Nate Kimball - Warrior's Journey

Nate  Kimball - Warrior’s Journey
2012, TNC Recordings

If you’re looking for the next big name in jazz, you might be very happy to settle on Nate Kimball.  His list of credits is impressive: Chick Correa, Natalie Cole, Barry Manilow, The Count Basie Orchestra, Jessica Simpson and The Killers, to name but a few.  The 28-year old Las Vegas native is more than just a wizard with the trombone however; Kimball is a composer nonpareil who has been recognized by the International Trombone Association (2006, 2007, and 2010); the Reno Jazz Festival (2012); and the Nevada Jazz Society (2007).  One of his compositions, “Side Effect”, was recently premiered at the Monterrey Jazz Festival by the Las Vegas Academy Jazz Ensemble.  You’ll see why the accolades rain down on Kimball after listening to his album Warrior’s Journey. 

Kimball recorded Warrior’s Journey with four impressive cohorts.  Joe Lano (guitar) has played with Lena Horne, Mel Tormé, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Nancy Wilson and Henry Mancini.  Brian Triola (piano/keys) is part of Las Vegas and regional favorites Moksha.  Bassist Steve Flora plays the top rooms in Las Vegas, and drummer Larry Aberman has recorded with The Vaughan Brothers, Ric Ocasek, Wynton Marsalis, David Lee Roth, Daniel Lanois, Lionel Richie and Danielle Brisebois (to name just a few).  This will give you an idea of the quality of play on Warrior’s Journey, but mere words don’t do the album justice.

Kimball sticks to classic jazz stylings, allowing the occasional progressive wave to pass through the waters.  It’s easy to see Kimball and crew fitting into any era of jazz from the Big Band era on.  Kimball kicks things off with “Warrior’s Journey”, beginning as a sleepy rumination but moving soon into a quietly energetic jazz waltz.  Kimball’s trombone is stellar, but the rest of the quintet is flawless as well.  Brian Triola adds perfect punctuation to Kimball’s lead, and whips off some amazing solos of his own.  Perhaps the most impressive part of the song, however, is when Larry Aberman takes the lead on drums.  If you want to analyze what he’s doing you’ll need a couple of cameras and the ability to slow tape on playback.  It’s amazing.

“Way Station” shows the same sort of breakdown of duties, with Kimball taking the lead, but passing it around for all to share.  What’s most impressive is how seamlessly Kimball’s quintet moves together, never seeming to miss a beat or an exchange.  “Far Away” has a distinctive, melancholy, blue-jazz feel.  Kimball brings emotions alive in the lyric trombone lines, while Brian Triola creates a bit of rhythmic dissonance that helps to appropriately shade the mood.  There is magic here.  “Road To La Coruna” takes a on a subtle Latin jazz sound, and features some of the best low-key work on the album.  Things get a bit more progressive on “Hello World”, with Kimball himself getting aggressive in his soloing style.  Triola picks up this vibe and runs with it, getting into a Vince Guaraldi groove that’s mellow yet not.  “Back Home” is an interesting closer.  You might say the ensemble play is a bit looser here, as Kimball et. al. look to push the boundaries with some off-the-cuff and speed-based solos.

Nate Kimball shows his worth as a composer, bandleader and musician on Warrior’s Journey.  With a killer supporting cast, and some of the best original jazz of 2012, Kimball challenges the world of modern jazz with a traditional-leaning album that reinvigorates the art form the way artists like Miles Davis, J.J. Johnson, Dizzy Gillespie and Harry Connick, Jr. have done before him.  Thirty years from now you’ll hear jazz aficionados discussing Kimball in the same reverent tones.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Halie Loren - Heart First

Halie Loren – Heart First
2012, White Moon Productions

Vocal jazz is full ingénues and established stars.  Those who make it from the former to the latter are rare.  It takes a tremendous sound, an incredible amount of hard work and yes, a little bit of luck.  Halie Loren is slowly transforming herself from the former to the latter.  Already a star in Japan, the release of Heart First this spring saw Loren become a top-selling Jazz artist in Canada.  The U.S. may not be far behind as Loren continues to build recognition for both her name and what may one day be considered her iconic voice.

