Jazz Vocalists - CD/SD

The Jazz Times and Downbeat writers I was talking to at the Jazz Singers exhibit at the Library of Congress, like Porter but love Cecile Mclorin Salvant

Turns out the First Lady was there with gal pals at the Gregory Porter show I saw.

x-post-

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jazz-singers/

the impression I got from Cecile Mclorin Salvant's last album was that she has a wonderful voice + bluesy mannerisms, but she is too much of a stylist and doesn't put enough of herself into the songs.

Still going through Gregory Porter's catalog, will get to Salvant soon

Camila Meza adds some nice vox to the latest Ryan Keberle & Catharsis album. Each song on the album is a tribute to a different South American composer and it is all very nice.

Interesting review of her Traces effort here, will check her singing and guitar playing out:

http://www.popmatters.com/review/camila-meza-traces/

Traces is her third outing as a leader but her first in New York. The trio behind her (Shai Maestro on keys, Matt Penman on bass, and Kendrick Scott’s drums) is fleet and fantastic, and she supplements it with some harmony vocal from Sachal Vasandani, as well as percussion and cello. But at its core, this is a quartet record that puts Meza out front as a singer, a songwriter, and a guitarist — with both strong and appealing ideas in each role.

...That is to say, Meza is not like the talented but oh-so-throwback-sounding Cecile McLorin Savant, whose updating of Sarah Vaughan is big at Jazz at Lincoln Center but sounds unaffected by the last 50 years of jazz singing. Her instrument, however, is less affected than that of Gretchen Parlato, less soul-driven than Somi, and less avant-pop than Cassandra Wilson. Meza manages to suggest her connection to Ella and Joni Mitchell at the same time while being tied to singing from other cultures too. The current singer she reminds me of most may be Luciana Souza, from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

All the players on that Catharsis record are super nice people in addition to being great musicians. Still haven't got around to listening to it myself.

I have just been listening to the velvet huskiness of Pauline Jean (a NYC based singer with Haitian roots) on her Nwayo album, top stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O6ilK9lwHA

Annie Ross is turning 86 tomorrow. Here is a very interesting interview with her from last year:
http://jazztimes.com/articles/167330-a-conversation-with-vocal-legend-annie-ross

killer free show at noon this thursday in Brooklyn with Charenee Wade, Brianna Thomas and Catherine Russell
http://www.bam.org/music/2016/ladies-sing-the-blues
if you dig female vocalists and live in the nyc area, this is not to be missed.

Ah. Would go. But noon doesn't work. Loved hearing Catherine Russell interviewed a few months ago on WBGO on Singers Unlimited, which I am listening to right now, about her mother and her project with Carolyn Leonhart and one other vocalist.

Tanya Hall

Aargh.
La Tanya Hall

Also, don't want to turn into the street team, but Gabrielle Stravelli's Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer tribute at Kitano the Wednesday before last was killer.

love the shamelessness of old-ilx on here. i own three compact discs and here is my opinion of teh vocal jazz!

You gotta crawl before you can creep, don't you?

btw, Gregory Porter doing a free show at Celebrate BK this Thursday
http://www.bricartsmedia.org/events-performances/bric-celebrate-brooklyn-festival/gregory-porter-marcus-strickland-twi-life

Still haven't seen him. I may have mentioned on this thread or another that I saw bass player I think he usually uses, Aaron James, as a sub on a Junior Mance gig and he killed it.

watched this recently. short film. i dug the rehearsal stuff with her group.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weuqez4HfJ8

xp Porter's okay; a little too mellow for me but the Rawls-level of quality is kinda undeniable.
Curious to see Marcus Strickland live.

You'll just have to make do with Gregory Porter singing "Holding On" with Brit electro act Disclosure

the impression I got from Cecile Mclorin Salvant's last album was that she has a wonderful voice + bluesy mannerisms, but she is too much of a stylist and doesn't put enough of herself into the songs.

