the listener's soul as Hyuna Park...

Album:  Douce France Sweet France Artist:  Margot Sergent Label:  Zoho Music Website:  https://margotsergent.com/ A bilingual French-born jazz singer who doubles on harp, Margot Sergent has a magnetic quality belies her age, spinning mature stories that beckon the listener's undivided attention.  Her 2023 outing Douce France Sweet France moves through an array of tunes from the reflective mood of "Keep the Moon in Mind" to the daydreamy ambience of "The Apartment Next Door," and the joyful buoyancy of "Douce France," embracing the pleasures of life. Each tune depicts another phase of life, a different experience along the journey, and always being intimate with the audience about the encounters.  Sergent's voice is expressive, mirroring the images projected in the lyrics so audiences can follow her narration, always from a viewpoint suspended above the scenes.  "La Boheme" offers the listener a seat in the balcony as Sergent's charis...

Single:  Shake It Off Artist:  Deborah Silver Label:  Glitter & Grits Records Website:  deborahsilvermusic.com   Treading the line between pop temptress and jazz siren, vocalist Deborah Silver’s latest endeavor is an interpretation of Taylor Swift's popular hit song "Shake It Off," written by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback. Juxtaposing cabaret swing with dance pop, Silver achieves personalizing the tune to her liking.  Her vocal nuances enliven the track, sparking an infectious joviality banked by big band glitz.  Partnered with a cadre of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones, Silver's vocals shine above the ballyhoo like a leading lady standing out and steering a bustling crowd.  Silver turns the pop tune into a swinging romp, working alongside legendary arranger Charles Calello. The Mississippi born songstress shows a keen understanding of her vocal strengths and she plays them up on the single.  Deborah Silver gives audiences a shot o...

Album:  These Precious Days Artist:  Mary Foster Conklin Label:  Mock Turtle Music Website:  www.maryfosterconklin.com Combine elements of smooth swinging blues with a spicy cabaret swagger and add Broadway showtunes vibrations, and the result is jazz vocalist Mary Foster Conklin's latest offering These Precious Days .  Conklin's vocals gleam elegantly while the caterwauling strings of Sara Caswell's violin add contrasting textures with a pinwheel of swirling squeals ornamenting the melodies.  Pianist John Di Martino's sense of melody is impeccable, and guitarist Guilherme Monteiro's reflexes for harmony are instinctive.  The rhythm section of Ed Howard on bass, Vince Cherico on drums, and Samuel Torres on percussion play pristinely, keeping the momentum in synchronicity with Conklin's lead. The slinky swagger of Conklin's vocals traversing leisurely across "Some Cats Know," composed by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, has a seductive hold on the lis...

Album:  Lemon Twist Artist:  Linda Carrone Website:  https://www.lindacarone.com https://lindacarone.bandcamp.com Roots music vocalist Linda Carrone once again charms audiences with her graceful style, feline phrasing and sultry vocalese on her 2023 release Lemon Twist .  A blues stylist reminiscent of vintage performers like Billie Holiday, Rosemary Clooney, and Peggy Lee, Carrone integrates the finery of jazz with the unpretentious melodicism of roots music embellished by a swig of Latin stimulants.     Her repertoire focuses on forgotten gems, classic ballroom jazz, swing standards, and cabaret blues.  Her treatment of the title track, written by Bobby Troup, puts a flirtatious edge on her vocals that grabs the listener's attention as she percolates, "Here is a word to the wise / The top dieticians in town insist / The best source of vitamin C there can be / Is a lemon twist."  Changing to a sultry swagger along "Having It All," Carr...

Album:  Jazzy Italian Artist:  Vanessa Racci Label: Zoho Music Website:  https://vanessaracci.com Jazz singer and lyricist Vanessa Racci displays a perkiness relatable to vocalist Allyson Briggs, an iridescent resonance reminiscent of Sarah Brightman, the soulful melodicism characteristic of R&B's Marilyn McCoo, and a vocal elasticity that vibrates with the fiery boldness of vintage pop star Brenda Lee.  Racci's vocals are modelesque while being flexible, easily fitting in with jazz, pop, R&B/soul, and musical theater melodies.  Her sophomore release Jazzy Italian shines the spotlight on contributions that Italian songwriters and performers have contributed to the cabaret jazz landscape with tunes like "Volare," penned by Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci, and Dean Martin, and "I’m a Fool To Want You," sung by Italian-American crooner Frank Sinatra, who co-wrote the song with Jack Wolf and Joel Herron.  From tender serenades like "A Sunday Kin...

Album:  Dearly Beloved Artist:  Naama Gheber Label:  Cellar Live Websites:  https://www.naamagheber.com https://cellarlive.com/collections/all/products/naama-gheber-dearly-beloved The dreamy sonorous of vocalist Naama Gheber wrap listeners in downy atmospherics on her debut release Dearly Beloved from Cellar Live music label.  This introductory endeavor establishes Gheber as a torch song vocalist endowed with a sultry persuasion.  Her flare for swing demonstrates the melodicism of this vocal style, exposing it to contemporary generations. The caressing glide of her vocals imbue her delivery of "Since I Fell For You" with a penetrative lure, and spark a jazz noir flicker in the bluesy lamentation of "Get Out of Town."  Her performance of the heavenly serenade "What's New" amplifies the elating sensations, which move into a perky, swinging, sashaying disposition along "Just Squeeze Me" and "Sometimes I'm Happy."  She closes the r...

Single:  Old Mother Hubbard Artist:  Naama Gheber Release Date:  April 22, 2022 Websites:  https://www.naamagheber.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/1KObvUW72IGgUzVi9oe60n A veritable newcomer to swing, vocalist Naama Gheber demonstrates a keen instinct for cabaret blues and ragtime jazz.  Her melodic sensibilities are reminiscent of vintage Café Society's staples like Bessie Smith and Connie Haines.  Her forthcoming recording If I Knew Then , due out on November 4, 2022, is led by her single "Old Mother Hubbard" due to be released on April 22, 2022. "Old Mother Hubbard," an old nursery rhyme from the 19th century, was tweaked by Ella Fitzgerald in the 1940's.  Resurfaced rarely since then, Gheber exhumed the tune from the coffers of the past and polished it with her glimmering timbres.  Her adaptation of the melody gives the track a 21st century luster, laden with a natural fluidity and zesty, swinging rhythmic pulse.  Her smooth versing s...

Album:  Love for Connoisseurs Artist:  Angela Verbrugge Label:  Gut String Records Websites:  www.angelasjazz.com www.facebook.com/AngelasJazz Fun and flirty, native Canadian vocalist Angela Verbrugge has a flare for making the listening experience delightful.  Her sophomore release Love for Connoisseurs is a compilation of three original works penned by Verbrugge alongside nine jazz-inspired songbook standards with lyrics written by Verbrugge.  She demonstrates a showtunes-tinted perkiness reflective of The Manhattan Transfer's crooner Cheryl Bentyne, complimented by a magnetic voicing liken to Fleur Seule's vocalist Allyson Briggs.  Supported by pianist Miles Black, bassist Jodi Proznick, drummer Joel Fountain, and saxophonist Dave Say, Verbrugge offers audiences an escape into a world laden with merriment and solace. Opening the recording with a smooth cabaret stylizing reminiscent of Sarah Vaughan, the  title track is driven by a slow simmer ...