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Jazz Articles about Patti Austin
Various Artists: Ella 100 Live at the Apollo
by Jim Worsley
To be taken back in time within the scope of a period piece movie has long been a staple. Some journeys feel much more real than others, but the concept is commonplace. Venturing into the past with only the audio of a CD or record is, as they might have said back in 1934, a whole different kettle of fish." A live audience first laid eyes and ears on this 100th birthday celebration honoring the sensational Ella Fitzgerald (born on ...
read morePatti Austin: Sound Advice
by Jeff Winbush
Sound Advice is Patti Austin's first pure pop album in ten years and, as a vocalist, Austin has always moved easily between genres. Austin excels when she's paired with a producer who can bring out her strengths and the material matches her ability. The Real Me (Qwest, 1988) was an example, where the singer and the songs were perfectly matched, but this time around Austin has chosen songs that don't compliment her.Whatever else Austin is, she's no rock ...
read morePatti Austin: Avant Gershwin
by Katrina-Kasey Wheeler
Patti Austin began her incandescent career at the age of four. The daughter of trombonist Gordon Austin, and goddaughter of Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington, has emerged stronger than ever. After a bout with diabetes, she decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery and the result has been remarkable. She is in superb form, both physically and artistically, as evidenced by Avant Gershwin (Rendezvous, 2007); which celebrates some of the most beloved songs written by the ingenious George Gershwin.From ...
read morePatti Austin: For Ella
by Dave Nathan
For her 16th album Patti Austin has decided to go with one of those you can't go wrong with it albums. A fine singer in her own right, Austin pays tribute to perhaps the quintessential female jazz singer of all time, Ella Fitzgerald, with a selection of 12 tunes, 11 of which are immediately associated with Fitzgerald. The one exception is the original Hearing Ella Sing". Recorded live in Cologne, Germany and backed by the very large, and very good, ...
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