jazz2love

Album:  Live at Vic's Artist:   Nicole Zuraitis Label:   Self-Released Website:  www.nicolezmusic.com Warm and sensual, Nicole Zuraitis's vocals lure her audiences into an uplifting mood, lull them into a tranquil state, and leaves an indelible imprint in their minds.  Her 2025 release Live at Vic's was recorded in front of a live audience, giving the listener insight into her animated interactions with her band and personalized touch at a live performance.   A fusion of soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and adult contemporary, Zuraitis's vocals softly cradle the lyrics, as her purring timbres shape and refine the delicate nuances in her delivery of "Pure Imagination," making it an exceptional piece.  Turning her vocals shimmery and percussive through her reimagination of Dolly Parton's tune "Jolene," Zuraitis's vocals portray unbridled passion.  Her duet with bassist Samuel Weber cruises charmingly along "The Coffee Song," demonstratin...

Singer-songwriter Nancy Newman is oftentimes described as delivering heartfelt interpretations in her music.  Her most recent recording DREAM is evidence of this trademark quality.  In Vancouver, British Columbia, Newman fills a niche in jazz vocals for audiences who crave emotional connection and heartfelt resonance in their listening experience — qualities she delivers with exceptional depth.   She reveals, "I’ve always been fascinated by dreams—both the kind that fuel our hopes and ambitions, and the ones that emerge from our unconscious while we sleep." "With a background in counseling and therapeutic dream work," she cites, "I wanted to create an album that reflects both sides: the dreams that guide us, and the symbolic, often mysterious ones that speak to us in the night."   She sums up, "Each song on DREAM was chosen to explore these dual themes. My one guideline was simple: every song had to include the word 'dream' or 'dreaming...

Album:  Jazz Republic: Taiwan, the United States, and the Freedom of Swing Artist:  Alexis Cole Label:  Tiger Turn Music Websites:  Alexiscole.com Facebook.com/alexiscolefanpage Instagram.com/alexiscole Youtube.com/alexiscole JazzVoice.com Singer-arranger Alexis Cole not only has an attractive voice, she sings songs in a manner that makes them last in the listener's head long after the track has finished.  It is not unusual to find one's self singing the lyrics after the Cole recording has ended.  That is the indelible trait of Alexis Cole's voice. Her 2024 release Jazz Republic: Taiwan, the United States, and the Freedom of Swing shows her accompanied by the Taiwan Jazz Orchestra, directed by Cheng-Yu Jimmy Lee.  The selection of jazz standards and classic pop novelties are some American favorites like Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" and "I've Grown Accustomed To His Face," a spin on Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner's "I've Grown Acc...

Album:  The Sound of Love Artist:  Tania Grubbs Quintet Label:  Travlin Music Website:  Taniagrubbs.com Facebook.com/taniagrubbsjazzvocalist Taniagrubbsquintet.bandcamp.com/album/the-sound-of-love YouTube: @taniagrubbsjazzvocalist7356 Threads: @taniagrubbs IG: @taniagrubbs Soulful and expressive, vocalist Tania Grubbs serves audiences an engaging delivery of classic pop favorites, jazz standards, and a handful of original work on her 2024 release The Sound of Love .  The entire album was recorded in one day, supported by her band mates that includes pianist David Budway, guitarist Ron Affif, drummer James Johnson III, and her husband Jeff Grubbs on bass. The program opens with “But Not For Me," as Grubbs's nuanced vocals indulge in a playful interplay with the bopping drums and keys.  The cheerful mischief and frolicking exchanges will remind audiences of stage performances at lounge rooms across the Las Vegas strip.  The organic interactions are remin...

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:  Saxology Artist:  Wayne Alpern Label:  Henri Elkan Music Website:  www.waynealpern.com Saxology, the latest release from leader and arranger Wayne Alpern, showcases a quartet of saxophones performed by Steve Kenyon, Todd Groves, Dave Noland, and John Winder.  The recording features an array of jazz standards and classic pop novelties reworked with Alpern's acute sensibilities and finesse. The sassy twizzles accenting the saxophones phrasing and their fiery punctuations dotting "Fascinating Rhythm," written by George and Ira Gershwin, shows Alpern's confidence to take control of the reins and make moves along the track that are bold and daring.  Alpern's treatment of the Beatles pop hit "Hide Your Love Away" is envisioned with a torchlight ambience as the softly twirling saxophones evoke a reflective mood. Another pop hit for the Beatles, "When I'm Sixty-Four," is delivered with vaudeville-style pomp and joviality.  Contrastly, Rich...

