Erin Dickins

A founding member of MANHATTAN TRANSFER, the original jazz vocal group, Ms. Dickins continues to enchant audiences throughout the world. She has performed and recorded with Leonard Cohen, Bette Midler, James Taylor, The Talking Heads, James Brown, Barry Manilow, Jaco Pastorius and Ashford & Simpson, to name but a few. NICE GIRLS   is Erin Dickins’ debut solo album, recently released on Champagne Records. Anchored by the single and video Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast —a remake of 1950’s starlet Julie London’s hit —Dickins’ album was carefully crafted over a two-year period by a group of renowned musicians including composer Jesse Frederick (music for Flamingo Kid, Full House, Perfect Strangers, Step By Step, Family Matters), pianist/arranger Rob Mounsey (Kurt Elling, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Deborah Cox) and bassist David Finck (Harry Connick Jr., Steve Kuhn, Liza Minelli, Rod Stewart, Sir Andre Previn).   This collection of beautifully recorded and performed gems – from cool sultry ballads to swinging arrangements, is a perfect musical reflection to Dickins’ engaging personality.   Dickins comes from an artistic family. Her mother, who traded photo-portraits to a local opera singer in return for singing lessons for nine-year-old Erin, was formerly a dancer with the Rockettes in New York. Erin’s father was a passionate amateur jazz pianist who taught Erin to sing and play, sharing with her his deep love of music.   Dickins considers it her honor and responsibility to spread the joy that she experiences every time she performs. Music is an instrument of transformation, and Dickins is transformed when singing. She believes that as a musician she has been given a unique gift. “When I perform I give 200 percent. If I can be an instrument for joy, just for one instant, then I have done what is asked of me. That’s how you heal the planet, right? One song, one...

Michael Franks

“Time Together” Jazz singer/songwriter Michael Franks is an artist most jazz fans feel strongly about one way or another. His unique, romantic poet-cum-laid-back hipster approach to jazz signing is breezy, light, and languid. It’s also uniquely his own, though deeply influenced by Brazilian jazz, bossa, and samba. Time Together, his first recording of new material in five years — and his debut for Shanachie — is unlikely to change anyone’s opinion of him, but that doesn’t mean this is a rote recording. Time Together is an airy, groove-ridden summer travelog that ranges from St. Tropez and New York to Paris, France, and Egypt; it journeys through the nostalgic past and finds space in the present moment, with cleverly notated, languorous, ironic observations about life. Franks split the production and arranging duties betweenCharles Blenzig, Gil Goldstein, Chuck Loeb, Scott Petito, and Mark Egan. The rest of the international cast on this polished 11-song set includes old friends and new faces David Spinozza, Mike Mainieri, David Mann, Eric Marienthal, Till Brönner, Alex Spiagin, Jerry Marotta, Billy Kilson, Romero Lubambo, and backing vocalist Veronica Nunn. Time Togetheris wonderfully polished without being overly slick. The set opens with “Now That the Summer’s Here,” a samba-inspired paean to laziness with excellent solos by Bronner‘s trumpet and Marienthal‘s alto. The arrangement by Loeb includes a perfectly balanced meld of acoustic and electric guitars, with the harmony chorus between Franks and Carmen Cuesta adding an essentially restrained yet celebratory tone. “One Day in St. Tropez” is oneFranks‘ finest reminiscence songs. Goldstein‘s acoustic piano, Greg Cohen‘s bass, andLubambo‘s acoustic guitar evoke classic bossa while the singer details in exotically rich, nostalgically romantic lyrics a 1963 hitchhiking excursion through Southern France. “Mice” is a humorous, metaphorically hip irony, illustrated beautifully by Manieri‘s vibes, Petito‘s bass, and Spinozza‘s guitar with a backing vocal from Beth Neilsen-Chapman. “Samba Blue,” another of thew album’s finer tracks, offers the tale of a long-ago love affair in Paris, without a hint of cloying or regret, thanks to Franks fine lyric and melody, and a jauntyLoeb...

Amy London-Let’s Fly

Let’s Fly, the much anticipated follow-up to Amy London’s acclaimed 2008 Motéma debut, When I Look in Your Eyes, is a swinging and sensual affair, replete with jazz and Brazilian standards, tasty re-imaginings of songs by Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro, and rare gems by bop legends Charles Mingus and Elmo Hope. London’s considerable talents, developed through her many years as a first-call New York City jazz, Broadway and big band vocalist, shine on Let’s Fly, her second CD for Motèma. The recording takes its name from the lead track, an uplifting, truly swinging version of ”Let’s Fly,” which was penned by vocal legend Annie Ross when she was just 14. Ross submitted the song to a contest for a chance to have Johnny Mercer record the winner. “Let’s Fly” won, and was recorded by Mercer in 1945. It has never been recorded since, until now, where it happily sees the light of day with London’s delightful approach, featuring a vocalese verse of her own.  Let’s Fly, releasing on Jan. 11, 2011, is a true love letter of a CD. “I am in love with every single song on this CD, tunes and lyrics alike. They are all melodies, grooves and stories that I love to share with audiences, wherever I go,” enthuses London. “What unites this material for me, is that the stories reflect where I am right now in my life. Every song was sung with certain people in mind, and I wrote the arrangements to ornament the stories.” On this musically impeccable set, London is accompanied by an A-list of New York players who breathe and groove with her as one, as they travel through her solid, unique and deeply personal arrangements. Motèma label-mate Roni Ben-Hur provides an important element of the overall sound. His tone and swing on guitar, which helped make London’s When I...

