Vocalist Judy Wexler's "BACK TO THE GARDEN," jazz treatments of iconic songs from the 1960s

JUDY WEXLER REIMAGINES 1960s SONGS OF LOVE, HOPE & CHANGE

BACK TO THE GARDEN

Coming June 4th on Jewel City Jazz

Vocalist JUDY WEXLER is known for her soulful, heartfelt vocals and her ability to find under-exposed gems and imbue them with warmth and wit. On BACK TO THE GARDEN (June 4, 2021, Jewel City Jazz), she departs from her usual jazz fare to recast iconic songs of the 1960s as jazz/pop anthems relevant for today’s social and political ethos.

BACK TO THE GARDEN is Wexler’s sixth album. It follows Crowded Heart (2019), What I See (2013), Under a Painted Sky (2011), Dreams & Shadows (2008), and Easy on the Heart (2005). Each album received wide critical acclaim and made it to the top of the national JazzWeek radio charts.

Wexler is a mainstay on the California jazz scene. A Los Angeles native and current resident, she performs regularly around the state, from San Diego to San Francisco to Mendocino. She also headlines major venues across the country, appearing at Birdland and The Blue Note in New York City, Jazz Alley in Seattle, Blues Alley in Washington, DC, among many others. She has sung in clubs and at festivals overseas, including the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Tel Aviv Jazz Festival and the Dubai Jazz Festival. She has appeared on NPR Weekend Edition twice with Susan Stamberg who said, “Based on the evidence, Judy Wexler can sing almost anything.”

Wexler has a sumptuous voice and approaches a song like an actress inhabiting a script. Eschewing vocal pyrotechnics, she focuses on lucid storytelling. She wields her formidable vocals chops, like her spot-on phrasing and sophisticated approach to melody, with great subtlety to capture the emotional essence of a song. In All About Jazz, Nicholas Mondello wrote, “She is balletic light on her vocal feet, dead-on with her pitch, and lyrically smooth. She probes emotional depth and returns gems without melodrama.” UK’s Jazz Journal writes, “An always engaging demonstration of contemporary jazz singing at its best.”

BACK TO THE GARDEN is a departure from Wexler’s previous albums, which featured modern jazz songs and selections from the Great American Songbook with just a smattering of reimagined pop tunes. On this new recording, Wexler points her gaze to interpreting iconic, well-known pop/rock songs from the 1960s with reimagined arrangements.

Wexler says, “Music is truly a reflection of the times, and the music of the 1960s reflected the turbulence engendered by war, political protests, and the rise of important social movements like feminism and racial justice. Fifty years later, we’re still struggling with those issues and more. Although the arrangements of these iconic songs are new, I find their message of hope, love, and change as timely as ever.”

Wexler has been fascinated with the music of the era since 2010, when she created a show in Los Angeles she called “Back to the Garden.” She revised and updated the show in 2016 and was scheduled to do yet another one on her birthday in mid-April 2020 when the pandemic hit and all the music venues closed. Since live gigs were canceled for the foreseeable future, she decided to record an album instead.

Wexler brought on board her longtime pianist and arranger JEFF COLELLA, a consummate accompanist and improviser. Among his many accomplishments are 16 years touring as musical director with the legendary Lou Rawls. He also toured the world with the Jazz Tap Ensemble for seven years, was the Musical Director for Jack Jones, and has worked with a host of top names like Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Sheila Jordan, Kenny Washington, and others. Colella plays piano, wrote most of the arrangements for BACK TO THE GARDEN and co-produced the album with Wexler. Pianist and composer JOSH NELSON also contributed two arrangements.

Wexler and Colella brought in several top musical artists from Southern California and beyond, including guitarist LARRY KOONSE, bass player GABE DAVIS, and drummer STEVE HASS, old friends with whom Wexler has performed and recorded before and who formed the core of the rhythm section. Colella’s arrangements are richly textured and multi-layered, and other players who added their distinctive voices are BOB THIELE, JR. on electric and baritone guitars, DANNY JANKLOW on alto sax, JAY JENNINGS (from the Grammy-winning Snarky Puppy) on trumpet, and NYC-based harmonica master HENDRIK MEURKENS. Grammy-nominated violinist SARA CASWELL is featured on one song, and a string section comprising violinists JOEL PARGMAN and CARRIE KENNEDY, viola player RODNEY WIRTZ, and cellist STEFANIE FIFE perform in various configurations on three tracks. Vocalist ERIN BENTLAGE arranged and contributed layered background vocals on four tracks. Bentlage is a member of the vocal group säje, which snagged a Grammy nomination in 2021 for arranging.

The ten songs on BACK TO THE GARDEN are reflective of the tumultuous era of the 1960s. Wexler includes two songs by Bob Dylan, “The Times They Are A-Changin',” one of the most famous protest songs of all times, and the sweetly hopeful “Forever Young.” “American Tune,” by Paul Simon, paints a picture of the struggles and weariness of the American experience that stands in stark contrast to the can-do attitude so often portrayed in the media. Stephen Stills was inspired to write “For What It's Worth” after the Hollywood curfew riots in November 1966. The riots were part of a series of counterculture-era clashes that took place between police and young people.

