Aimee Nolte’s voice is beautiful, sonorous and reflective on her latest album Looking For The Answers, The singer arranged and produced every track on the album, lending a consistent aesthetic and laid-back vibe to most of the cuts here. What separates Nolte from other vocalists and composers is the poetry and storytelling quality of her compositions, with lyrics reminescent of Joni Mitchell – just minus Mitchell playfulness. “Save Me One Last Time” speaks to the bandleadeader’s seriousness as a lyricists when the theme of lost love is addressed: “If I keep on falling, I’ll be lost forever/ Save me one last time.”Nolte exhibits her jazz chops on “Bye Bye Blackbird”, when she pleasantly scats as John Clayton accopanies her on bass.Despite instrumentalists coming and going track to track, Looking For The Answers is pretty even-keeled listen. Dough Webb and John Reilly on woodwinds round out “The Loveliest Girl” and “Save Me One Last Time,” respectively. And drummmer James Yoshizawa delivers throughout the recording with a soft, but steady, attention to mantaining the rhytm, making his performances incospicuos, until the listener realizes that his reliability helps drive the entire album. “For A While” closes things out with Nolte on piano, sans vocals, letting listeners take in the bandleader’s full abilities at the keyboard while she paints a chromatic ballad that’s sure to delight.
– Michele L. Simms-Burton (Downbeat)
The VOCAL SOUND OF JAZZ began airing on 89.5 FM (now WHRV-FM) on January 4th 1980. Originally a 30 minute program that aired on Friday evenings, the program expanded to it current 60 minute format and moved to Saturday evenings during the 90s. It was also aired over WUOM in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a five-year period in the late 1980s.
Produced and hosted by Jack Frieden since its premiere broadcast, the program has always attempted to spotlight both jazz vocal music’s post 1950s history, as well as the new singers and songs that will continue to play an increasingly prominent role in the music’s future. With the internet’s ability to attract and entertain jazz vocal fans globally, Jack looks forward to broadening the mission and reach of the “Vocal Sound of Jazz” in coming years.
Email Jack Frieden
Vocal Sound of Jazz LLC
1056 Downshire Chase
Virginia Beach, Va. 23452
Ph: 757 438 6785