PATRICE JÉGOU (pronounced Zhay-goo) is a singer’s singer.
Her sumptuous, velvety, and technically flawless voice embraces you like a warm
blanket on a cold night. Her new CD, IF IT AIN’T LOVE, is a musically diverse
album of jazz and pop tunes that encompasses big band and huge orchestral
arrangements, power ballads, and a cappella
adaptations. Jégou, a Canadian-born, classically trained mezzo-soprano,
is an ex-figure skater who took up singing at the suggestion of a cast-mate who
heard her amazing singing voice during an ice-skating show in Mexico. Years of
study culminated in a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal performance from
Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Jégou recruited some of the world’s top arrangers for the
recording, including: JORGE CALANDRELLI (arranger for Barbra Streisand and Tony
Bennett), JOHN CLAYTON, and MARK KIBBLE of TAKE 6. To round it out, she
enlisted heavyweights DAVID PAICH of Toto (writer of such hits as “Rosanna” and
“Africa,” and son of legendary arranger Marty Paich), and celebrated L.A.
studio pianist MIKE LANG. Jégou can really swing, as she so clearly
demonstrates on her collaborations with the inimitable CLAYTON-HAMILTON JAZZ
ORCHESTRA.
On tunes like “Waltz for Debby” and “Estate,” both of which
were arranged by Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated Calandrelli, Jégou takes a
thoughtful and sensitive approach to the lyrics. But she can also get her
groove on, and we hear that in the funky Allen Toussaint tune “Yes We Can,
Can.” In this track, arranged by Paich, Jégou sings a duet with gospel diva
TÀTA VEGA. But whether she’s swinging, feeling the groove, or interpreting an
intimate ballad like “It Might Be You,” she clearly captures the heart and soul
of a song, no matter the genre.
IF IT AIN’T LOVE was recorded at the famed Capitol Studios
and United Recording, in Los Angeles. Jégou was elated when two titans of the
music industry agreed to come on board: legendary recording engineers DON
MURRAY and AL SCHMITT. And the results are impressive.
Tracks:
Lover Come Back to Me (a cappella) (feat. Mark Kibble and
Alvin Chea)
Jersey Bounce (feat. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz
Orchestra)
Baubles, Bangles, and Beads
Yes We Can, Can (feat. Táta Vega)
I’m So Glad I’m Standing Here Today
Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (feat. Take 6)
If It Ain’t Love (feat. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz
Orchestra)
Estate (Summer) (feat. Larry Koonse)
Lover Come Back to Me (feat. Mark Kibble)
Waltz for Debby
Losing You
Just Squeeze Me (feat. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra)
Where Do You Start?
Remembrances (In Memory of Stan Getz) (feat. Javier Almaráz) 0
Please Send Me Someone to Love (feat. The Clayton-Hamilton
Jazz Orchestra)
It Might Be You