Joni Mitchel’s “Big Yellow Taxi” is about destroying the natural world for the sake of commerce, while “Get Together,” made famous by The Youngbloods, is an appeal for peace and brotherhood. “Everybody’s Talkin’,” sung by Harry Nilsson in the film “Midnight Cowboy,” was written by Fred Neil and deals with the alienation of big city life and the desire to get away. “Up on the Roof,” by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, is another song about the need to escape the pressures of urban life. “Since You've Asked,” with its tender lyric, is the first song Judy Collins wrote. Wexler closes the album with “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” Sandy Denny’s meditation on the passage of time and ephemeral nature of life.

With Wexler’s fine-grained voice and heartfelt interpretations, the updated, modern arrangements, and superb musicianship, the music on BACK TO THE GARDEN is as relevant today as it was over 50 years ago.

1. Get Together (Chet Powers)  6:00

2. Up on the Roof (Gerry Goffin & Carole King)  4:41

3. American Tune (Paul Simon)  4:03

4. Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)  3:24

5. The Times They Are A Changin' (Bob Dylan)  4:45

6. Since You've Asked (Judy Collins)  3:27

7. For What It's Worth (Stephen Stills)  3:53

8. Everybody's Talkin' (Fred Neil)  3:32

9. Forever Young (Bob Dylan)  6:10

10. Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Sandy Denny)  5:15

Judy Wexler vocals

Jeff Colella piano, melodica (5), background vocals (1)

Larry Koonse nylon string & electric guitar

Gabe Davis bass

Steve Hass drums

Bob Thiele, Jr., electric guitar, baritone guitar (1,7,8,9)

Erin Bentlage background vocals (1,4,7,9)

Danny Janklow alto sax (4)

Jay Jennings trumpet (10)

Hendrik Meurkens harmonica (8)

Sara Caswell violin (9)

Joel Pargman violin (3,6)

Carrie Kennedy violin (6)

Rodney Wirtz viola (3,6)

Stefanie Fife cello (3,5,6)

Talley Sherwood background vocals (1)

Produced by Judy Wexler and Jeff Colella

Arrangements by Jeff Colella (1,2, 4-9) and Josh Nelson (3,10)

String arrangements by Jeff Colella

Trumpet arranged by Jeff Colella 

Background vocal arrangements by Erin Bentlage (1,7,9)

Background vocal arrangement by Jeff Colella & Erin Bentlage (4)

BACK TO THE GARDEN will be available on June 4, 2021 in stores and online everywhere. Distribution by A Train Entertainment.

Kate Reid - The Heart Already Knows (2018)

STUNNING VOCALIST KATE REID RELEASES “THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS” WITH ROMERO LUBAMBO, FRED HERSCH, TAYLOR EIGSTI, LARRY KOONSE, PAUL MEYERS

KATE REID is an artist who’s not afraid to take chances. On her new CD, THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS (July 30, 2018), the vocalist performs a program of tunes of varied provenance and styles accompanied by only a piano or guitar. THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS is Reid’s third CD. She’s also a pianist, and played as well as sang on her two previous projects, which featured some of the top L.A. musicians, including Ernie Watts, who appeared on THE LOVE I’M IN in 2011.

She released her first project, SENTIMENTAL MOOD, in 2000. Both CDs received wide acclaim from fans and critics, as well as airplay in several major U.S. markets. Reid performs as a duo and with her trio and quartet at jazz venues in the Los Angeles and Miami areas.  

Reid is a nuanced singer, attuned to the subtleties of a song’s lyrics and harmonic structure. The duo setting is the perfect vehicle for Reid’s jazz explorations and sexy, smoky, alto voice. “For me, the experience of making the CD was just as important as the outcome,” says Reid. “I hadn’t worked with four of the five musicians before. I wanted this to be a journey of discovery. The essence of jazz is spontaneity; therefore, little to no rehearsals worked well for this project. 

Although I didn’t know most of the musicians, I learned so much about them and their playing after spending hours in the studio, sharing ideas and creating music together.” Reid arranged most of the tunes on this disc.

PETER ELDRIDGE, the critically acclaimed vocalist, pianist, composer, and founding member of the internationally acclaimed vocal group New York Voices, produced the CD. Reid met Eldridge when the New York Voices were just starting out, and the group appeared at the college Reid was attending. Through the years, they became friends through various jazz events and conferences. Peter helped her pick the tunes and encouraged her to perform music outside the jazz genre. He also helped her choose the musicians, and, being a superb storyteller himself, he helped Reid with her approach to the material on this record.  

The musicians they chose are all at the top of their game and well-known leaders in their own right. FRED HERSCH’s star perhaps shines the brightest in this firmament of jazz luminaries. With a career that spans more than three decades, Hersch is a ten-time Grammy Award nominee and continues to earn jazz’s most prestigious awards, including the distinction of 2018 Jazz Pianist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association. Hersch accompanies Reid on three tunes. “No More” is a moody ballad often associated with Billie Holiday who said it was one of her favorite songs. Irene Kral also did a well-known version of it. Reid decided to do “If I Should Lose You” in the studio. Luckily, it’s one of Hersch’s favorite tunes. The duo performed the song in just one take. “Lazin’ Around” is an original by Hersch. The sweet lyrics, which were written by Hersch, belies the complicated melody that Reid sings flawlessly. 