Jane Stuart-Don’t Look Back

Some jazz singers attempt to manipulate the audience with wild arrangements or odd backup groups to give the feeling of ‘something new and exciting’ about jazz. Jane Stuart discards those unnecessary trappings and simply sings with a style so secure that everything falls into place. Her choice of songs on this particular recording combines well loved traditional numbers as well as songs we would never have though belonged to the ‘jazz category’ – such as the Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and ‘I’ll Follow the Sun’ (both full of heart and real soulful understanding), and ‘Who Will Buy?’ from Bart’s ‘Oliver!’, and the Rodgers and Hart ‘I Didn’t Know What Time It Was’ and Gershwin’s beloved ‘Summertime’ from ‘Porgy and Bess’. Stuart opens her collection with a wonderful invitation to us – ‘I Just Found Out About Love – and I Like it’ – because what follows is a recording that is simply one of the best of recent months. Her style is solid, honest, straightforward, and yet she makes each song very much her own. Her back up collaborators include Rave Tesar, keyboards, Rick de Kovessey, drums and Emedin Rivera, percussion, Sue Williams and Kermit Driscoll, bass, Dave Stryker, Guitar, Dick Oatts alto sax and flute, and Frank Elmo, tenor sax. And on such tracks as ‘Bird of Beauty’ she throws in some special effects form her troops. And who can resist the spell she weaves in ‘You Are There’ as a guitar duet with arranger Stryker.  All in all we are in the presence of an artist who understands it all because she gives us the feeling that she has been through it all, and that is something every real jazz singer strives to relate. It is all here. Grady Harp for Amazon.com...

Claire Martin’s Magical “Witchcraft”

Sometimes the idea for a partnership in music sounds wrong on paper but succeeds wonderfully well in practice.  A case in point is the partnership between Martin, one of the half-dozen best jazz singers in the world, and Bennett, a gifted classical composer whose symphonies and works for film and theatre are outstanding.  They have worked together now for a number of years, appearing in London and New York, including a March 2011 tour.  In their act the pair provide audiences with superb interpretations of songs in a manner that must surely please many otherwise disparate elements of their individual audiences.  On this CD, in which they explore the wide range of composer Cy Coleman, mainly from Broadway, their magical touch is really quite exceptional. In their interpretations, Martin and Bennett encapsulate all that is good from their respective crafts, blending these qualities in such a way that the result is one timeless version of a song after another.  Among Martin’s seven solos are lovely versions of I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life, Nobody Does It Like Me and On Second Thoughts; her sound is warmly intimate, mature and filled with understanding.  Bennett’s accompaniment on every track is rich and apposite, subtle here and earthy there.  His four solo vocals include Sometime When You’re Lonely, Let Me Down Easy andThat’s My Style, and are delivered with a comfortably-worn sound that charms the listener.  When Martin and Bennett duet on the remaining four songs, the years of collaboration are vividly apparent through their easy and unforced familiarity.  Indeed, there is not a weak moment anywhere, all the songs being given very special treatment.  Sound quality is exceptional and there is a good liner note from Brian Morton.  Unequivocally recommended. WRITTEN BY BRUCE CROWTHER FOR JAZZ JOURNAL ON 1ST MARCH, 2011...

Dave Tull, I Just Want To Get Paid

Dave Tull Drummer/Vocalist/Songwriter For twenty-five years Dave Tull has been known in the Los Angeles area primarily as a drummer. In recent years, however, Dave has been making a name for himself as one of the southland’s finest jazz vocalists. With his new CD, “I Just Want To Get Paid”, Dave cements that reputation, and adds songwriting to his list of talents. Dave has toured the world since 2000 as drummer and lead vocalist for Chuck Mangione. Dave’s vocal on Mangione’s “The Children of Sanchez” and his bebop scat vocal on “Dizzymiles” has been featured at hundreds of concerts including The Playboy Jazz Festival at Hollywood Bowl and The Blue Note in New York City. Singer Cheryl Bentyne (of the Manhattan Transfer) had Dave sing on two tracks of her CD “Moonlight Serenade” (King Records, 2003) including the song “Tull Tales”, so-named because Cheryl was so knocked out by Dave’s scat soloing! Twice Dave has performed with Bentyne for a week at Tokyo’s Cotton Club where he sang a nightly duet with Cheryl on “Blue Moon” as well as a scat solo on “How High the Moon”. Dave’s many original songs are available on his new CD, “I Just Want To Get Paid”. The songs range from humorous to heartfelt. Put simply, they are standards that have yet to be discovered! Many of Dave’s original songs are tongue in cheek snap shots of moments familiar to the working musician. Dave wrote and arranged the hilarious “I Just Want To Get Paid” as well as the wry “The Airplane Song” which he has performed live with the Les Brown Band. Dave sang and played drums for several years with The Page Cavanaugh Trio. With Page, Dave was featured singing numerous ballads and also sang on Page’s delightful three-part vocal arrangements. Chuck Mangione is only one of many bands Dave plays...