Halie Loren - After Dark

Halie Loren - After Dark

2010, White Moon Productions

 The past year has been a momentous one for Halie Loren.  Winning the Just Plain Folks Award for Best Jazz Vocal album to becoming a major label artist in Japan (her album They Oughta Write A Song went to #1 on the Amazon Japan charts and stayed in the top-10 for several days.  The crowds in Japan have been growing, and would seem to portend the success that seems inevitable back home in the States.  Loren also released a successful live album, Stages, showing off the line energy that makes her an in-demand performer.  Loren returns on November 16, 2010 with a new album of studio recordings.  After Dark mixes original and cover tunes and shows a somewhat lighter side of Loren, who is again joined by capable skills of pianist Matt Treder, bassist Mark Schneider, Chris Ward on guitar and Brian West (percussion), with guest appearances by guitarist Jack Jezzro.

Loren opens with “After Dark”, a theatrical ballad of forbidden love perfected in secret.  Loren burns with desire, the many levels and textures of her vocal sound sparkling in the dark light of sensuality and longing.  This is an amazing start full of power and emotion.  Loren sings in English and Spanish on Jobim’s “Waters Of March”, finding a place that is subtle and refined but thoroughly in the moment of the song.  “Gray To Grand” is a Loren-penned piece of sweet and breezy jazz/pop with a pretty melody and a light feel; a nice change of pace with a developing worldview full of optimism.

“La Vie En Rose” is one of those songs that artists tackle almost at their own peril.  Edith Piaf being the icon that she is, her signature song is one that gets butchered more often than not.  Halie Loren gives a bravura performance in flawless French, as if she were born to sing it.  “Thirsty”, another Loren original, is a song of unequivocal longing and desire with an arrangement that sounds like it might have come out of a Sting recording session circa 1988.  It’s an amazing bit of songwriting and seems to represent a step forward for Loren as a songwriter.  Loren goes a bit free form in her take on Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon’s “Bye Bye Blackbird”, offering a highly interpretive vocal.  Loren works this for all it’s worth in a flawless performance.  The band is right there with her at every step, with pianist Matt Treder in particular standing out. 

Loren interprets Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode To Billie Joe” as a slinky blues number and absolutely inhabits the song.  This is one of those performances after which you simply sit back and say, “Wow.”  Loren takes the air of mystery of the original and raises it a notch.  John Shipe joins Halie Loren for a duet on “Beyond The Sea”.  This is an opposites attract pairing, as Shipe vocally sounds like a lightweight next to Halie Loren’s full voice.  The mix works because of the contrast, but they do sound mismatched at times.  Loren takes on Duke Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood” in another “Wow” moment that smooth and lush; artful and rife with emotion.   Loren has fun with Stevie Wonder’s “Happier Than The Morning Sun”, a celebratory love song that’s jubilant in its aspect and refined.

Loren gives Tracey Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” a surprising read; putting her own distinctive stamp on the tune.  It might take a couple of listens to get into this arrangement, but the song will grow on you.  “It’s You” is a sensual song detailing a long distance love affair.  It’s the textures of Loren’s voice that stand out in a chill-inducing performance.  Jack Jezzro takes on final turn on “Time To Say Goodbye”, while Loren makes the chorus absolutely soar with nuance and a sort of beautiful grit.  It’s a magical moment where the artist, Loren, rises above her art into the sublime.  After Dark closes with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Carey”, blending Caribbean, swing and pop styles.

It’s hard to imagine Halie Loren not being a star.  With a masterful voice that’s part Etta James and part Sarah McLachlan, a subtle touch that allows her to blend vulnerability and sensuality unlike any other artist currently in jazz or pop music, and a talent for phrasing that’s uncanny, Halie Loren is the complete package.  After Dark shows a slightly lighter side to Halie Loren, but at the same time shows her gaining gravitas as a performer.  This could be the breakout album in the US; the one that takes Halie Loren from a known quantity to the status of being a big name.  Whatever happens on the charts or in the popular media, there will be little doubt to those in the know that After Dark is one of the finest vocal jazz albums of 2010.  It’s certainly a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc, a must have album.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Halie Loren at http://www.halieloren.com/ or www.myspace.com/halieloren. After Dark drops on November 16, 2010.  Pre-orders are available from Amazon.com for both CD and Download.