TAYLOR EIGSTI is a young pianist who has already received two Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Solo and Best Instrumental Composition in 2006. He accompanies Reid on “Busy Being Blue,” a tune written by Eldridge and Jack Donohue. Reid, who is the Director of the Jazz Vocal Performance program and Associate Professor of jazz voice in the Studio Music and Jazz department at the Frost School of Music, relates “I sang this tune during the interview for the teaching position at Frost, and I was told the performance helped me get the job." Eigsti also plays on James Taylor’s “The Secret of Life” on which Reid really captures the philosophical nature of the lyrics. 

Reid is also backed by three stellar guitarists. PAUL MEYERS has played with a Who’s Who of jazz luminaries and released several critically acclaimed CDs of his own. He and Reid perform together on the Strayhorn/Ellington classic “Something to Live For.” Reid loves the song because it doesn’t use the typical AABA pattern and Ellington is one of her favorites. She also has a particular attachment to his music because her husband, Steve Reid, played trumpet in Mercer Ellington’s band for eight years. Reid and Meyers also do a very bluesy rendition of “Just A Lucky So and So.” 

Guitarist LARRY KOONSE is one of the busiest musicians on the L.A. jazz scene. He has appeared as a sideman on dozens of CDs as well as releasing his own projects. Reid and Koonse do a straight-ahead version of “Confessin,” a happy, upbeat love song that Reid likes for its wordplay. The two of them also perform “Two Grey Rooms,” a dark, imagistic Joni Mitchell tune arranged here by Eldridge.  

ROMERO LUBAMBO is a rising star Brazilian guitarist. A versatile musician, he plays everything from Brazilian rhythms to hard bop. He performs with Reid on “Endless Stars,” composed by Fred Hersch with lyrics by Norma Winstone. He also plays on “Minds of Their Own,” an Ivan Lins composition with lyrics by Peter Eldridge. As Reid relates, “Romero set the tempo, and we just went with it!” 

THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS is an intimate project that comprises a mix of standards, modern jazz compositions, and pop tunes that take on new life in the hands of these A-list musicians. Reid is a singer who approaches a song with the ear of a piano player and arranger. She can swing and be sexy while capturing the heart of a lyric.

Kate Reid vocals

Paul Meyers guitar (1,7)

Larry Koonse guitar (2,4)

Fred Hersch piano (3,9,11)

Romero Lubambo guitar (5,10)

Taylor Eigsti piano (6,8)

1. Something to Live For  (4:46)

2. Confessin’ (3:33)

3. No More  (3:17)

4. Two Grey Rooms  (4:15)

5. Endless Stars  (3:15)

6. Busy Being Blue  (7:02)

7. Just a Lucky So and So  (4:46)

8. Secret o’ Life  (3:58)

9. If I Should Lose You  (3:58)

10. Minds of Their Own  (5:13)

11. Lazin’ Around  (3:38)  

Produced by Peter Eldridge All songs arranged by Kate Reid  except Secret o’Life arranged by Taylor Eigsti & Kate Reid,  Two Grey Rooms arranged by Peter Eldridge, and Lazin’ Around arranged by Fred Hersch

Jamie Shew - Eyes Wide Open (2018)

FROM LOVE AND LOSS TO INSPIRATION JAZZ VOCALIST JAMIE SHEW RELEASES  “EYES WIDE OPEN”

On JAMIE SHEW’s bio, she quotes Ella Fitzgerald, who said, “Forgive me if I don’t have the words. Maybe I can sing it and you’ll understand.” For vocalist, arranger, composer and pianist Shew, she found that mere words could not express her feelings after losing her husband, Roger Shew, to cancer, and the only way she could really tell her story was through music. Her second CD, EYES WIDE OPEN, uses song to follow the arc of her life from the early days of her relationship with Roger through his illness and beyond. 

Jamie has played piano for as long as she can remember. Her mother claims she began playing by ear at four years old. Though Shew doubts that she was quite that young, the piano has always been an important part of her life. She began studying jazz piano in high school and eventually got a scholarship to Washington State University where she continued studying jazz piano and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education.  

Jamie had begun singing in high school. She was the accompanist for the school choir when, during her senior year, the choir director gave her the opportunity to sing a solo number. That turned out to be a pivotal moment for her, and when she went to college, she began to shift her focus to singing. College is also where she met Roger, who was studying bass. Shew credits Roger with helping her with much of her early jazz education. They got married right after graduation and went off together to continue their studies at Western Michigan University, where Jamie earned a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance/Jazz Studies. She also studied privately with one of her favorite jazz vocalists, Sunny Wilkinson. The couple moved to Los Angeles 15 years ago and soon established themselves on the local jazz scene. 

