jazz2love

Album:  I Guess We're Not Alone Artist:  The Beveled Edges Label Name: Detrallas Records Website: https://thebevelededges.com Endowed with a voice that can lull audiences into a blissful respite and equally lure them onto the dancefloor, singer-songwriter Shelly Bhushan is partnered with 7-string guitarist Anthony Lanni whose playing wraps delicate embellishments around Bhushan's vocal melodies.  Together, they form The Beveled Edges, a multi-faceted duo who integrate Parisian soul with Latin swing, prairieland folk, classic orchestral pop, and bluesy torchlight vocalese.    Their debut recording I Guess We're Not Alone is comprised of 10 original tunes, featuring an accompaniment that includes:  Arei Sekiguchi on drums and percussion, Haruna Fukazawa on flute, Tosh Sheridan on piano, Brad Whitely on organ, Garry ianco on strings, Alejandro Berti Delgado on trumpet, Ric Becker on trombone, Jeremy Powell on saxophone, and Will Holshouser on accordion. ...

Album:  Unidad Artist:  Aguankó Label:  Self-Released Website:   https://www.aguanko.com Cuban bop or Cubop is not only the moniker of percussionist Alberto Nacif's dormant Latin group through the 1990's but it is a type of musical style in the jazz spectrum that is recognizable and easily persuades the body to move along to its rhythmic stride.  Think of the theme song from the TV program Sex in the City , composed by Douglas Cuomo.  Nacif tweaks percolating romps with woodwind and brass threading that finesses the Cuban-fermented bop style to a sophisticated vintage. Aguankó's 5th effort, Unidad , is filled with original Latin jazz arrangements. The recording features the core members of Aguankó, all coming from the halls of the Detroit area jazz scene.  Hitting it off with the spicy mambo-clad furls of "Kintsugi," the track is fraught with tingling percussive beats.  Followed by the cha-cha chassis mooring "Discurso," having an immediate e...

Album:  White Sails Blue Skies Artist:  Tanya Dennis Label:  PaLoma Records Website: https://tanyadennis.com Starlight and moonbeams are some of the images that singer-songwriter-violinist-guitarist Tanya Dennis' music on her 2021 release White Sails Blue Skies conjures up in the listener's mind.  Brimming with romantic ambiences throughout the recording, Dennis resonates a wise, old soul in her voicing that audiences instantly trust and discern her genuine nature. Having written seven of the ten tracks on the release, Dennis's arrangements are spellbinding. Densely populated in atmospheric ethers, the music puts listeners in a reflective mood as Dennis's vocals caress the dreamy swells of "Desolation Sound" with a soothing touch, transitioning into the island sway of "Indigo," penned by her good friend and Hall of Fame songwriter Kostas, as her creamy vocal texture is spangled in Hendrik Meurkens's buoyant harmonica twirls. Dwelling in the drea...

 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:  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's Tango Artist:  June Bisantz & Alexander Nakhimovsky Label:  EH2U Websites:  https://www.junebisantz.com                   http://alexnakhimovsky.com Love's Tango' s repertoire is comprised of original jazz-inspired, Latin-induced melodies co-written by June Bisantz and Alexander Nakhimovsky.  From silky bossa nova arias to jamboree-style sambas, a compelling tango, and a steamy Rachmaninoff-influenced prelude, the recording revels in the joys of life, finding pleasure in the simple luxury of being surrounded by upbeat music. The romantic lure of the swirling strings woven swiftly along "Prelude To a Wish" is the recording's moment to pay homage to the classical composer Rachmaninoff.  Performed by Brunilda Myftaraj on violin, Lu San on viola and Kathy Schiano on cello, the tune is a garden bed of delightful sprigs, glimmering with an elegance that piques the ...