Heart First opens with “A Woman’s Way”, showing off a wonderfully lush and smoky alto voice that gets you from the opening notes.  The song calls for vocal character, and Loren matches the call both with personality and a shifting palette of intriguing vocal timbres.  Halie Loren is at her best here, portraying the knowing vulnerability of a Billie Holliday mixed with the pure affability of Harry Connick, Jr.  “C’est Si Bon” is brilliant, with Loren singing in French as if it were her first language.  Loren switches gears to 1970’s R&B (ala Dionne Warwick) on “Waiting In Vain”.  Loren offers up a top-notch vocal, but the song itself fails to impress due to its repetitive nature and cookie-cutter style.

After a brief tour into Latin sounds for “Sway (Quien Sera)”, Halie Loren gets down to brass tacks for “Heart First”.  She’s entirely in her element here, with a bluesy-jazz sound and outstanding accompaniment from pianist Matthew Treder.  This is an all-around WOW moment. 

Loren’s fine talent as an interpreter of classic songs is on full display in “My One And Only Love”.  Perfect phrasing, wonderful timbres and an elegant sense of musical timing make this a sublime moment.  Loren settles in for a solid run through songs such as “All Of Me”, the funky “Tender To The Touch”, “Lotta Love” and “In Time”.  “Taking A Chance On Love” rises above this pack as Halie Loren once again applies her interpretive magic.  Rounding the final turn for home, Loren launches into a masterful reading of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile”.  Singing like the song was written just for her, Loren captures the co-mingled sorrow and happiness in a bit of vocal magic that is among the finest moments in Jazz in 2012.  Most artists would end here, but Loren has one more trick up her sleeve.  Stripping everything away and singing with just acoustic guitar, bass and minimalist percussion, Loren finds another perfect moment on “Crazy Love”.  This is one of those rare closing songs where the listener finds themselves sitting still once the song ends, drinking in the last fading notes of magic.

Halie Loren is one of the most talented young vocalists in Jazz, and Heart First does absolutely nothing to discourage this view.  Loren works to expand her sound a bit this time around, blending some of her pop-oriented interests with the classic jazz sound she is known for.  The result is perhaps a bit uneven at times, but Loren’s voice can cover most any musical sin.  Heart First sounds like a transition album, and it will be very curious to hear where Loren is headed next.  This time out Loren shows she is no flash in the pan, while beginning to broaden the musical landscape she can work on.  And the moments of magic she finds are sublime.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.halieloren.com. 

Kelli O'Hara - Always

Kelli O'Hara - Always
2011, Ghostlight Records

There are few performers on Broadway who can simply light up a stage the Kelli O'Hara can.  The three-time TONY Award nominee follows up her highly acclaimed appearance in Lincoln Center's revival of South Pacific with a new solo album.  Due out on May 31, 2011, Always finds O'Hara tackling a number of songs traditionally sung by male leads, as well as one hilarious original tune (written just for her) that shows off O'Hara's range as a vocalist, actress and, yes, comedienne.

O'Hara opens with a classic Sondheim love song in the form of "What More Do I Need?" (Saturday Night).  The light of love is contrasted against the dreary backdrop of city life, with O'Hara illuminating the song with the pure joy of the moment.  If you've never heard O'Hara sing, then any performance is a treat, but she's at her best here.  "Something Wonderful (The King And I) finds O'Hara wax poetic over her love for an imperfect man in a sweet interpretation that perfectly captures the spirit of the Rodgers & Hammerstein creation.  Vocal power and vulnerability blend in fascinating ways over a truly memorable melody.  "How Glory Goes" (Floyd Collins) is perhaps one of the more difficult songs to sing in modern Broadway, both for complexity and nuance.  O'Hara handles it like the consummate professional she is, pulling all of the disparate emotions that run between its lines together and wrapping them together in a performance fit for a Broadway diva.