Jamie’s extensive musical training informs her singing. Her timbre is warm and inviting, while her timing, phrasing, and ability to interact so well with the band reflects her years of study. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she’s playing with some of the finest musicians in Southern California. Guitarist LARRY KOONSE, pianist and Hammond B3 player JOE BAGG, bass player DAREK OLES, and drummer JASON HARNELL are leaders in their own right and some of the most sought-after sidemen anywhere, with each appearing on dozens of CDs. Besides being stellar musicians who have worked together extensively, they’re also old friends of Jamie and Roger.

Jamie released A Place for Me in 2012, but with a child to raise and dealing with Roger’s illness, she put the brakes on her performance career for a while. But after Roger’s passing, she turned back to music. “After Roger died, I felt an overwhelming need to practice,” Jamie relates. “Singing became almost a compulsion, a physical drive. I needed to get back to work and make a new CD. I chose songs I was fairly familiar with and had considered recording in the past, but now they took on new meanings for me. I chose and arranged each song with much deliberation. Each became a metaphor for my continuing journey. I’m not a dark person and neither was Roger. Although there are some pensive moments, I didn’t want the CD to be weighed down with a dark vibe.” 

Jamie arranged all of the tunes on this CD. She also composed two songs, including the opening song “Get Out of My Head,” a swinger about getting back into dating after 20 years and what that really means. “Easy to Love” is the Cole Porter tune, which is how Jamie thought of Roger when they first started getting serious.

Roger introduced Jamie to Slam Stewart, one of the composers of “Flat Foot Floogie.” Jamie has an irreverent sense of humor and wanted to include this humorous ditty about a prostitute with venereal disease. It also reminds her of Roger’s light-hearted approach to life. 

Roger wrote the lyrics to Pat Metheny’s “Question and Answer” for Jamie and retitled it “The Answers Are You.” He changed the original vibe of the tune by turning it into a tender song about what it meant to find love. 

The next few songs, “Detour Ahead,” “Thou Swell,” “Mountain Greenery,” and “Easy Living” represent the happiness and love they experienced together before Roger was diagnosed. Roger proposed to Jamie while on a camping trip in the mountains, and so the lyrics to “Mountain Greenery” are very special and apt for Jamie. The CD takes a more somber turn with “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” when the cause of Roger’s illness was finally diagnosed.  For Jamie, “First Song for Ruth” marks Roger’s death, who was a big fan of Charlie Haden. Joe Bagg’s organ gives the song a reverent feeling. 

Jamie sings “O Cantador” in the original Portuguese. She chose it because it represents her need to sing after Roger’s passing, while the touching lyrics to “Reflections,” composed by Thelonious Monk with lyrics by Jon Hendricks, could have been written about Jamie. 

Jamie composed “Eyes Wide Open,” the title tune. The song is about moving on with life and contains the lyrics “As the clock slowly goes back in time, the hands move forward in a new direction / And the heart is being conditioned to move on with new intention.” The song concludes both the album and Jamie’s journey to date. 

EYES WIDE OPEN is a project imbued with love and loss but eschews mere sentimentality. Jamie doesn’t just perform moving interpretations of these songs -- she opens her heart and exposes the genuine, raw feelings that have propelled her to make this CD. Her innate musicality is showcased in her phrasing and tone, but it’s how she reveals the depth of the human condition that sets this project apart.

Jamie Shew vocals

Larry Koonse guitar

Joe Bagg piano & Hammond B3

Darek Oles bass

Jason Harnell drums

All arrangements by Jamie Shew

jamieshewmusic.com

Joanne Tatham - The Rings of Saturn (2018)

“A memorable jazz vocal excursion. It doesn’t matter what the groove of the song is, Joanne makes it come fully alive, most impressively…”

--Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews

Music has been part of JOANNE TATHAM’S life ever since she was a child in New Jersey, listening with her parents to songs from the Great American Songbook on WNEW, the legendary AM radio station in New York. She was captivated by singers like Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Jack Jones, their beautiful voices finding the heart and soul of the story of a song. Now, on THE RINGS OF SATURN, Tatham’s new CD, she continues the tradition -- laid down by the great vocalists of past generations -- of finding first-class material to sing and swing with a contemporary sensibility enhanced with hip, new arrangements. 

THE RINGS OF SATURN is Tatham’s fourth CD. It’s the follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2015 release Out of My Dreams, which debuted at #26 on the JazzWeek radio chart, solidifying her position as a top vocalist on the L.A. jazz scene and establishing her as an important jazz artist to watch. Jack Goodstein of Blogcritics said, “Out of My Dreams is as fine an album of jazz vocals as you’re likely to hear this year.” Christopher Loudon of JazzTimes said, “Blessed with impeccable phrasing and a meticulous sense of time, Tatham projects a West Coast effervescence yet also conjures the long shadows of Manhattan.” 

Tatham is a versatile singer who moves effortlessly between swing tunes, Latin music, and jazzed-up pop songs. She acquired her facility with different styles through many years of performing in various musical situations. Her vocal talents first emerged when she was a youngster in Catholic school, where she was chosen to lead the children’s choir and then the full Saturday night folk choir. She honed her ear training during her teen years as a member of an all-girls vocal group that sang standards with tight harmonies in performances at The Garden State Arts Center (now the PNC Bank Arts Center), but probably most foundational was the time she spent on weekends during high school as the girl singer in a standards band doing weddings, bowling banquets, and New Year’s Eve parties. Working the bandstand, calling tunes, taking requests -- all came to inform her musical confidence and chops. 