Album:  Transitions Artist:  Yaron Gershovsky Label:  Dorron Music Website:  www.yaronmusic.com Transitions , the 2022 release from keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Yaron Gershovsky is an assortment of original music and cover tunes, stylistically moving between traditional straight ahead jazz and contemporary jazz, classic pop, Latin soul, and samba in the recording.  The album is comprised of a variety of combinations from solo piano to trios, quartets, and jazz vocals featuring Aubrey Johnson's engaging vocalese.  Gershovsky's endeavor is alight with melodious configurations and elevating phrasing that is pleasing to the aural senses. Gershovsky's original work "Awakening" shows his keys communicating briskly and freely with bassist Will Lee and drummer Clint de Ganon,  whipping up a jovial mood that turns reflective, driven by Gershovsky's ruminating keys in "I’ll Be Seeing You," penned by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal.  Gershovsk...

Album:  It's Alright With Me Artist:  Liz Terrell Label: Westmont Records Website: www.lizterrell.com The rich sonorous of Liz Terrell's vocals make listeners turn their heads in her direction.  Her 2022 release It's Alright With Me is a compilation of classic pop and jazz standards that she treats with her distinctive stylizing. A stylizing that audiences will relate to the soulful inflections of Thelma Houston and the arresting luster of torchlight crooner Nina Simone, augmented by a dreamy, bluesy vocalese that lingers in the mind long after the recording comes to a close. Her treatment of Cole Porter's trademark melody "Night and Day" highlights the swing jazz elements of the track, turning the balladry verses into a simmering burner with bopping traction.  Her phrasing adjusts to the soars and inclines along the chord movements, as though knowing when to emphasize a lyric and when to let her resonance drift off.  Her vocal inflections certainly heighten ...

Album:  Sky Blossom Artist:  Alexis Cole Label:  Zoho Music Website:  alexiscole.com Sky Blossom , a term in the US military used to describe a parachute opening, is the title of vocalist Alexis Cole's upcoming release.  It's by design that she adapted the term to describe her debut release with Zoho Music as formerly she was a jazz singer for the US Army's Big Band.  Now, ready to leap into the unknown as a solo recording artist, she performs a handful of swinging and pop classics from her time as the vocalist for the West Point Band’s Jazz Knights,  Cole's compilation of jazz novelties and pop favorites sparkle anew with her sultry voicing applied to "How Long Has This Been Goin' On" and her penchant for sizzling swing and upbeat scat displayed in "Joy Spring."  Her vocals make an indelible mark on her rendition of "New York State of Mind," blending facets of pop, jazz, scat, and blues into a stimulating mixture that has not been pres...

Album:  Shadows Fall Artist:  Jonathan Karrant & Joshua White Label: JKR Website:  www.jonathankarrant.com The duet of vocalist Jonathan Karrant and pianist Joshua White come together on Shadows Fall.  Their collaboration seeps into the listeners skin, holding them in rapt attention as the program moves through a medley of jazz standards and classic pop tunes..  Karrant's vocals sink deep into the listener's soul as White's easy-riding saunter cushions the melodies in glimmering embers.  The collection has a timeless quality, sure to be relevant through the ages. Karrant's personalized delivery along "Being Me," one of Abbey Lincoln's signature pieces, is striking, accentuating poignant words and lodging meaningful inflections along the phrasing.  Karrant's and White's melodic sensibilities are genuinely in sync, honing a repartee that is magnetic and appealing.  Karrant parlays Holly Knight and Mike Chapman's song "Simply the Best,...

Album:  Frankenstein Artist:  Wayne Alpern Label:  Henri Elkan Music Website:  www.waynealpern.com Frankenstein , the new CD from composer Wayne Alpern is a compilation of jazz standards and classic pop tunes interpreted with contemporary trimmings.  Solo excursions are performed by Mike Davis and Boscarino on trombones, Tatum Greenblatt and Brad Mason on trumpets, and David Mann on reeds.  Filling out the melodic passages is the ambling stride of guitarist Kevin Ramessar, the sauntering gait of keyboardist Andy Ezrin, and rhythmic pulse of bassist John Patitucci and drummer Clint DeGanon. Alpern's vision for Andrew Lloyd Webber's "All I Ask of You," from the musical Phantom of the Opera , engenders the horns with an elevating slant that uplifts the listener and bolsters a serene vista.  Alpern has a melodic acuity that positively affects listeners with his interpretation of this classic score.  The recording fastens a swing jazz propulsion on "Mo...