"He Loves Me" (She Loves Me) is full of pure joy delivered over a light swing beat.  O'Hara's performance is full of pizzazz and charm.  Irving Berlin's "Always" is married to a lazy, sweet arrangement with Stephane Grappelli-style violin.  Some might find the arrangement a bit out of left field, but O'Hara makes it work.  "Finishing The Hat" (Sunday In The Park With George) is the hidden gem on the album.  O'Hara delivers a vocal performance full of love, heartbreak, desperation, hope and an almost bitter perseverance.  This is a Wow moment on many levels, both for the pure aesthetics of O'Hara's voice to the complexity and depth of the character she assumes. 

"This Nearly Was Mine" (South Pacific) is delivered as something of a pensive ballad and O'Hara's lyric interpretation is full of beauty rare and refined as it builds into a coloratura exploration of heartbreak.  O'Hara creates another moment as her voice dances with the waltzing bridge.  Listen for it.  "Once I Was" features full orchestration and one of those melodies you can't get out of your head.  O'Hara makes it hard to imagine anyone else singing this song.  "Another Life" (Bridges Of Madison County) is a gorgeous retrospective on the ashes of a relationship written in the distinctive style of Jason Robert Brown.  O'Hara finds a special synergy here, transcending the song.

"They Don't Let You In The Opera (If You're A Country Star)" was written for O'Hara by David Rossmer and co-producer Dan Lipton.  It's the hilarious story, in song, of a country star with a high-C and operatic dreams.  O'Hara will make your head spin with her transitions between Nashville drawl and Met tone.  While the song turns into a moral about not giving up on your dreams and who you really are, the song is a musical unto itself, and O'Hara pulls it off the way very few ever could.  "You're Always Here" documents the dichotomy of needing someone to complain about; she only remembers how bad things are when he's around.  There's a tragic feel to the song that O'Hara reads into the vocal line in subtle ways.  This O'Hara, sans belt, at her most vocally pure.  "The Party's Over" (Bells Are Ringing) finds O'Hara navigating Jules Stynes' gorgeous melody in chill-inducing fashion.  There's an utter, aesthetic beauty to the vocal line here that is startling, and O'Hara's voice cups the line like a precious gem.  Always closes with "I Could Have Danced All Night" (My Fair Lady), showing the grace and presence of a Broadway legend in the making on one of the Great White Way's most iconic songs.

Kelli O'Hara shows a depth and versatility of voice, presence and acting ability on Always that marks her as one of the greatest actresses of her young generation.  In a day and age where there is a distinctive split between "classic" and "new" Broadway styles, Kelli O'Hara is one of the few performers who could walk either path and do it well.  Whether reaching into the depths of a character or into the well of her classically trained voice for the perfect note, Kelli O'Hara dazzles you quietly with the poise and grace of a legend.  Even in couple of instances where the arrangements offered on Always seem a bit out of character with the songs, O'Hara makes them work.  That is the mark of a professional, and yes, perhaps even a legend.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Kelli O'Hara at www.kelliohara.com.  Always drops on May 31, 2011.  Always is available for pre-order from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.

Review: Jon Troast - Living Room

Jon Troast - Living Room
2010, Jon Troast Music

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin singer/songwriter Jon Troast writes engaging music while challenging the conventions of the music industry. For the first six months of 2010, Troast is touring the United States for free, relying only on sales of CDs and downloads for support. It's about the music for Troast, but he's also trying to make the point that buying music supports artists. In 2009, Troast engaged in a 100 concerts in 100 days tour, playing 100 house concerts in as many days. Inspirations from that tour resulted in Troast's fourth album, Living Room, released in January of 2010.

Great songwriting, a great voice and charisma are all qualities that Jon Troast displays amply on Living Room, but there's a fourth quality here that's often overlooked. Troast has put together an album that flows like these songs were always meant to be played together. This style of cohesive writing is quickly disappearing in the age of digital singles. Living Room opens with One Little Corner, a wonderfully catchy tune about finding a happy place. Troast has a John Mayer pre-Interview sound and appeal and the song is built around a melody and flow that are unstoppable. If you've ever wondered what house concert tours are like from the artist's perspective then you'll want to listen to Living Room Tour. Virulently catchy, Living Room Tour blends Folk, Rock, Americana and even hints of Zydeco in a wonderful listening experience. Troast's personality comes through here in waves, as he shows an ability to sell a song that's on a par with Sinatra.