Tatham continued her musical education at The Hartt School, a performing arts conservatory at the University of Hartford. She also holds a graduate degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. After graduation, she moved to New York City, spending ten years living in Manhattan, singing and working as a theater actress. 

Then she married Chuck Tatham and her whole life changed.  Her husband is a successful television writer, so the couple moved to Los Angeles for his work. Tatham says, “After living in New York for many years, I really wanted a change, though I didn’t think I would wind up in L.A. But once I got here, I found my musical home.  The musicians were fabulous, and the club scene was really thriving back then. My first L.A. gig was at the old Cinegrill, in The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Soon I was playing The Baked Potato and Spazio, and driving out to the Desert for gigs. I happen to live nearby where Herb Alpert was building his Vibrato Grill and Jazz. I can’t believe I had the nerve, but I actually walked up to him one day when he was there checking on construction, and gave him a copy of my first CD. I began playing there almost from the day it opened!”  

The songs Tatham selected for THE RINGS OF SATURN are not your usual fare. The CD comprises lesser-done jazz tunes as well as one original, “Catch Me If You Can,” composed by Eli Brueggemann with whom Tatham worked before he became the current musical director for Saturday Night Live. Lyrics are by MARK WINKLER. Winkler, a popular vocalist and songwriter, produced both this CD and Out of My Dreams and also brought the title tune to Tatham.  “The Rings of Saturn,” a Latin-inflected number with a very modern feel, was written by Bill Gable, who’s known for his ability to combine exotic musical elements. That tune also features the guitar work of MARCEL CAMARGO, the Brazilian guitarist and composer. Camargo, who also appeared on Out of My Dreams, has most recently been playing guitar and singing back-up for Michael Bublé. Together, he and Tatham arranged Jobim’s “Jazz ‘n Samba” as a swinging duet for voice and guitar. Camargo and Tatham also perform a soli together on a sexy, wistful version of Jobim’s “If You Never Come to Me.” 

There’s no shortage of top-shelf musicians in Southern California, and Tatham brought on board some of the best. MAX HAYMER, who has recently been touring with Arturo Sandoval, plays piano and arranged most of the tunes. Tatham has known Haymer for many years, ever since he was a very young man and gave piano lessons to her sons. Tatham considers him almost part of the family.  

Michael Franks’ song, “Summer In New York,” evokes memories of the Big Apple. It features the unique sound of guitarist LARRY KOONSE, one of the most respected musicians in LA. The CD also features woodwinds virtuoso BOB SHEPPARD and trumpet master BRIAN SWARTZ, both of whom have national reputations and extensive recording and performing credits. The rhythm section is rounded out with the talents of DAN SCHNELLE on drums, LYMAN MEDEIROS on bass, and KEVIN WINARD on percussion -- all mainstays on the Los Angeles jazz scene. 

From standards “Love Me or Leave Me” and “It Could Happen to You,” to re-imagined pop tunes like Todd Rundgren’s “Can We Still be Friends” and Phoebe Snow’s “Poetry Man,” to a musical theater classic like “Anyone Can Whistle” by Stephen Sondheim, a notoriously difficult composer to sing in a jazz idiom, THE RINGS OF SATURN is an eclectic project that showcases Tatham’s musicianship, beautiful voice and aptitude for lyric interpretation. She is a performer unafraid to take risks. Her perfect diction and nuanced readings, combined with a flexible voice that is by turns gentle and inviting and then throaty and robust, demonstrates an artist in full control of her diverse material.

1. Love Me or Leave Me (3:45)

2. Summer in New York (5:23)

3. Catch Me If You Can (4:09)

4. Poetry Man (4:07)

5. The Rings of Saturn (5:05)

6. Can We Still Be Friends (4:35)

7. If You Never Come To Me (5:43)

8. Anyone Can Whistle (4:47)

9. Nice To Be Around (3:52)

10. Jazz ‘n’ Samba (Só Danço Samba) (2:11)

11. It Could Happen To You (3:56) 

Joanne Tatham  vocals

Max Haymer  piano

Lyman Medeiros  bass

Dan Schnelle  drums

Marcel Camargo  guitar (5, 7,10)

Larry Koonse  guitar (2)

Kevin Winard  percussion

Brian Swartz  trumpet

Bob Sheppard  sax

Arranged by Max Haymer, Eli Brueggemann (6),  Marcel Camargo & Joanne Tatham (10)

Produced by Mark Winkler

John Proulx - Say It (ArtistShare 2018)

ACCLAIMED VOCALIST/PIANIST/COMPOSER JOHN PROULX RELEASES “SAY IT” ON ARTISTSHARE, MARCH 14, 2018

A lot of great things have happened in JOHN PROULX’s life. He recorded three albums on the MAXJAZZ label, played with some amazing musicians and toured extensively, making many friends and fans across the country. But after the owner of MAXJAZZ passed away and the catalogue was sold to Mack Avenue Records, Proulx decided it was time to expand his horizons and take his career along a new and exciting path. His newest project, called SAY IT, is the first album he’s produced independently.

