The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
Songs Of An Unknown Tongue
With the ever-mutating virus now spreading the Omicron variation, I am watching the detection and rise of this more contagious variants in South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Israel, Denmark, Botswana, Italy, Canada, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands. Suspecting that it is already in America, I am getting my booster as precaution, not necessarily to ward off, and continuing my vigilance in remaining socially distant and wearing my mask.
This week I have selected a talented British vocalist Zara Mcfarlane. Her fourth album, Songs Of An Unknown Tongue, was produced by Kwake Bass and Wu-lu, and released on July 17, 2020 on Brownswood Recordings.
This album pushes the boundaries of jazz meshed with folk and spiritual traditions of ancestral Jamaica. Zara is a part of the British echelon that is converging young and older audiences still seeking the future of jazz.
Tracks | 48:27
Side One
- Everything Is Connected ~ 3:39
- Black Treasure ~ 3:38
- Broken Water ~ 3:54
- Run Of Your Life ~ 3:11
- Saltwater ~ 6:22
Side Two
- My Story ~ 6:37
- Native Nomad ~ 6:07
- State Of Mind ~ 4:52
- Roots Of Freedom ~ 7:35
- Future Echoes ~ 4:32
Players
- Zara Mcfarlane ~ Vocals
- Kwake Bass ~ Percussion, Drums, Drum Machine, Synths, Synth Bass, Guitar, Bass Guitar
- Wu~Lu ~ Percussion, Synths, Guitar, Bass Guitar
- Camilo Tirado ~ Percussion
- Lyle Barton: Rhodes, Biscuit Flute
- Idris Rahman ~ Tenor Saxophone
- Robin Hopcraft ~ Trumpet
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Claire Austin was born Augusta Marie on November 21, 1918 to Swedish-American parents in Yakima, Washington. She played in nightclubs throughout the northwest in the 1930s and toured with the Chuck Austin Band in the 1940s.
Retiring from professional singing by the early 1950s, Claire began working as an accountant in Sacramento, California. After singing with Turk Murphy, she frequently performed in San Francisco, California for two years. She remained active through the 1970s.
Vocalist and pianist Claire Austin, whose singing style has been compared to Peggy Lee, passed away on June 19, 1994.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Martha Tilton was born November 14, 1915 in Corpus Christi, Texas however, her family moved to Edna, Kansas when she was three months old. They relocated to Los Angeles, California when she was seven years old. While attending Fairfax High School she was singing on a small radio station when she was heard by an agent who signed her and began booking her with larger stations.
Dropping out of school in the eleventh grade she joined Hal Grayson’s band. After singing with the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, she joined the Myer Alexander Chorus on Benny Goodman’s radio show, Camel Caravan. Goodman hired Tilton as a vocalist with his band in 1937. She continued to appear as Goodman’s star vocalist until the end of 1939 and had a No. 1 hit with the Goodman recording of And the Angels Sing.
Her major success happened from 1942 to 1949 as one of the first artists to record for Capitol Records. Her first recording for the label was Moon Dreams with Orchestra and The Mellowaires. Among her biggest hits as a solo artist were I’ll Walk Alone, I Should Care, A Stranger in Town, How Are Things in Glocca Morra, That’s My Desire, and I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder.
After she left Capitol, she recorded for other labels, including Coral and Tops. Martha sang on Fibber McGee and Molly and starred on Campana Serenade, a program of popular music on first NBC and then CBS in 1942–1944. She would go to sing and appear on further radio and television shows into the Fifties. She also appeared in several films from 1941 to 1975 including the Benny Goodman Story. Her singing voice was used for other actresses including Barbara Stanwyck, Martha O’Driscoll, and Anne Gwynne.
On December 8, 2006 vocalist Martha Tilton, who appeared in several Soundies musical films of the 1940s, passed away of natural causes at her Brentwood home.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Laila Dalseth was born November 6, 1940 in Bergen, Norway. After an early debut in her hometown she became active on the Oslo, Norway jazz scene, recording with Kjell Karlsen, Egil Kapstad and Helge Hurum’s big band. Her first recording was Metropol Jazz in 1963, then she was a part of Stokstad/Jensen Trad Band from 1973 to 1975. This she followed with a stint in a band with Per Borthen, then at Teatret Vårt in the play Havhesten in 1976.