Troast rings up more magic on the Orchestra Folk/Pop number When Beauty Speaks. We've all had moments in our lives where a person, place or moment strikes us with such force we lose our ability to speak. Whether it's attraction, awe or importance, the ability for emotion to short-circuit thought is one of the most maddening, and identifiable aspects of being human. Troast captures it perfectly in song. Just Enough hits on the essential components of love and how they can sustain a couple through rough times. Both the songwriting and performance are top notch. Troast offers up a Bluesy ode to the center of family life on They Call Her Mama. It's an un-romanticized tribute to Mom's who give their all every day for their family; a great song to dedicate to Mom for Mother's Day or on any day. Another Mile is a love song written from the road; rock with a blues undertow. It's a bit amazing the quality of the songs Troast boasts on Living Room; and his ability to comport them in nonpareil.

Perhaps the best of the best is Favorites; a song about the simple joy of being with the one you love, no matter where that is. A gorgeous melody wrapped in a simple, sweet arrangement and heartfelt, poetic limits creates a true Wow moment for the listener. What Will You Hold Onto is heartfelt and poignant with striking instrumentation. Stark and challenging but in a gentle fashion, What Will You Hold Onto will tug at your subconscious for days after you've heard it. Troast closes with Somewhere Down The Road, a parting song for anyone who lives on or makes their living on the road. Somewhere Down The Road is archetypal in them, and you could hear it being selected as either an opening or closing track for a motion picture. The lyrics might also inspire its selection for a farewell song at funerals.

Jon Troast comes across as easy-going in his music, but that presentation has an electric quality to it that lights up the stage; even the listeners in his presence. Living Room is brilliant, an absolute gem of an album that you will still be gaining enjoyment from years down the road. It's the sort of album that turns an unknown singer/songwriter into a household name with the right breaks. Whether those breaks come or not, you do yourself a disservice to not be acquainted with the music of Jon Troast. Living Room is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Jon Troast at http://www.jontroast.com/ or www.myspace.com/troast.
You can purchase physical copies of Living Room from Jon Troast's webstore. Digital copies are available from Amazon.com.

Review: Elliot Deutsch Big Band - Weeknight Music

Elliot Deutsch Big Band - Weeknight Music
2009, Elliot Deutsche

Elliot Deutsch knows the truth, that Jazz was Rock N Roll before Rock was born. The twenty-six year old performer, composer and bandleader has been knocking them for a loop on the Los Angeles Jazz scene since 2007, and released the debut album from the Elliot Deutsch Big Band, Weeknight Music, last year. Hard driving swing is the order of the day, mixed with rambunctious play and musical risk taking that harkens back to a time when Jazz was the high-wire act of American music and here adherents were the stars. Deutsch's background is rock solid, having played with or under the likes of Lalo Schifrin, BB King, Jason Mraz, Kenny Burrell, Les McCann, Hubert Laws, Bobby Rodriquez and Pato Banton.

Weeknight Music opens with a lively take on Cheek To Cheek before barreling into The Jury's Out with gleeful abandon. The spark of mischief that runs through the songs presented on Weeknight Music speaks to how much fun and creative energy went into the project. Beautiful Friendship takes listeners back to an era when big bands ruled the world, throwing in a decent vocal line over a lush orchestral jazz score. Aside from top-of-the-line musicianship, Deutsch takes risks in the writing/arranging of songs that are far beyond that most staid jazz musicians would ever dare. Even when these risks don't quite pay off the experience is still very worthwhile for the listener. Rhythm Challenge finds Deutsch having a race with himself; speeding things up right to the edge of losing control. A little of that control actually slips away on Space Cowboys, which plays a bit like Duke Ellington on speed.

Deutsch goes to the other extreme on Coffee Time, a pensive, halting tune that's more about setting the stage with atmosphere. The song is a nice change of pace, but is a bit listless at times. Yeah, We're Sleeping Together features some of the best solo work on the album, as Elliot Deutsche mixes brash confidence with musical subtlety beyond his twenty-six years that speak volumes into every note and every phrase. The finest work on the album, however, is the ensemble work on Nearness Of You, with subtly charged phrasing and a master's touch. Right behind it (figuratively and literally) is Nearness Of You. The same sort of energy is at play here, although perhaps to a slightly lesser extent. Weeknight Music closes out with the sprightly Stroll At The Beach, exuding the same playful energy that has made much of the album live and breathe.

