More than 25
years after Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Melissa Manchester released
Tribute, her 1989 album that honored the great female singers who influenced
her, she turns the tables with The Fellas, a radiant encomium to the men,
including Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme', Tony Bennett and Dean Martin, and the
iconic songs they made famous. Tracks include: Ain’'t That a Kick in the Head;
Chances Are; They Say It's Wonderful; For Me and My Gal; Love Is Just Around
the Corner; Smile; Night and Day; and How Do You Keep the Music Playing.
STEVE NELSON
JAZZ QUARTET – EASY LIVING
Vibist Steve
Nelson is in a slightly different setting here than on some of his other recent
records – running through a set of familiar standards in a laidback way, yet
still handling them with that remarkably bold strike on the vibes that always
makes his music so unique! The group's got a nicely warm vibe – Massimo Farao
on piano, Aldo Zunino on bass, and Byron Landham on drums – and although Farao
gets in some nice solos, Nelson's clearly the main attraction – as he makes
these tunes explode with chromatic hues, but in an easygoing way! The whole
thing's another example of why Steve's been one of our favorite vibes players
for years – and titles include "Easy Living", "East Of The
Sun", "Samba De Orfeu", "Beautiful Friendship", and
"Lady Be Good" – plus Steve's original "Blues Up". ~ Dusty
Groove
VENUS ALL
STARS – VENUS JAZZ NIGHT: ISOLA JAZZ FESTIVAL
A beautiful
live performance – recorded in Italy, but by a group of musicians who record
for Japan's Venus Records label – easily one of the classiest jazz imprints of
the past decade or two! And as a further twist, a number of the artists here
are American – which makes the whole thing a great trans-national performance,
handled with energy to match! Yet even without all of that pedigree, the music
is wonderful in and of itself – long tracks that seem to bring even more of an
edge to the usual Venus presentation – especially in the rhythmic department,
which can sometimes be a bit more subtle on the label's studio recordings. The
group features lots of heavy work on the bottom – bassists Aldo Zunino and
Nicola Barbon, drummers Roberto Facchinetti and Byron Landham, and
percussionist Ernesttico – and strong solos are by Jerry Weldon on tenor and
Massimo Farao on piano. There's also a few vocal moments – with singers who
include Daria Toffali, Joyce Yuille, and Denise King – and titles include
"Estrada Branca", "Theme From Mash", "Get Up",
"September Song", "Sunny", "Triste", "O Amor
Em Paz", and "Teach Me Tonight".
~ Dusty Groove
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