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Antonio Carlos Jobim: Live At Minas
by Ernest Barteldes
When one thinks of an Antonio Carlos Jobim record, what comes to mind are either his '60s recordings with João Gilberto and Frank Sinatra, or discs that feature him with a large backing ensemble. However on Live at Minas (recorded live in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1981 but only made public in 2006), we hear a different side of the composer, in a rare solo concert. The show begins almost with an apology: “I'm not really into ...
read moreMarlene Ver Planck: My Impetuous Heart
by Andrew Velez
For those who imagine Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics are strictly designed for nuns chirping about larks learning to pray, check out Marlene Ver Planck's Baccarat chiseling of his “All in Fun, as set to Jerome Kern's music, from this reissued 1999 session. The great lyricist could scarcely have a better interpreter to reveal the depth of feeling in this bittersweet urban love gem. Savor how she touches down lightly on “We are seen around New York...just a fellow and a girl ...
read moreGal Costa: Live At The Blue Note
by Ernest Barteldes
For the set list of her first-ever appearance at New York's Blue Note last May, Gal Costa chose to sing material that influenced her growing up. Aware that she had to be as minimalist as possible, she chose a simple backing quartet of guitar, bass, drums and saxophone. The disc, which was recorded over two of her five nights at the club, opens with three Jobim classics, “Fotografia ("Photo"), “Desafinado ("Off Key") and “Chega de Saudade ("No ...
read moreMarlene VerPlanck: My Impetuous Heart
by Jim Santella
A heralded interpreter of the classic American Popular Songbook, Marlene VerPlanck makes each story come alive right before your ears. Arranger Billy VerPlanck, the singer’s husband and musical partner for over forty years, creates scenarios for each song that makes them unique. Changes in tempo and mood that correspond with changes in the lyrics make each arrangement quite apart from ordinary presentations. VerPlanck began her singing career with the big bands of Charlie Spivak, Tex Beneke, and the Dorsey Brothers. ...
read moreCarol Sloane: Romantic Ellington
by C. Michael Bailey
Ellington at the Millennium. A flood of Ellingtonia has been released in this year of the maestro’s centenary. This is the first completely vocal collection I have come upon (Tony Bennett’s Sings Ellington Hot and Cool not withstanding). Carol Sloane of Hendricks, Lambert, and Sloane fame releases her first recording for the DRG label after several productive years on Concord Jazz. Romantic Ellington is a well-chosen collection of Ellington/Strayhorn ballads that more often than not arrives on the road less ...
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