― calzino, Thursday, June 9, 2016 9:06 PM (ten months ago)

Saw her live last night with her pianist Aaron Diehl. Voice and choice of songs sounded great live. She is definitely a musical theatre type but with a strong gutbucket bluesy passion, and in introducing the songs always mentioned the lyrical messages. 2 Jelly Roll Morton ones, 3 or 4 Cole Porter, Gershwin from Porgy & Bess, a Nancy Wilson number and more

i love her to death but i prob have already said this.

I'm a big Helen Merrill fan. Anyone else?
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, March 13, 2005 8:46 AM (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The self titled Helen Merrill album with Clifford Brown is sublime. "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" is so yummy.
― todd (todd), Sunday, March 13, 2005 3:50 PM (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Helen Merrill is incredible. I found a really nice copy of this Japanese vinyl box set of her complete Mercury recordings. She was (and still is!) a treasure, super underrated.

https://www.music-bazaar.com/album-images/vol16/783/783097/2636714-big/The-Complete-Helen-Merrill-On-Mercury-CD1-cover.jpg

who a friend recommended Helen Merrill to me this afternoon, specifically w/Clifford Brown, tonight I look here and that ol' ILM magic strikes again *serendipity*

i meant wow not who

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41S5K809HFL.jpg

Huh will have to checkbout merrill

Wtf

She has one child, known professionally as Alan Merrill, by her first marriage. A singer and songwriter, who wrote and recorded the original (1975) version of the rock classic "I Love Rock N Roll" as lead vocalist of Arrows, the British band.

Also check her albums with Gil Evans and Stan Getz.

listening to both the new Cecile McLorin Salvant and Zara McFarlane albums today, and loving both of them so far.

Gilles Peterson has been pushing Zara McFarlane a lot on his 6Music show. She's also on his record label...hmmm.
I'm currently enjoying Oscar Jerome (another Moses Boyd collaborator): a bit of a John Martynish thing going on.

I don't feel so guilty about leeching it off slsk now :p

I have a weirdly negative visceral reaction to lush, velvety jazz vocal records, like Ella with big band stuff -- she's an undeniably brilliant singer, but I just don't enjoy listening. I love Louis Armstrong's vocals on the early hot fives and sevens records but I feel the same way about his later more hi-fi recordings as I do about Ella's. Generally it's pretty rare that I feel an urge to put on a jazz vocals record.

Salvant album has been a regular joy for me since it came out... takes awhile to blossom imo but is a likely best of the year contender

I felt her last album was a bit too mannered or something, but the live album format has been a much better showcase for vocal talents imo.
xp
Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie was the album that converted this Ella agnostic.

i agree with you on salvant calzino, last album was a bit disappointing.
she's spectacular in person live btw

currently chilling to Natasha Agrama's The Heart Of Infinite Change.

The Hilary Gardner/Ehud Asherie album The Late Set is some really elegant + classy torch singer/piano versions of lesser known American Standards. Nice!

Ooh, this is nice! Thanks for the tip.

Yes. Nice enough

May be time to head up to the Metropolitan Room to see Annie Ross again

there is no metropolitan room! they're doing stuff at the Triad and moving, but haven't announced where to yet. Ross not on the lineup atm.

Cecile got a MacArthur grant
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/arts/macarthur-genius-grant-winners-list.html

Wow.

Trying to work out what Abbey Lincoln I need to get after finding out there were reissues of the turn of teh 60s solo recordings.
Now finding ot that the early 70s People In Me was reissued in the 90s.
& know nothing about the later stuff.

JUst did know taht her stuff on Max Roach's lps was pretty amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF6q6XKKrik

Abbey Is Blue
You Gotta Pay the Band

the latter featuring lots of great original tunes of hers.

Bought a 2018 4 classic lps with the 4 lps from the turn of the 60s together. it skipped the very first lp which is apparently more orchestrated than the small group jazz lps featuring some interesting players.

so have Abbey IS Blue due in a week or so.

Will look at the You Gota Pay The Band set definitely.
Not sure why I didn't look into this ages ago cos I must have got teh set with the band playing Freedom Now Suite on European tv about 10 years ago. & had definitely rediscovered Driva Man a few years ago.