What are the ingredients to an instant classic, especially in a subgenre with so much existing material like Christmas jazz? A sultry pace, heavy on the brushes, lyrics that make it seem like the song was written only for the listener, and vocals that are comfortable, warm and evoke time together by the fireplace. Who... Continue Reading →
Kristin Berardi has a voice that lilts, rises and falls, all stepping-stones and light movements. Her new CD, The Light and the Dark, is a full-course meal of storytelling and melodic finesse. “He Was a Loaded Gun” takes you on a trip with a guy her heart should have avoided but the pull was inevitable.... Continue Reading →
It’s the kind of voice you don’t expect, the kind you’re blown away by, when you pull back and say, “What just happened?” Kale Johnson’s voice comes out of the blue and is simultaneously two things: powerful and self-possessed. His new single “Be Still My Heart” shows he has the chops to be an icon... Continue Reading →
Total tonal fluency is attained through hard work and love for the craft, something vocalist Sharón Clark knows a lot about. Her recent collab with Mattias Nilsson had their small but mighty ensemble fill the room with sonic pleasure. On “Sometimes I’m Happy” the way she bends a note is so sublime that you can... Continue Reading →
A blockbuster tune that’s resonated with generations of soul and R&B fans has a new life with its original creator, vocalist and composer Clifton Davis. “Never Can Say Goodbye” is Davis’ jazz debut in a sizzling new collab with pianist Beegie Adair backed up by vocal group Take 6 and singer Monica Ramey. Singing the... Continue Reading →
A soft and sweet piano intro sweeps open the curtains, allowing vocalist Hannah Baiardi to sing her latest release, “What Will Our Children Say.” A paean of positivity, the song is socially current and pointedly asks what kind of world we are leaving to our progeny. Baiardi deftly navigates this simple melody with imaginative lyrics... Continue Reading →
A song starts out and you’re totally open, ready to get your mind around the rhythm of it, the main tune of it, and soon after, to identify where the harmonies lie and where the other textures will start to fit in. What happens if, within the first few bars, you get hit with an... Continue Reading →
Multi-instrumentalist Leonisa Ardizzone believes in a world with fluid musical boundaries; that’s why in her latest release “All in Good Time” she delicately re-threads a Go-Go’s staple (“Our Lips are Sealed”) and adds new coloration to The Smiths’ “Girl Afraid.” Ardizzone’s crystal-clear vocals and intuitively placed phrasing make this album extremely accessible. “Cyclone” is a... Continue Reading →
There's a unique timbre to Gaby Paul’s voice that makes it hard to describe; rich and sweet but with layers of character, like burnt caramel. At its core is a titanium-strength midrange and depth, but it can easily shoot to the higher registers with sniper-like accuracy. Hot and bluesy on originals like “The Record.” Mournful... Continue Reading →
Debbie Burke - jazz author 
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