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:  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: 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:  A Little Taste: A tribute to Dave Frishberg Artist:  Dave Frishberg Label:  Cherry Pie Music Website:  rebeccakilgore.com The female singers of jazz have a special place in audience's hearts, recalling Billie Holiday, Dianne Reeves, and Jane Monheit among others, each sharing the vibrancy discernible in vocalist Rebecca Kilgore.  In her fourth decade as a connoisseur of jazz vocals, Kilgore celebrates 9 works of Dave Frishberg on her recording, A Litte Taste: A Tribute To Dave Frishberg , with 2 additional songs that she and her husband, flugelhornist-trumpeter-arranger Dick Titterington, often performed in their long collaboration. From swinging showtunes-style trots like Frishberg and Johnny Mandel's upbeat tune "Brenda Starr" to the sonic symphonic billows of Frishberg and Mandel's caressing ballad "You Are There," Kilgore covers jazz from nostalgia to modern.  Ragtime embers sparkle across "Ah, So Pure," a 1848 melody by Friedrich v...

Album:  Jazz Passion & Satin Latin Artist:  Jimbo Ross Label:  Bodacious Records Website:  Bodaciousrecords.com/about-jimbo-ross Facebook.com/jimboross Jazz Passion & Satin Latin , the latest edition to violist Jimbo Ross's catalog takes audiences back to his jazz roots with selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, and a few original compositions.  Partaking on this adventure with Ross are guitarist Joe Gaeta, pianist Stuart Elster, bassist Peter Marshall, and drummer Ron Wagner. The band recorded the 13 tracks at the Sonic Boom Room studio using minimal overdubbing and no track-stacking over a four-day period.  The press release supplies, "Ross plays a modified copy of a classic viola, reproduced on a 3-D printer, and dually upgraded with a 5th string to extend the upper range of the instrument, and an electronic pickup to allow it to be heard alongside the other instruments." Ross's viola is well pronounced on each track while ...

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:  Spooky Jazz Vol. 2:  Songs for Halloween Artist:  Hannah Gill Label:  Turtle Bay Records Website:  http://www.hannahgillmusic.com Facebook.com/HannahGillMusic Turtlebayrecords.com YouTube: @turtlebayrecords9686 IG: @turtlebayrecords Jazz that once echoed from the depths of cabarets like Café Society, the Stork Club, 21 Club, the Cotton Club, 3 Deuces, and Club Carousel, some of which were located on Manhattan's 52nd Street dubbed Swing Street through the first half of the 20th century, are treated with a modern glint by vocalist-songwriter Hannah Gill.  Her sophomore release Spooky Jazz Vol. 2:  Songs for Halloween from Turtle Bay Records is a compilation of jazz standards, illustrating her affinity for boogie woogie, speakeasy swing, and ragtime rhapsodies. Accompanied by Mike Davis on trumpet and trombone, Gabe Terracciano on violin, Ricky Alexander on clarinet and tenor saxophone, Gordon Webster on piano, Justin Poindexter on guitar, Philip...

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:  I Thought About You Artist:  Jan Cronin Label:  Scootermusic Website:  https://jancronin.com Sonically exquisite, singer-songwriter Jan Cronin delivers a panoply of dreamy melodies on her recording I Thought About You from Scootermusic.  Accompanied simply by guitarist Andy Reiss and bassist Jim Ferguson, Cronin hypnotizes the listener with a stream of sparsely layered melodies that showcase the warmth of her resonance and the clarion smoothness of her timbres.  The emotional depth in her delivery penetrates audiences, drawing attention to the lyrics and their meaning. Her rendition of Victor Young and Ned Washington's classic gem "My Foolish Heart" speaks of human sentiment as she muses, "The night like a lovely tune / beware my foolish heart / how white the ever crescent moon / take care my foolish heart / there's a line between love and fascination / that's hard to see."  Ferguson's bass pumps plume like a field of delicate pansies that c...

