Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Elena Kapeleris: Introduction

303

Elena Kapeleris: Introduction

By

View read count
Elena Kapeleris: Introduction
Elena Kapeleris makes her debut as a singer and saxophonist with Introduction. Kapeleris studied saxophone with Pat La Barbera, who placed emphasis on learning the words to jazz standards. She soon began singing lessons and went on to perform both as a singer and saxophonist.

Of the seven tunes here, four are duets with guitarist Tom Juhas, whose chord work urges the song onward. The two work in beautiful consonance, the high mark being "I'm in the Mood For Love." Kapeleris blows with an abiding sense of time and development. Her phrasing is sure and heartfelt, her intonation engaging the innate feel of the melody. She invests enough swing to grab, and when she shifts into the upper register and elongates the notes at the end, she has stamped her imprint on the tune.

Kapeleris' vocal interpretation of the standards stands up to scrutiny with a huskiness that is intimate and immediate. She sets up that ambience succinctly on "The Nearness of You" to create a sense of belonging.

A Latin swish fans the quartet outing of "All or Nothing at All." The arrangement elevates the song and Kapeleris sings with a slight abandon and swing in which her voice suggests certain aloofness that love has to be complete. In doing so, she underlines the message. Juhas adds a distinctive statement on the acoustic guitar as LaBarbera, who is a unique minister of the saxophone, adds his own distinctive touch.

Kapeleris anchors her debut with a fine performance. This should augur well for her ongoing journey.

Track Listing

A Sinner Kissed An Angel; We'll Be Together Again; I'm In The Mood For Love; All Or Nothing At All; I Should care; That's All; The Nearness Of You.

Personnel

Elena Kapeleris
saxophone, tenor

Elena Kapeleris: vocals, saxophone; Pat LaBarbera: saxophone (1, 4, 6); Tom Juhas: guitar; Brandi Disterheft: bass.

Album information

Title: Introduction | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.