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Posts Tagged Vocals

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December 25, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

RNZ Feature: The Music of Billie Holiday

About once a month or so I have a long chat on RNZ about a particular musical artist or genre or a theme – for their regular Tuesday music features. For my final time at the wheel this year I chose to talk about Billie Holiday. She’s never far from my mind, that voice. And the […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Addiction, Afternoons, BILLIE, Billie Holiday, Holiday, Jazz, Jesse Mulligan, Karyn Hay, Radio, Radio Feature, Radio NZ, RNZ, RNZ Feature, RNZ Feature: The Music of Billie Holiday, Simon Sweetman, The Music of Billie Holiday, Trauma, Vocals ·

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July 28, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

Acute Inflections: 400

Acute Inflections 400 (Independent) Vocalist Elasea Douglas and basis Sadiki Pierre are New York-based duo Acute Inflections. Here, they have taken he music of Bob Marley and reduced it down to its core elements – lyrics and melody supplied by Douglas’ vocals, groove and flow by Pierre on the bass.
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 400, Acute Inflections, Acute Inflections: 400, Album Review, Bass, Bob Marley, Covers, Duo, Elasea Douglas, Sadiki Pierre, Tribute, Vocals, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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July 1, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

Caroline Easther: Lucky

Caroline Easther Lucky Good World Music   The winning combo is having something to say – and the right way to say it; having songs and having a voice that push those songs into (the right) place. So it is with Caroline Easther’s solo debut; a long-time-coming project that collects up songs from a musician who has been steadily writing and singing […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album, Album Review, Barry Saunders, Beat Rhythm Fashion, Caroline Easther, Caroline Easther: Lucky, Debut, Drums, Good World Music, Guitar, https://carolineeasther.bandcamp.com/releases, Let's Planet, Lucky, Singing, Solo, The Chills, Veralines, Vocals, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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February 27, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

Kurt Elling: The Questions

Kurt Elling The Questions Sony Masterworks  Kurt Elling remains the finest contemporary male jazz singer – I’ve been a fan across most of the last 20 years. It’s his voice, of course. The warmth. The depth. The heart. But it’s also the repertoire – and maybe those same descriptors can be applied, but it’s certainly […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Covers, Jazz, Kurt Elling, Kurt Elling: The Questions, Standards, The Questions, Vocals, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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August 31, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Five Songs For Friday: 26 – Chet Baker

I can’t remember when I first heard Chet Baker but I’ve been a fan for a while. A long time. Feels like he’s just been there forever. My whole life. But I would have been a teenager before I first heard him knowingly. And then it was all in. And it’s still the way. Currently […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged "Singer", 26 – Chet Baker, Almost Blue, Art Pepper, Baker, Chet, Chet Baker, Elvis Costello, Five Songs, Five Songs For A Friday, Five Songs For Friday, Five Songs For Friday: 26, Five Songs For Friday: 26 – Chet Baker, For Miles And Miles, Friday, In Milan, Instrumental, It's Always You, Jazz, Lady Bird, My Funny Valentine, Picture of Heath, Trumpet, Vocals, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, YouTube ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 1986, 80s, a capella, Bobby McFerri, Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock, Jazz, Live, LP, Manhattan Transfer, Record, Robin Williams, Spontaneous Inventions, The Vinyl Countdown # 400, Thinkin' About Your Body, Vinyl, Vocal, Vocalist, Vocals ·

Archive

May 26, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Madison McFerrin: Finding Foundations, Vol. II (ep)

Madison McFerrin Finding Foundations, Vol. II (ep) 630113 Records DK Yes, she is the daughter of the legendary vocalist Bobby McFerrin. That means she’s also the brother of Taylor McFerrin – and their grandfather was the opera singer, Robert McFerrin; the first African-American man to sing at the famed Metropolitan Opera in New York City. […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged a capella, Album Review, Bobby McFerrin, EP, Finding Foundations, Finding Foundations Vol. II (ep), LOOP, Looping, Madison McFerrin, Madison McFerrin: Finding Foundations Vol. II, Robert McFerrin, Taylor McFerrin, Vocalist, Vocals, Vol. II ·

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August 18, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 5: Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio – “At Mister Kelly’s”

I love Sarah Vaughan but I really know her – mostly – from compilations. Well, no, I have a couple of the original albums – but I had never heard this. And it really is a treat; such a wonderful, relaxed feel to it, fluffed lines, and scatting in place of forgotten lyrics, a bump […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1950s, 1958, At Mister Kelly's, How Long Has This Been Going On?, Jazz, Jazz Vocalist, Jimmy Jones, Live, Richard Davis, Roy Haynes, Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio, Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio – “At Mister Kelly's”, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 5, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 5: Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio – “At Mister Kelly's”, Trio, Vocals, When Your Lover Has Gone ·

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June 10, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

Gig Review: Dianne Reeves (June 9, Wgtn)

Dianne Reeves Opera House, Wellington Friday, June 9 Dianne Reeves returned to New Zealand for this year’s Jazz Festival, first time for her wonderful band though – long-serving pianist Peter Martin and guitarist Romero Lubambo joined by the rhythm section of Reginald Veal (bass) and Terreon Gully (drums).
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged "Singer", 2017), Bass, Dianne Reeves, Drums, Gig Review, Gig Review: Dianne Reeves (June 9, Guitar, Jazz, Jazz Festival, June 9, Live Gig, Live Music, Opera House, Peter Martin, Piano, Reginald Veal, Romero Lubambo, Terreon Gully, The Opera House, Vocalist, Vocals, Wellington, Wgtn ·

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September 22, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

V/A: The Rough Guide to Blues Women

Various Artists: The Rough Guide To Blues Women World Music Network It’s a separate discussion whether you like the branding of such compilations but personally I’ve always felt very comfortable with The Rough Guide series, particularly its various artists compilations – great liner-notes and wise selections; a good way to compile the artists that made […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Blues, Blues Women, Compilation, Female, Rough Guide, Singers, V/A, V/A: The Rough Guide to Blues Women, Various Artists, Vocals, Women, World Music Network ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Al Jarreau, Album Review, Billie Holiday, Body and Soul, Eric Harland, Everybody Loves The Sunshine, Fine and Mellow, God Bless The Child, I Thought About You, Jason Moran, Jazz, John Patitucci, José James, José James Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday, Lover Man, Rising Son, Roy Ayers, Standards, Strange Fruit, Takayu Kuroda, Tenderly, The Music of Billie Holiday, Vocal, Vocals, Yesterday I Had The Blues, Yesterday I Had The Blues - The Music of Billie Holiday ·

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October 4, 2015 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 79 Vocals – Part Three; Funerals

And I’ll be there – in sunshine or in shadow When Michelle got pregnant her mother wasn’t very happy about it and didn’t want to have anything to do with me – we were not getting married and had only just met. Right after Angus was born I called Margret from the hospital and told […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Art, Death, Dying, Funeral, Funerals, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Music, Singing, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 79 Vocals – Part Three; Funerals, The Spines, Vocals, voice, War Stories, War Stories # 79, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Weddings, Wellington ·
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