Each of his albums have expressed a different time in his life and musical journey. His new CD reflects the depth of experience of a man in his early-40’s with a career in full-stride and a beautiful wife and two children. Proulx has always been a sensitive pianist, which is why he’s often busy working as an accompanist for other vocalists, and he exhibits his facility with different styles throughout the CD. He can swing hard or he can play with a gentle subtlety that melds beautifully with his lyrical, tenor voice.  

Proulx approaches lyrics with a lot of heart and empathy. But that isn’t to say he takes himself too seriously. That’s why he chose songs like Mose Allison’s sardonic “I Don’t Worry About a Thing” or Michael Franks’ “Scatsville,” in which he declaims, “My Eleventh Commandment: "Thou Shalt Not Scat!" (and then launches into an impressive scat solo). But even on tunes like Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” or “The Summer Knows,” by Michel Legrand with lyrics by Marilyn & Alan Bergman, he sings with a wistfulness without a hint of worldweary disenchantment.  

The ten songs on this project are a mix of lesser-known jazz standards and jazz interpretations of pop songs by a diverse group of composers. Proulx chose these songs because they are beautifully constructed both melodically and lyrically. He knew that these mostly familiar songs would lend themselves to a fresh, new sound with updated, modern jazz arrangements. 

To help him shape his ideas, he brought on board his old friend JUDY WEXLER to produce the project. Wexler is a vocalist with four critically acclaimed CDs of her own and a mainstay on the Los Angeles jazz scene. 

Being a jazz musician based in Los Angeles has given Proulx the opportunity to play with some of the best musicians on the planet. Two legendary musicians, bassist CHUCK BERGHOFER and drummer JOE LaBARBERA, have appeared on all of Proulx’s previous CDs and join him once again on this recording. According to Proulx, “Chuck and Joe have been my musical bedrock. I love the way they inspire me to play and sing. I’m particularly close to Chuck, who’s really a father figure for me. I even dedicated a song to him, called “The Chuckster,” on my last CD.” 

Also joining Proulx are guitarist LARRY KOONSE and saxophonist BOB SHEPPARD. The two highly respected, indemand musicians, have also recorded with Proulx before. 

SAY IT also features a duet with Proulx and MELISSA MANCHESTER, the pop diva who’s been performing since the 1970s and has recorded 21 albums to date. The duo sings together on “Stained Glass,” a tune they cowrote. Proulx met Manchester five years ago when he was recommended by trombonist Bill Watrous as a substitute keyboard player for Manchester’s band. Proulx started subbing and eventually became her permanent keyboardist, regularly singing with her in live shows. “Stained Glass” is the second composition they co-wrote. They also co-wrote “Big Light” for Manchester’s album You Gotta Love the Life, which was performed as a duet with Manchester and Al Jarreau. 

Proulx has been a big fan of Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and arranger ALAN BROADBENT, whom he met while performing with Jane Monheit. Broadbent sent Proulx “The Last Goodbye,” a tune he wrote with lyricist Georgia Mancio. Proulx was blown away by the song and knew he had to record it on this CD, so he asked Broadbent to write a string arrangement for it, as well as for “The Summer Knows” and “Both Sides Now.” The lush string arrangements are performed by THE GINA KRONSTADT STRINGS. 

Proulx is a highly accomplished interpreter of standards. As a pianist, he has a sure sense of swing, which, combined with his warm, intimate voice, make for highly appealing renditions of tunes like “Gentle Rain,” “Something to Live For,” “Watch What Happens,” and “Say It.” 

As the saying goes “when one door closes another opens,” and that’s certainly been Proulx’s experience. He took advantage of being fully independent to explore who he is as an artist and then followed that path to create a CD of great warmth, affection, and sophistication. 

About John Proulx

John Proulx is a Grammy-winning composer. Jazz legend Nancy Wilson recorded "These Golden Years," a song that Proulx co-wrote with lyricist D. Channsin Berry, for her 2006 Grammy-winning CD, Turned to Blue. Besides performing as a leader, Proulx is also a busy sideman, and has performed with jazz luminaries such as Anita O'Day and Natalie Cole, and pop artist Melissa Manchester. 

In 2009, Proulx spent four months at the prestigious Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency hotel in New York City playing a nightly solo piano/vocal engagement.  Since then, John has appeared on Michael Feinstein’s radio show on NPR, “Song Travels,” as well as on Marian McPartland’s radio show, “Piano Jazz.” John recently moved back to Grand Rapids, Michigan to pursue a Master’s degree from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. 

SAY IT will be available at ArtistShare.com and in stores and online everywhere on March 14, 2018.