Halie Loren - Stages

Halie Loren - Stages
2010, White Moon Productions

No matter how vibrant the performer; no matter how talented the producer, it's simply not possible to get the full power of a live show into a studio recording. Even one-off sessions with no overdubs fail to get the whole aural picture on tape. This seems an important consideration as I sit here listening to Wildy’s World Artist Of The Month for June, 2010 Halie Loren's newest album, Stages, recorded during 2009 at two different venues in Oregon. Loren has an amazing voice, warm and sultry in a way that recalls the Great Ladies of Song. That voice has always been apparent on her albums Full Circle and They Oughta Write A Song, but if you want to be blown away, grab a copy of Stages and get comfy.

Stages opens with "Danger In Loving You", a virtuosic opening that recalls names like Etta James, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holliday. Loren has the innate ability to sell a song like she's lived it, making the experience so real that listeners can lose themselves for a moment. "On A Sunny Afternoon" is to the same level, but allows Loren's band to show off a bit. Particularly notable here is pianist Matt Treder, who brings the backdrop alive with a piano part that's so vibrant it's practically alive. Loren's take on U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" sounds as if it might have been arranged by Hoagy Carmichael; keeping the essential melody intact but taking some mixolydian liberties in the process. On this tune in particular Loren sounds like a cross between Norah Jones and Sade, offering a soulful twist on her warm alto.

"More" starts out in a 1970's singer/songwriter pastiche before turning into a classic cabaret tune. Loren waxes poetic on her perfect love and questions whether her current love matches up to the ideal. The song alternates between a dreamy, pensive chorus and upbeat, jaunty verses and sounds like it might have come from a stage show. Loren really digs in on the classic "Cry Me A River", leaving goose bumps in her wake. You'll walk away thinking you finally heard the song as Arthur Hamilton originally envisioned it as he put pen to paper. Loren's take on Antonia Carlos Jobim's "The Girl From Ipanema" is lighter fare but no less inspired; capturing the carefree feel of the original.

On "Free To Be Loved By Me", Loren has a magical moment. Back in singer/songwriter mode, Loren delivers a tune that could have been a top-10 pop hit in the mid-1970's, and might still take the charts by storm in a country arrangement in today's marketplace. It's a brilliant tune, and plays exceedingly well live, where Loren sells it like a Tony-winning actress. Moving quickly to pick up the pace, Loren and band launch into Louis Jordan's "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby", done in a peppy, syncopated arrangement that will have your toes tapping from the outset. Loren shifts once again into "Great Ladies Of Song" mode for "Love Me Like A River Does", offering a textured, nuanced and ultimately beautiful vocal performance. Bassist Mark Schneider provides rhythmic and musical support with a line that stumbles, and then walks as Loren asks for it all. Pianist Matt Treder fills around them like the air we breathe, creating an amazing ensemble that's as in-sync for the three and a half minutes of the song as it’s possible to get.

Loren's "They Oughta Write A Song" has the sound of a classic jazz vocal tune, but is a Loren original. It's the title track of her last studio album, which was recently released in Japan by Victor Records. Loren's performance here is flawless. "High Heel Blues" offers a moment of whimsy as Loren sings about the draw a great pair of shoes can have, and the afflictions caused by a good pair of high heel shoes. It's a Capella blues and a real connection with the crowd that happens to allow listeners to hear the full tone and color of Loren's voice devoid of surrounding instrumentation. After such a diversion, you'd expect a song of impact. Loren chooses "Summertime", one of the best known songs in the Gershwin catalogue. This one's been done so many times it can either be a safe choice or a disastrous one. There are enough great versions of "Summertime" out there to make anything less than magic seem mundane. Loren delivers with a warm delivery and an understated read on the tune that eschews the histrionics many modern singers try to inject into the song. Stages closes with gentle calypso of "Rainbow Race", a song about the need for all peoples to get along and live together. It's a sweet tune, a fitting concert close with a gentle social message but light enough to end the show on a bright note.

Haley Loren continues to grow and develop as an artist, and she's seeing the fruits of her labors. Her previous album, They Oughta Write A Song, recently crested in the top-20 albums in Japan. It's only a matter of time before Loren sees the same sort of numbers on this side of the Pacific. It's already reached a point where if you want to talk about the best female jazz vocalists working today, a discussion that doesn't include Loren in the mix is incomplete. Stages is brilliant, capturing Loren in a live setting, where the warm textures of her voice and her pitch-perfect phrasing blend with a band that supports her flawlessly. Halie Loren is the sort of vocalist who comes along once or twice a generation, combining technical ability, sound, passion, sensuality and a natural ability to connect with listeners; she creates magic on stage, as on Stages. Stages is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Halie Loren at http://www.halieloren.com/ or www.myspace.com/halieloren. You can order Stages and any of Loren's other albums on CD through her website in the store section. You can also order the album as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: John Stein - Raising The Roof

