Posts Tagged Vocal
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March 12, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Ella Fitzgerald: The Complete Piano Duets
Ella Fitzgerald The Complete Piano Duets Verve Where do you start with Ella Fitzgerald? There are hundreds of albums – including dozens of very good compilations. You could start with her duets with Louis Armstrong – sure. Many people do. And fair enough. There are her songbook albums – where she showcases the work of […]Archive
June 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 400
Bobby McFerrin, Spontaneous Inventions (1986) I’ve loved Bobby McFerrin and I’ve hated him too – and just recently I’ve decided the guy might be a genius. Yes, it’s hard to give his career an appraisal that’s fair because Don’t Worry Be Happy gets in the way. But I was taken with this album – and […]Archive
May 24, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 404
Luis Alberto Del Parana y su Trio Los Paraguayos, Famous Latin American Songs (1960) I’ll always have a look in a charity store or the tip shop or if passing a garage sale; I can count on one hand the number of ‘good scores’ I’ve had digging in the bins. But I’m a sucker for […]Archive
October 25, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Cave Circles: Apricity (ep)
Cave Circles Apricity (ep) Wonderful Noise Japan Here’s Riki Gooch working (again) under his Cave Circle alias – it’s been a busy time for releases just recently with Cave Circles’ 12”, My Heart Is A Beating Drum and then the recent cassette tape release under another of his working aliases, DJ OBOE.Archive
June 12, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 546
Frank Sinatra, She Shot Me Down (1981) The world-weariness of that voice. The stoicism-within-the-teariness of that voice. My mum put me onto Frank Sinatra I guess. I dunno, he’s just always been there. But it must have been my mum that first introduced us, in whatever sense. I know she’s a fan. Probably some budget […]Archive
November 12, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
On: Billie Holiday’s Voice
I was re-reading These Lives I Have Buried by Lindsay Rabbitt the other day, an excellent short book, an essay from the Four Winds Press series. And in and around stories of struggle and loss, heartache, pain, grit and soul there was a mention of Billie Holiday. An all but parenthetical mention – but I […]Archive
April 13, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
José James: Yesterday I Had The Blues – The Music of Billie Holiday
José James Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday Blue Note Of all the “100 Year” celebrations to honour Billie Holiday this felt the most necessary – a brave new voice taking on that wonderful music. Because, at the time, Billie Holiday was exactly that: a brave new voice taking on that […]Archive
March 15, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Kurt Elling: Passion World
Kurt Elling Passion World Concord Jazz It’s very easy to be a Kurt Elling fan – that voice is so soothing and yet, even as he strays towards the more easy-listening end (as is the case here, with his latest) there’s still some impeccable playing, thoughtful musicians and, if not risks, then it’s tasteful and […]Archive
October 9, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: #153 – Young @ Heart Chorus, Wellington, 2010
I had enjoyed the documentary film, Young @ Heart – when I had written about it I had been mocked somewhat for not being cynical towards it, maybe it was the time/place when I saw it, but I liked it; it was sweet. And then the chance to speak with the group’s musical director Bob […]Archive
June 25, 2014 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 1093
Bobby McFerrin, The Voice (1984) I keep thinking about that line from This Is Spinal Tap – “it’s a fine line between stupid and clever” – whenever I think of Bobby McFerrin’s music. Most remember him as the one-hit-wonder of Don’t Worry Be Happy but I saw this video performance of him – a concert […]Archive
May 28, 2014 by Simon Sweetman