>With her own band, Laila recorded Listen Here! (1999), 1960’s album One of a Kind (2000) and then Everything I Love (2003), all on the Gemini label. Her L. D. Quintet consisted of her husband Totti Bergh on saxophone, pianist Per Husby, bassist Kåre Garnes and Tom Olstad on drums.
Dalseth was awarded Buddyprisen in 1976, the Spellemannprisen i klassen jazz on three occasions, for Just Friends in 1975, Glad There is You in 1978 and in 1984 for Daydreams. International recognition came in the Eighties with her release of for the record Time for Love with Red Mitchell, Travelling Light with Al Cohn, and into the 1990s with The Judge and I with Milt Hinton, A Woman’s Intuition, her own sextet featuring guitarist Philip Catherine, and into the new century with We Remember You with Al Cohn, and Everything I Love.
At 80, vocalist Laila Dalseth has recorded thirteen albums, received eight awards and remains active on the jazz scene.
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The Quarantined Jazz Voyager
In our ongoing practice of social distancing and wearing our masks, this week’s selection comes the very talented interpreter and vocalist Nnenna Freelon who has delivered her latest Time Traveler. The songs for the album were recorded over a span of two years on March 13~15, 2018, October 24, 2018, August 20, 2020 and September 3, 2020. It was released on May 21, 2021 on the Origin Records label.
The album was recorded at Manifold Records in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Overdub Lane, Durham, North Carolina and Tedesco Studios in Paramus, New Jersey. It was produced by Nnenna Freelon, with musical direction by Miki Hayama. The engineers were Jason Richmond (1~6, 8~11), Ian Schreier (1,3~5,7,9) Tom Tedesco (1~3,8) and John Plymale (2,8).
The cover design and layout was by John Bishop, photography by Chris Charles, clothing stylist ~ Katina Bryson, makeup ~ Sharon Davis, hairstylist ~ Anes El and henna and face artist Shemora Sheik made up the production team.
She draws from her life story the songs of her youth and has helped her navigate the process of loss and healing and steps through an imagined doorway where past, present and future collide. She reminds us of a time when grace and elegance were a standard and that is timeless. There is a reverence in the lyrics that was lost in my youth but has been captured with age.
Tracks | 55:03
- I Say A Little Prayer For You (Burt Bachrach/Hall David) ~ 5:07
- Marvin Medley: If This World Were Mine/Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough ( Marvin Gaye, Ashford & Simpson) ~ 6:05
- Just You (Nnenna Freelon) ~ 5:32
- Betcha By Golly Wow (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) ~ 4:54
- Time In A Bottle (Jim Croce) ~ 6:59
- You Make Me Feel Brand New (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) ~ 5:06
- Moon River (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) ~ 5:57
- Time After Time (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne ~ 4:58
- Come Rain Or Come Shine (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) ~ 5:55
- Time Traveler (Freelon,Curry,Robinson, Scott) ~ 4:30
- Nnenna Freelon ~ Vocals
- Miki Hayama ~ Piano 1,3,5,7,8 Rhodes 2,4,9 Synth 2,8
- Chuckey Robinson ~ Keyboards 10,11
- Brandon McCune ~ Hammond Organ 1,3
- Keith Ganz ~ Guitar 2~6,8~11
- Noah Jackson ~ Acoustic Bass 1,3~5,7,9
- Gerald Veasley ~ Electric Bass 2,8
- Lance Scott ~ Electric Bass 10,11
- E. J. Strickland ~ Drums 1,3~5,7,9
- Adonis Rose ~ Drums 2,8
- Jon Curry ~ Drums 10,11
- Beverly Botsford ~ Percussion 2,4,8
- Trineice Robinson-Martin ~ Background Vocal
- Kirk Whalum ~ Tenor Saxophone, Flute 4
- Shana Tucker ~ Cello 5
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