The Whole Music Experience

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...

Jazz Virginie Teychené Bright and Sweet Jazz Village Jazz and women musicians launched 2013 and already two weeks into the New Year, and I’ve featured several women jazz musicians.   French jazz chanteuse Virginie Teychené arrived in my life like a sweet fragrance.   The name of her latest album, Bright and Sweet tells just as much about the vocalist’s character as it does the sweet, sad, and rousing repertoire she performs.   It has taken me longer to review this recording since I wanted to learn more about Teychené and also the collection of songs chosen for this project. A self-taught vocalist, Teychené impresses me with her vocal style range and her natural instincts as she makes her way around songs by Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Billie Holiday, Michel Legrand/Jacques Demy, and other jazz greats from both sides of the Atlantic.   The French vocalist shapes the songs and makes them her own leading listene...

Jazz Chris McNulty The Song that Sings You Here Challenge Records If you didn’t know the story behind Chris McNulty’s album The Song that Sings You Here , you might find the album romantic and sensual.   And it is those things, but the irony of McNulty’s son’s death and the story that McNulty includes in the liner notes contributes pathos that hovers over both the covers and original tunes that grace the album.   For instance, when you hear the jazz chanteuse croon the words to One Less Bell to Answer (Bacharach/David), you feel McNulty’s heart breaking.   Then the vocalist closes the album with the titular song she composed before the death of her son.   She sings, “Just like the sun, an ageless flame.   Just like the moon and sand. Just like your eyes that shine forever here through all time, love’s a long road home.” Backed by a stellar band that includesUgonna Okegwo on bass, Marcus Gilmore on drums, Paul Bollenback on guitars...