Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Palette Cleanser
Tonight isn't all bad: I get to brag on a dear friend of mine, who also happens to be a wonderful singer (and who's finally on YouTube!), Ms. Alexis Cole.
Stick around for the scat...and then keep sticking around for the wonderful Ben Stivers on piano. Indeed, the whole band is first rate.
Alexis never ceases to amaze me. It is so rare to hear a singer who knows her way around the changes so well. Most singers you hear trying to scat are just scatting licks over a one or two chord vamp. Alexis understands where the changes are going, and the modulations and harmonic direction.
Her sense of pitch is exquisite. Her intonation is dead on. In fact, like a great pitcher who knows when how NOT to throw a strike, Alexis will take any musician to school in knowing when NOT to sing in tune.
You can't hear it on this cut. But download Night Train from her CD "Nearer the Sun." She knows where the blue notes are, without overdoing it.
I recommend Nearer the Sun for straight ahead jazz, and Zingaro for a bit more sultry sound.
Splash, out
Jason
Stick around for the scat...and then keep sticking around for the wonderful Ben Stivers on piano. Indeed, the whole band is first rate.
Alexis never ceases to amaze me. It is so rare to hear a singer who knows her way around the changes so well. Most singers you hear trying to scat are just scatting licks over a one or two chord vamp. Alexis understands where the changes are going, and the modulations and harmonic direction.
Her sense of pitch is exquisite. Her intonation is dead on. In fact, like a great pitcher who knows when how NOT to throw a strike, Alexis will take any musician to school in knowing when NOT to sing in tune.
You can't hear it on this cut. But download Night Train from her CD "Nearer the Sun." She knows where the blue notes are, without overdoing it.
I recommend Nearer the Sun for straight ahead jazz, and Zingaro for a bit more sultry sound.
Splash, out
Jason
Labels: Alexis Cole, jazz, Music, vocals
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