The Whole Music Experience

Jazz   Joe Barbieri   Chet Lives!   Le Chant du Monde/Harmonia Mundi     For anyone familiar with the history of American jazz will have heard the name Chet Baker.   I had heard the name, but had never officially listened to any of Baker’s iconic songs.   A trumpeter and vocalist, Baker focused on lyrical jazz which he sung with sedated, sultry voice with hints of Brazilian bossa nova.   Sadly, Baker’s story is mostly tragic with his mysterious death in the Netherlands and a drug addiction that plagued him for most of his career.   You would never have guessed this from the brightness of his voice and horn or from the songs he sung.   Italian crooner-guitarist Joe Barbieri along with his trio (Antonio Fresa on piano and Luca Aquino on trumpet and flugel horn), render the spirit of the late Baker by revisiting the songs Baker performed in Italy on Chet Lives! Oddly, with some of the songs delving into bos...

Jazz Deborah Latz   Fig Tree June Moon Productions Ever so often a new voice crosses my path, a musician so authentic, that I pause and take notice.  Deborah Latz comes to jazz by way of musical theater, but she’s no cabaret act, neither is she a smooth jazz crooner.  Latz’ zingy interpretations of jazz chestnuts as well as, her original tunes get under the skin.  Her arrangements surprise us, such as the slowed down Embraceable You which features only vocals and bass or Blue Skies with its light 70s funk.  Latz travels into foreign territory, Brazil with her original E Luxo Só and on the cover Corcovado ( Quiet Nights , Quiet Stars made famous by Astrud Gilberto).  The titular track, Fig Tree also contributes a fun and zestful performance to the CD. It’s hard to come up with any new adjectives not already used by music critics to describe Latz’s voice or style.  So I just decided to enjoy what’s on offer, 14 carefully ch...