jazz2love

  New Release:  Planet D Nonet presents Doctor Professor Leonard King in Tribute to Joe Williams Release Date: April 19, 2025 Label: Eastlawn Records Website: https://rjspangler.com/ The late Big Band vocalist Joe Williams, who sang with the Count Basie Orchestra through the 1950's and later enjoyed being a solo artist, is treated with reverence on Planet D Nonet's latest recording Planet D Nonet Presents Doctor Professor Leonard King in Tribute to Joe Williams .  King's vocals take the listener down memory lane, when jazz combos filled ballrooms with rhapsodic romps, swinging scat, bluesy candlelight vibes, and smoldering bebop.  The scores may stem from the 20th century but King's arrangements are contemporary, sowing meaningful interpretations that lure the listener in from his catchy vocal inflections to Michael Zaporski's percolating keys and the impromptu raptures of the horns.  The interaction is emblematic of the spontaneity audiences recall that made ja...

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:  The Door is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill Artist:  Randy Napoleon Label:  OA2 Records Label Website:  originarts.com/oa2 Artist Website:  randynapoleon.com A fusion of minds, The Door Is Open:  The Music of Gregg Hill from guitarist and leader Randy Napoleon is his second record with the core band of pianist Rick Roe, bassist Rodney Whitaker, drummer Quincey Davis, and vocalist Aubrey Johnson.  Adding to the mix are Lucas LaFave on bass, Anthony Stanco on trumpet, Walter Blanding on tenor saxophone, and Andrew Kim on trombone. Integrating blues, bebop, and soul, Napoleon's arrangements have an organic fluidity, culminating into animated passages.  Johnson's scatting and vivacious vocalese have tracks like "Spa-Teneity" and "Motel Blues" ensnare the listener, struck by Napoleon's piercing strings and Davis's rippling drumbeats.  The cool jazz vibe of the tracks imbue a contemporary peal. The bluesy tint of Napoleon's guitar chords and...

Album:  Kayleidoscope Artist:  Kaylé Brecher Label:  Penchant Four Music Website:  www.brecherjazz.com Part spicy, part sublime, and part exotic sounding, singer-songwriter Kaylé Brecher displays the many facets of her vocals on her 8th release Kayleidoscope from Penchant Four Music label.  A collection of classic pop standards and original tunes, the release gives Brecher a platform to enchant audiences with bursts of scatting, an art form that is rarely exercised.  Accompanying Brecher on the recording are a variety of musicians who contour her vocals, bringing out the firm grip that her timbres have on the lyrics. The elegant inflections in her vocals create an amorous mood in "Something About You" as she whirls into a salsa rhythm, nuzzling the lyrics while she calls out, "There's something about you / Something that puts the magic in a song / You are the colors of the sunset... You are love and you are grace / And you are everything that i...

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:  We've Only Just Begun Artist:  Ashley Pezzotti Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.ashleypezzotti.com From the start, the listener is enthralled by the way cabaret singer Ashley Pezzotti turns a phrase, injects playful inflections in the lyrics, and evokes emotion in her vocal delivery.  She personalizes every track, developing an intimacy between her and her audience.  Her first straight-ahead jazz endeavor We've Only Just Begun contains an assortment of original compositions inspired by the Great American Songbook.  The stories told in the lyrics are drawn from her own personal experiences and from people that have touched her.  Incorporating elements of swing, scat, blues, jazz, and bop, Pezzotti is a modern day Ella Fitzgerald with a touch of Billie Holiday's knack for stirring up the audience's emotions.  Her scatting along the rhythmic grooves of "Jackie" summons an upbeat twang in her vocals that's infectious.  She shu...