John Stein - Raising The Roof
2009, Whaling City Sound

John Stein might not be a name you're familiar with if you're not a Jazz aficionado, but he's one of the premiere Jazz guitarists in the United States. The Kansas City, Missouri native is currently a professor at Berklee School Of Music in Boston, and has played with the likes of David "Fathead" Newman, Lou Donaldson, Larry Goldins, Idris Muhammad and Dr. Lonnie Smith. Stein's latest album, Raising The Roof, is his most vibrant to date; a thrilling step forward from 2008's Encounterpoint. Stein is joined by the same band as on Encounterpoint: Koichi Sato (keys); John Lockwood (bass) and Ze Eduardo Nazario (drums).

Stein opens and really lets loose with Horace Silver's Nica's Dream. The energy is high and Stein's guitar work is flawless. Koichi Sato also puts on something of a master class in jazz piano here, displaying an almost intuitive feel for the piano and an ability to make things happen musically without hogging the spotlight. Ze Eduardo Nazario gets into some highly complicated and subtle poly-rhythmic work on Bobby Timmins' Moanin'. There's a mix of martial and Latin rhythms going on here that's absolutely intriguing, but Stein and his band don't let you rest for one minute until they're ready for you to give your full attention. Just when you're about ready to really focus on the latest voice/part to chime in, the central instrument shifts. Stein and his band go mellow for Stein's own A Child Is Born, following the song in swirling patterns like the eddies in small stream. Stein shows how far he can take subtlety and quiet while still making his points musically.

Stein gets one more original side in with Elvin!, a tribute to Elvin Jones. Stein might be the one whose name is on the CD spine, but Sato steals the show with his work on Elvin! Antonio Carlos Jobim's Vivo Sonhando is the highlight of the album, from the gently cascading piano work of Koichi Sato to Stein's vibrant guitar, the song practically breathes with its own vibrant life. Beautiful Love is sweet, lyric jazz with Stein offering up his most expressive work on the album, and leads into Wild Woods; a dinner music morsel that pesters you to pay attention. Stein closes out with Falling In Love With Love, giving the Rodgers And Hart song a reading that is a bit on the busy side but nevertheless tastefully done.

Stein continues to grow as an artist, refusing to rest on his well-deserved laurels. Raising The Roof must have also been the philosophy of the recording sessions that led to the album. Consider it risen.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about John Stein at http://www.johnstein.com/. You can purchase Raising The Roof as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: Peter Douskalis - The Dance Of The Sea

Peter Douskalis - The Dance Of The Sea
2009, Shenandoah Records

Peter Douskalis is a New York City-based Jazz guitarist with roots in the Virginia/DC area. At 22 years old he's already been part of one acclaimed duo (Peter & Alex) and performed on Disney's The Making Of A High School Musical (he was the guitarist in their production of The Wiz). Douskalis makes his first foray into the solo world with The Dance Of The Sea. Released in late 2009, The Dance Of The Sea is truly a solo effort; just Douskalis and his guitar on covers and original compositions. Aside from making music, Douskalis is continuing his education in music as a Masters candidate in Music Education at NYU. Douskalis has performed with Jazz greats Chuck Redd, Bob Cranshaw, Houston Person, Mickey Roker and Tamir Hendelman.

Lady Bird is a frenetic study in runs and stops, augmented by Douskalis' supple fretwork. This Tad Dameron creation is given vibrant new life, although Douskalis does go a bit over-the-top with the runs in the middle of the song. Up next is Benny Golson & Leonard Feather's Whisper Not, interpreted here in rhythmic fashion with Douskalis recreating the walking bass line as well the riffs and runs with his guitar. Douskalis takes on Richard Rodger's My Favorite Things next in a stirring cover that allows him to stretch his wings. Whereas the riff work seemed a bit contrived on Lady Bird, here it seems more like Douskalis is playing variations that are still in the spirit of the work. What is perhaps most impressive is Douskalis' touch and ability to emote a melody line. The fireworks are nice, but it's refreshing to hear a soloist in touch with his instrument and the sounds that come out of it.