Album:  So In Love Artists:  Ashley Locheed and Chris Rottmayer Label: Timucua Arts Foundation Website: www.chrisrottmayer.com Bandcamp: https://chrisrottmayer.bandcamp.com/album/so-in-love Clad with smooth swing sensibilities, the music of vocalist Ashley Locheed and pianist Chris Rottmayer revitalizes traditional cafe blues chirping on their latest release So In Love from Timucua Arts Foundation.  Comprised of original arrangements on an assortment of jazz standards and classic pop tunes, the pair are joined by electric bass player Chuck Archard and drummer Keith Wilson, whose untimely passing inspired the duo to dedicate the CD to Wilson's memory. Plunging into the recording, the team's rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" is coated in silky aesthetics helmed by Rottmayer's reflective musings while the feline softness in Locheed's register adds a buttery polish to the track that is of the elk of legendary jazz crooners.  Her vocal elasticity...

Album:  Fantasy Vocal Sessions Volume 2 Artist:  David K. Mathews Label:  Effendi Records  Website:  www.facebook.com/dave.mathews.16 Fantasy Vocal Sessions Volume 2 is the second installment in a five project series led by keyboardist David K. Mathews. For his forthcoming release, he features a mixture of soul, pop, R&B, and smooth jazz in the tracks.  Accompanied by a dynamic assortment of vocalists and musicians, Mathews demonstrates an instinct for classic soul sensibilities and pleasing harmonic forms. The feminine softness and silky finesse of vocalist Amikaeyla Gaston reimagines songs like Jimmy Webb's pop tune "Wichita Lineman" and Stevie Wonder's hidden gem "Superwoman," inlaying the tracks with gorgeous nuances.  The elegance in her versing is spellbinding.  Her caressing vocals retouch the Isley Brothers' soulful ballad "For the Love of You," permeating a romantic lure reminiscent of Patti Austin. Moving into the playful cha...

Album:  You and the Night and the Music Artist:  Lucia Jackson Label:  Roni Music Website:  www.luciajackson.com The culmination of bluesy bossa nova vocals and smooth jazz instrumentation makes for an easy listening repertoire on You and the Night and the Music from chanteuse Lucia Jackson.  Her debut offering, produced by her father Ron Jackson, sheds new light on classic selections from the Great American Songbook and the pages of Billboards top 20 pop hits.   Honorably, her interpretation of Paul McCartney and John Lennon's timeless melody "And I Love Him" is exquisite, conditioning the ballad with her soothing vocals sprinkled in sparse guitar chords performed by her father.  Her version of the classic melody breathes new life into a favorite pop novelty.   Jackson kicks up her heels along the bopping rhythm of the title track written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz.  Her refined and relaxing vocal style treats the n...

Album:  Love Is a Song Anyone Can Sing Artist:   Jack Kilby and the Front Line Label:  Crab Shack Music Website:  www.jackkilbymusic.com The music of Love Is a Song Anyone Can Sing , the latest release from drummer Jack Kilby and his band the Front Line, speaks in a language that commingles the many facets of jazz. The selection of classic pop novelties, favorite popular theme songs, and hard bop standards are re-imagined with a contemporary twist, infusing them with a voice that gives these songs a human quality. From the whistling toots of Antonio Hart's saxophone personalizing "Life in a Glasshouse" to the glittering passages of Mark G. Meadows' keys in "Colors of the Wind," the tracks are stylized, brimming with inspiring nuances and sleek rhapsodies as the latter is cratered by the elegant spins of Braxton Cook's flute. The refined voicing of Christie Dashiell lingers with an amorous tint, strolling casually along "Pure Imagination," ...

Album:  Say It Artist:  John Proulx Label:  Artist Share Website:  www.johnproulx.com   Say It , the 4th CD from pianist/vocalist John Proulx, is fraught with cool jazz tunes and easy listening brews.  From the bopping groove blues steering "I Don't Worry about a Thing" to the classic pop propulsion towing "Both Sides Now," the recording straps listeners in and takes them for an uplifting ride. The smooth jazz musings of Larry Koone's guitar strings saunter leisurely along the title track, putting listeners in a relaxing state of mind as Proulx's vocals elevate the track to a heavenly lilt. The peppy cantor in Proulx's vocals gives "Scatsville" a catchy dance beat that subsides along "Something To Live For," paddling along with ruminating strokes.  The candlelight ambience of "Stained Glass" highlights the vocal harmonies of Proulx and Melissa Manchester, penetrating audiences with their clarion sound. The delicate...