Jazz Articles about Carol Mennie

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Carol Mennie: I'm Not a Sometime Thing

by William Grim
April 13, 2005

Jazz singing is like the Supreme Court's definition of pornography--it can't be defined, but everyone knows what it is when they see (or hear) it. Most of the time, jazz singing falls into two categories: (1) scat singing, improvisatory vocalising, or (2) cabaret, Broadway-style singing. Carol Mennie definitely falls into the latter category. Her husband and musical collaborator, Dom Minasi, on the other hand, is a gifted and technically superb jazz guitarist who, like Joe Lovano, has an excellent reputation ...

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Vocalists 2004

by C. Michael Bailey
November 22, 2004

Carol Mennie I'm Not a Sometime Thing CDM 1004 2004Long closely associated with guitarist composer Dom Minasi, jazz vocalist Carol Mennie steps out as leader and hits one out of the park. Ms. Mennie revealed her deep alto on the recent Dom Minasi release, Time Will Tell, fashioning Monk's “'Round Midnight" into a darkly-colored ballad. Here, she steers through a collection of originals and standards, all framed by Minasi's keen freedom principle, ...

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Carol Mennie: I'm Not a Sometime Thing

by Jochem van Dijk
November 9, 2004

In the jazz scene there's a lot of complaining about the current state of affairs in the vocal department, where the risk-free, nap-inducing Great American Songbook collections come rolling down the jazz volcano in thick, ubiquitous lava-waves. So, to paraphrase the tune “Who Needs You" from Carol Mennie's debut recording, I'm Not a Sometime Thing : who needs another vocal CD? This one, though, eschews the genre's clichés, and Mennie has a lot to offer. She is ...

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Carol Mennie: I'm Not A Sometime Thing

by Jim Santella
November 3, 2004

The album's title track leaves little doubt that Carol Mennie represents a unique voice in jazz and blues. Her passionate interpretation comes from deep down inside as she travels the spectrum of emotional outpouring. She and her husband, guitarist Dom Minasi, have found a way to express classic standards and fresh originals from a different point of view.

An acoustic album with inventive concepts in musical arranging, I'm Not A Sometime Thing features a silky smooth alto voice, ...