1. Gentle Rain (4:26)

2. Scatsville (3:48)

3. The Summer Knows (4:12)

4. Watch What Happens (3:32)

5. Say It (4:53)

6. I Don’t Worry About a Thing (4:36)

7. The Last Goodbye (3:54)

8. Stained Glass (4:26)

9. Something to Live For (4:50)

10. Both Sides Now (4:43)

John Proulx  piano / vocals

Chuck Berghofer  bass

Joe LaBarbera drums

Larry Koonse  guitar

Bob Sheppard  tenor sax, soprano sax

Billy Hulting  auxiliary percussion

Melissa Manchester  guest vocals

Alan Broadbent  string quartet arrangements

The Gina Kronstadt Strings

Gina Kronstadt  1st violin, leader, contractor

Susan Chatman  2nd violin

Rodney Wurtz  viola

Stefanie Fife  cello

Arrangements by John Proulx

Produced by Judy Wexler

JOHN PROULX "Say It" from Marc Saltarelli on Vimeo.

Dave Tull (feat. Randy Porter, Randy Waldman, Larry Koonse, Kevin Axt, Wayne Bergeron, George Stone, Cheryl Bentyne, Inga Swearingen, Les Benedict, Doug Webb & Andy Martin) - Texting and Driving (ToyCar Records 2018)

DAVE TULL is a witty observer of the trials and tribulations of everyday life… especially the life of a professional musician. Tull is a veteran drummer who, among his many credits, performed in Chuck Mangione’s band for 10 years and accompanied Barbra Streisand on three of her most recent tours.

Although Tull has been playing for over 30 years and has appeared on dozens of recordings as a sideman, he released his first CD as a leader, I JUST WANT TO GET PAID, only in 2009. That was a full-length vocal project that showcased Tull’s smooth vocal stylings and clever compositions. Now, his newest CD, TEXTING AND DRIVING, will cement his reputation as a top-notch lyricist and humorist in the vein of Dave Frishberg and a singer with a sly, tongue-in-cheek sensibility and improvisatory style that sounds like he might be the unacknowledged son of Jack Sheldon and EddieJefferson.

Because Tull started his musical life as a drummer, his development as a singer started with scatting along with his drums, and he learned to improvise vocally before learning any actual melodies. It’s an approach that shaped his vocal style and sets him apart from other singers.

For anyone who’s familiar with Tull’s career, his singing chops comes as no surprise. He began singing on gigs in the 1990s when he worked in PageCavanaugh’s trio. Cavanaugh, the veteran pianist and singer who became one of Southern California's most enduring lounge jazz artists, like dTull’s singing so much, he often wrote vocal parts for him and gave him solo time at the microphone. After leaving Cavanaugh, Tull became both the drummer and lead vocalist in Chuck Mangione’s band. His vocal on Mangione’s “The Children of Sanchez” and his bebop scat vocal on “Dizzymiles” was featured at hundreds of concerts, including The Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl and The Blue Note in New York City. Tull has also played on eight of Cheryl Bentyne’s solo projects, and he accompanied her on six tours to Japan.Bentyne had Tull sing on two tracks of her CD “Moonlight Serenade,” including the song “Tull Tales.”

On TEXTING AND DRIVING, Tull displays his wide command of subject matter and musical styles. Tull says, “I don’t sit down to write a funny tune.If a song turns out to be humorous, it’s because it’s just a big part of who I am. I love to laugh. Besides, there’s so much more to write about than romantic love. I savor the absurdities of life.”

Songs like “The Texting Song,” a big band swing number in which he sings about the dangers of texting and driving, or “Watch Your Kid,” a waltz in which he laments the lack of parental supervision when kids run amok in public,are laugh-out-loud funny. As a busy,tourin gmusician, Tull is someone who travels a lot and meets more people than he could possibly remember. “Please Tell Me Your Name” is a funny send-up of running into a fellow musician at the airport, but he just can’t remember the guy’s name, an embarrassing position most people have faced. On “Clapping on One and Three” he wonders if he can continue a relationship with a beautiful woman after discovering that she doesn’t know anything about jazz.

Although he excels at wry observations, he also has a more serious, ruminative side. “I Will Sing to You” is a gentle lullaby he wrote for his children, Henry and Frannie, while “You Remind Me,” a samba, is a love song for his wife, Dawn. “The Stoplight at the End of the Street” is perhaps Tull’s most philosophical piece as he imagines the point of view of a stoplight close to his home that observes the daily flow of humanity.

Tull is joined by a roster of A-list musicians, most whom are old friends and musical compatriots that he’s toured with in various bands over the years.The band includes guitarist LARRY KOONSE, whom he’s been friends with since high school, and trumpeter GEORGE STONE,whom he’s known since college. RANDY PORTER is a Portland-based pianist whom Tull to flew in to L.A. to anchor the trio.Tull and Porter worked together on several tours with The Rebecca Kilgore–DaveTull Quartet. Tull worked with trumpeter WAYNE BERGERON i nMaynardFerguson’s band in 1987 and with trombonist LES BENEDICT in Steve Huffsteter’s band. Tull and pianist RANDY WALDMAN both appeared on Michael Buble’s first two albums and worked together on Barbara Streisand’s tours. Tull and bassist KEVIN AXT toured for ten years with Chuck Mangione, and sax player DOUG WEBB met Dave on the Bill Holman BigBand.