Take a look around the Jazz world in twenty years and it won't be a big surprise to see each of the 17 members of Elliot Deutsch Jazz Band active in one project or another. I wouldn't go quite so far as to say Deutsch is the future of Jazz, but he brings the same sort of fresh perspective and exuberance that Harry Connick Jr. displays in the late 1980's. Weeknight Music is brilliant, balancing a healthy look forward with clear reminiscence on wear Jazz came from; all from a young man who sports what may be one of the brightest young talents in Jazz.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about the Elliot Deutsch Big Band at http://www.edbigband.com/ or www.myspace.com/edbigband. You can purchase Weeknight Music as either a CD or Download from CDBaby.com.

Review: Zydecosis - Zydeco All Night

Zydecosis - Zydeco All Night
2009, Vinyl Records

Zydecosis is the musical brainchild of Houma, Louisiana's Steve Junot (guitar, vocals). He's joined by prodigious accordion player Chubby Carrier, and Lupe Valdeviez, Jr. (drums) with special guests Waylon Thibodeaux on fiddle and Tony Hall (Harry Connick Jr., the Neville Brothers, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris) on bass. Zydecosis plays classic rock standards in Zydeco style, and reminds listeners that Rock N Roll was meant to be fun. Zydeco All Night, the band's debut CD, is good old-fashioned party music. Covers they may be, but at their best Zydecosis restores the spark that these well-worn classics once had.

Zydeco All Night opens with Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. To be honest this was my least favorite track on the disc, mostly due to the verses (the chorus is very well done). Particularly in the first verse there's a feeling of separation between the vocalist and the instruments that's a bit jarring. Each segment is well done but they just don't seem to mix well on this track. Talk Dirty To Me (Poison) is a whole other matter; this one is a cross of early Elvis Presley (Don't Be Cruel) and Zydeco and works wonderfully well. Aerosmith fans may well bristle at the idea of Walk This Way being interpreted as a Zydeco tune, but once again the song sounds like it was never meant to be anything else. Satisfaction (Rolling Stones) is fairly close to the original in spite of the different instrumentation. Perhaps the biggest treat of the disc is Zydecosis' take on Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls. It helps that Queen themselves never forgot that Rock N Roll was fun and entertaining. This is a song that translates well into most any genre, but Zydecosis seems to have a special affection for this song that shines through in their performance.

Baba O'Reilly (The Who) sounds more like a country arrangement. Junot provides a great vocal but the arrangement lacks the life and energy elsewhere apparent on Zydeco All Night. I Want You To Want Me (Cheap Trick) is presented in a live track with a small but appreciate crowd listening in. The arrangement here just doesn't carry the urgency of the original, or that the song seems to demand. Musically it’s aesthetically pleasing but just lacks the oomph you might expect. Some Kind Of Wonderful (The Drifters) is presented in a sparse arrangement (bass, drums, harmony vocals), adding guitar on the second verse. It's not Zydeco, but is full of the joy that the song's lyrics imply. Your feet will be tapping and don't be surprised if you feel the urge to dance. Zydecosis closes out with Bad Company's Feel Like Making Love in a memorable rendition that might just be better than the original.

Zydeco All Night is an uneven but memorable effort. At the top of their game Zydecosis sounds like one of the best party rock bands there is. Steve Junot is a plus vocalist who's very composed and sings with a lot of heart. Chubby Carrier is inspired on the squeeze box and really drives the album. Most of the songs here are memorable. A few tracks are well done musically but lack the pizzazz or zest heard elsewhere. On the whole, Zydeco All Night is a very welcome project that I recommend.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Zydecosis at www.myspace.com/zydecosis or http://www.zydecosis.com/, where you can purchase a copy of Zydeco All Night. If it’s digital you want, you can download the album from iTunes.