Album:  Commitment Artist:  Jae Sinnett’s Zero To 60 Quartet Label: J-Nett Music Website:  jaesinnett.com Commitment is drummer Jae Sinnett's 19th recording as a leader and his 15th recording with his Zero to 60 Quartet.  Performing are Sinnett on drums, Allen Farnham on piano, Steve Wilson on alto and soprano saxophones, and Terry Burrell on acoustic and electric bass forming the quartet.  The recording features Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, who makes an indelible mark on several tracks.  Comprised of an assortment of straight-ahead jazz textures, swinging melodies, and improvised dynamics, the recording has three originals by Sinnett, two originals by his bandmate Allen Farnham, and attractive interpretations of five jazz standards. Brecker's trumpet melds harmoniously into the melodic formations of the quartet along "Simone," producing an amorous sonorous that engulfs the listener in winsome aesthetics.  The combination has a heavenly ef...

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:  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:  Legacy Artist:  Hollywood Paul Litteral Label:  Outrageous8 Records Website:  www.angelamaeoneill.com From playful swing and upbeat jazz to reflective torchlight and solemn blues, bandleader and trumpet player "Hollywood" Paul Litteral, who obtained his nickname for his work in Los Angeles, portrays a diverse set of moods on his latest offering Legacy , released by Outrageous8 Records.  His assortment of jazz and pop classics are personalized, attributing his melodic sensibilities to these standards and revitalizing their special spark with audiences. The recording is packed with instrumentals sprinkled by vocal-led numbers like "Makin’ Whoopie," composed by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson.  The track features Anna Orbison on vocals, whose sensual phrasing and suave resonance puts an uplifting glaze over the strutting beats of Bill Bodine's bass and Michael Rosen's drums. Transcribed by Litteral's alto saxophonist Michael Mull, a bevy of horns sash...

Album:  Where Flamingos Fly Artists:  Naama Gheber Label:  La-Reserve Music Label Websites:  https://www.naamasings.com   Female jazz singers of yesteryear such as Sarah Vaughan and Peggy Lee can rest comfortably seeing vocalist Naama Gheber pick up the reins where these ladies left off.  Gheber's forthcoming release Where Flamingos Fly from La-Reserve Music Label is loaded with charismatic swing and torchlight warmth as she hones an intimate and friendly relationship with her audience.  Her recreations of nostalgic melodies and jazz standards extends their life span and allure Gheber's vocal strut has a poised saunter gently supported by Bruce Barth's piano stride cruising sensually along Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold's sentimental tune "You Don't Know Me," emoting an evocative lilt shrouded in a warm, bluesy ambience.  Gheber eloquently muses, "You think you know me well, but you don't know me, no you don't know the one, who dreams of you at...

Album:  Dreamland Artist:  Libby York Label:  OA2 Records Website:  www.libbyyork.com Shining the spotlight on lesser known jazz standards, vocalist Libby York nurtures a visceral sensitivity in her delivery of these tunes on her latest release Dreamland from OA2 Records.  She has the effect of awakening the audiences' attachment to soothing lullabies.  Channeling the nightingale side of her vocalese, York comes forward as a stunning crooner. York's vocals have the impact of making the listener feel like a child, being cradled, soothed, caressed, and swaddled in the arms of a protective parent.  Joined by Randy Napoleon on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass, and Keith Hall on drums, Libby York displays an attractive consistency in her repertoire, which some might perceive as old-fashioned stylizing, but her old-fashioned stylizing is unassailably engaging and contemporary in her approach and manner. The gentleness in her vocal strokes suture graceful swel...

Album:  My America 2:  Destinations Artist:  Jim Self Websites:  bassethoundmusic.com facebook.com/JimSelfMusic The second installment to tuba player Jim Self's 2002 recording My America , which featured iconic melodies reflective of America's early songwriters like Katharine Lee Bates and Samuel A. Ward's perennial "America the Beautiful" and Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King's country classic "Tennessee Waltz," changes course on his recording My America 2:  Destinations .  His second installment in his America series concentrates on iconic melodies descriptive of America's states and cities, of which Self had lived or worked like the luxurious and bucolic destinations of Kansas City and Georgia.  The recording is a collaboration between Self and arranger Kim Scharnberg, who offer the ensemble of musicians ample space for soloists to play stirring improvisations and demonstrate their fluency in the jazz language. The album starts off with Scharnber...

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...