Douskalis' The Dance Of The Sea has a pleasing melody line and solid pacing; Douskalis avoids any sort of guitar histrionics in a subtle and mature bit of songwriting. His cover of Jimmy Van Heusen's Darn That Dream sticks with the dreamy quality the song has most often been interpreted with, sounding a bit like incidental music from a Peanuts episode (picture Snoopy walking through the leaves). Perhaps the best choice on the album is Antonio Carlos Jobim's The Girl From Ipanema. Douskalis has his way with the song but sticks with the spirit imbued in Jobim's original. The song, and much of the album, excel not only on where Douskalis chooses to take songs but often where he chooses not to. Douskalis offers two takes on Miles Davis' Blue In Green, the first (Take 2) a dreamy, melancholy read that focuses on a more legato feel. The second recording (Take 1) keeps things dreamy but is a bit more pointed in feel and derivative in scope. It's these free form moments where an artist takes risks and either strikes a new path or goes too far. It's unclear whether Douskalis quite takes either fork, traversing instead a center line between the two that's interesting but fails to be provocative. The Dance Of The Sea closes with a lively take on The Beatles' Come Together. In true variations form, Douskalis gives it to us straight the first time before heading off into altered guitar player states for several minutes. The variation becomes so removed from the original not even the remaining Beatles would recognize it.

Douskalis is highly capable with a guitar, but at times he tries to do too much on The Dance Of The Sea, venturing into territories likely only to be of interest to the one playing and perhaps other guitar players of a similar vent. The creative freedom of being entirely solo is a double-edged axe, if you will. You get to do whatever you want, but unfortunately that means you get to do whatever you want. The addition of other musicians, even in a supporting role, might change some of the choices Douskalis makes here, creating a more vibrant and powerful collection. As it stands, The Dance Of The Sea is a strong effort with some identifiable flaws. It should be interesting to see what Douskalis takes on next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Peter Douskalis at http://www.peterdouskalis.com/ or www.myspace.com/peterdouskalis. You can purchase The Dance Of The Sea as either a CD or download via CDBaby.com.

Review: Irene And Her Latin Jazz Band - A Song Of You

Irene And Her Latin Jazz Band - A Song Of You
2009, Irene And Her Latin Jazz Band

Irene Nachreiner is a multiple-threat artist; vocalist, pianist, songwriter, dancer, screenwriter, actor, and Improv comedy all find homes on her curriculum vitae. She started singing jazz several years ago after meeting acoustic guitarist Marco Tulio (Pat Metheny, Thalia) and drummer/percussionist Cristano Novelli (Milton Nascimento, Diego Torres). Irene And Her Latin Jazz Band's sophomore CD, A Song Of You, features a mix of originals and covers and the exquisite play of her backing band. Aside from Tulio and Novelli, sitting in for this album is pianist and Berklee grad Rique Pantoja (Chet Baker, Milton Nascimento, Steps Ahead, Ricardo Silveira, Carlos Santana).

A Song Of You starts off with the seeds for success, decent original material, some classic covers and a group of A-List backing musicians. Irene Nachreiner gives each song here a technically perfect reading, yet never seems to capture the vim and vigor of her band. Nachreiner’s voice is decent but doesn’t project the sort of charisma needed to pull off songs like S’Wonderful (George & Ira Gershwin); Triste (Jobim); It’s Too Darn Hot (Cole Porter) or Bin Bom (Joao Gilberto). There are a few nice moments here; the title track is a pleasant listen and South Seas Samba has a certain charm to it. Even La Foule is interesting, although perhaps more for the courage it takes to cover such a song.

Nachreiner misses the boat on Fragillidad, the Spanish version of Sting’s Fragile. The original version is an urgent and reverent plea; here it is presented as a hip Latin/Vegas hybrid that’s almost campy. It comes across as technically perfect without the heart or sense of purpose that’s embedded in every note of the song. Likewise Change The World, the song made famous by Eric Clapton comes across like a version you might hear on one of those CDs they sell at Party Warehouse where unnamed performers sing pop hits.

Through it all the backing band is nothing short of inspired. Nachreiner is a solid vocalist with a decent voice, but just doesn’t project the performance style on CD that sells listeners on a song. A Song Of You is a pleasant listen, more appropriate for the dinner hour than serious listening. If you’re more into the instrumental side of things then there is a lot hear to dig into. Irene & Her Latin Jazz Band have created a CD that’s pleasant to listen to but just doesn’t hold the listener.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Irene And Her Latin Jazz Band at http://www.irenesings.com/. You can purchase a copy of A Song Of You at www.cdbaby.com/cd/irenesings3.