He’s also joined by two outstanding vocalists on a couple of songs. INGA SWEARINGEN, a popular singer-songwirter from California’s Central Coast, sings a duet with Tullon “The Moment,” a lush,romantic ballad with a string arrangement by Stone. Vocalist CHERYL BENTYNE joins him on “The Date,” a flirty song wherein Tull and Bentyne have very different impressions about the same encounter, revealing their thoughts as internal monologues as they sing over one another.

For those who know Tull only as a superb session drummer, TEXTING AND DRIVING is an engaging project that showcases the range of his other talents as a singer, composer, and arranger. Although he’s frequently witty and sometimes sardonic,there’s also a sweetness to his writing and singing that gives this CD an endearing and affable quality that is inviting and enchanting.

David Friesen - Structures (ORIGIN RECORDS 2017)

"One of the most eminent exponents of the instrument, he maintains an astonishing level of virtuosity." LOS ANGELES TIMES

With 50 years of designing sublime musical architecture where risk-taking, rhythmic rapport, originality, and giving of oneself to the music are the vital ingredients, legendary bassist David Friesen has reached a creative pinnacle. The two-disc set, "Structures," highlights his capacities and his original compositions through duos with two dynamic improvisors he's partnered with over the years. Disc One offers saxophonist Joe Manis and Friesen in a live duo performance in Ukraine while on tour in early 2017. On Disc Two, David carries on with an eclectic musical relationship started back when master guitarist Larry Koonse was still a student. Together they have created an intimate album, sharing conversations full of vitality, warmth, and great musical respect.

"Few solo musicians on any instrument have made music as powerful and deeply moving as David Friesen." - Oakland Tribune

DISC ONE:

1. Wrinkle 4:41

2. Basic Strategy 4:56

3. Brilliant Heart* 5:11

4. Martin's balcony 2:56

5. Left Field Blues 3:26

6. New Hope* 3:41

7. Roof Tops 4:45

8. Seam Line 6:11

9. Going Forth* 6:14

10. Lament for the Lost/Procession 8:16

DISC TWO:

1. Make Believe 4:12

2. New Hope 4:16

3. Romantic 3:45

4. Quietly Unfolding 4:18

5. Alaskan Waters 4:25

6. Undisclosed 5:20

7. At Last, At Rest 4:05

8. Passage 3:58

9. My Faith, My Life 4:07

DISC ONE: 

David Friesen - Hemage bass, piano 

Joe Manis - tenor & soprano saxophones 

DISC TWO:

David Friesen - Hemage bass 

Larry Koonse - electric guitar

Pat Senatore Trio - Inspirations (FRESH SOUND RECORDS 2017)

Pat Senatore, the Artistic Director for Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz in Bel Air, California, performs there regularly and is a Fresh Sound Records artist, evolved over the last few years with his trio, featuring Josh Nelson on piano and Mark Ferber on drums.

It seems Senatore was destined to become a musician. It's in his DNA. His father grew up in Compania, Italy, singing Neapolitan folk songs in theaters. Pat followed a family tradition and studied violin as a child but it was not until he took up the bass and heard Scott LaFaro did he know for sure he wanted to be a jazz musician. His passion for jazz was so strong that he left the Julliard School of Music in New York after two years because it did not recognize jazz at the time.

He took his studies from the classroom to the rhythm section of various big bands. He toured the country with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. During his tenure with Kenton, he recorded Adventures in Blues, and Adventures in Jazz at Capitol Records. Having moved from Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles, California he was happy to stay put in his new home long enough to work at the famed Coconut Grove with the Dick Stabile Orchestra. Then he joined the Les Brown Orchestra and went to Vietnam with Bob Hope. Upon returning, he performed with two weekly television shows: The Bob Hope Show and the Dean Martin Show.

Then he met Herb Alpert who asked him to join the original Tijuana Brass. In five years, they recorded nine albums, performed on all the major networks, including the legendary Ed Sullivan Show, did five TV Specials and numerous world tours, performing Command Performances for President Johnson, Queen Elizabeth II, and the King of Thailand.

After the Brass, Senatore continued performing throughout the world, performing with such artists as:  Carmen McRae, Peggy Lee, Louis Bellson, Buddy Rich, Anita O'Day, Gabor Szabo, Theresa Graves, Hampton Hawes, Kai Winding, Frank Sinatra... to mention a few. Read more...

01. Anthropology (Parker-Gillespie) 4:52

02. Miyako (Wayne Shorter) 6:27

03. Road Song (Wes Montgomery) 5:25

04. Laura (David Raksin) 3:57

05. Song of the Jet (Antonio Carlos Jobim) 7:10

06. The Duke (Dave Brubeck) 3:49

07. Fun Ride (Bill Evans) 4:07

08. Georgia on my Mind (Hoagy Carmichael) 6:09

09. The Theme (Miles Davis) 6:34

10. Two for the Road (Henry Mancini) 3:17

Pat Senatore (bass)

Tom Ranier (piano, bass clarinet on #6)

Christian Euman (drums)

Guest:

Larry Koonse (guitar on #8)

Herb Alpert (trumpet on #4 & 8)

Recorded at Vibrato Grill Jazz, California, October & November 2016