Patti Austin, James Morrison - Ella & Louis [2CD] (2017)

Following on from their sellout BBC Proms performance, legendary Grammy award-winning vocalist Patti Austin and Australian trumpet maestro James Morrison come together to relive the timeless hits of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in their new album on ABC Jazz. Recorded live in concert across two sold-out nights at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Austin and Morrison are joined by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in a celebration of the centennial of Fitzgerald's birth. Patti Austin experienced the legendary pair first-hand: "To grow up watching, learning from Ella and Louis, and now to do my part to hopefully enhance their legacy it just doesn't get any better than that!', she comments. Few performers have the credentials to pull off a fitting and genuinely thrilling tribute to 'The First Lady of Song' Ella Fitzgerald but Austin possesses the heritage, experience and voice to do so. Since debuting at the Apollo Theatre at the tender age of four, with the encouragement of her godparents Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones, Austin's six-decade career has seen her work with artists as diverse as Randy Brecker, Michael Jackson and George Benson. As a virtuoso instrumentalist and ambassador for jazz, James Morrison has followed closely in the footsteps of Louis Armstrong. In 2017, Morrison was invited to perform in a tribute to Armstrong at the BBC Proms, earning stellar reviews across the international press; his Great American Songbook, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, recently won the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album. Morrison and Austin reunited for this recording after their previous performance together at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Quincy Jones. The landmark collaboration between Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong was the pinnacle of an era. This album features the very finest from their songbook: Let's Do It, Lullaby of Birdland, Basin Street Blues, Miss Otis Regrets and much more, totalling almost two hours of unforgettable music. "If you enjoy this disc even half as much as we enjoyed making it, you're having a very, very good time indeed." - James Morrison "As long as there are interpreters like Patti Austin and James Morrison, there will always be a full house for quality jazz" ~ ArtsHub. 

ABC JAZZ, ABC 481 6483, 2017
Recorded June 2017 in Hamer Hall, Melbourne, Australia,
as part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival 

Personnel:
Patti Austin - Vocals
James Morrison - Trumpet, Trombone, Piano
Jake Barden - Saxophone (#102)
Mark Fitzgibbon - Piano
William Morrison - Guitar
Harry Morrison - Bass
Patrick Danao - Drums 

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
============================
Benjamin Northey - Conductor
John Marcus - Concertmaster 

Patrick Williams - Arranger (#103,106-108,202-204,207,209)
Gordon Goodwin - Arranger (#104,109,208,210)
James Morrison - Arranger (#201)
Graeme Lyall - Arranger (#205) 

Tracklist: 

CD1:
01. Hello, Dolly! {Jerry Herman} (4:32)
02. [Up A] Lazy River {Sidney Arodin, Hoagy Carmichael} (6:12)
03. Too Close For Comfort {Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George David Weiss} (3:28)
04. Let’s Do It {Cole Porter} (5:22)
05. [If You Can’t Sing It] You’ll Have to Swing It [Mr Paganini] {Sam Coslow} (4:47)
06. Our Love Is Here To Stay {George Gershwin} (5:30)
07. A-Tisket, A-Tasket {Van Alexander, Ella Fitzgerald} (2:56)
08. Satin Doll {Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn} (2:26)
09. Lullaby Of Birdland {George Shearing} (3:54) 

Time: 39:07

CD2:
01. Basin Street Blues {Spencer Williams} (4:29)
02. Miss Otis Regrets {Cole Porter} (5:08)
03. Hard-Hearted Hannah [The Vamp Of Savannah] {Milton Ager} (2:58)
04. Honeysuckle Rose {Fats Waller} (4:31)
05. I’ve Got The World On A String {Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler} (3:26)
06. Struttin' With Some BBQ {James Morrison} (6:41)
07. But Not For Me {George Gershwin} (4:50)
08. Mack The Knife {Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill} (3:48)
09. How High The Moon {Morgan Lewis} (4:59)
10. Get Happy {Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler} (6:07) 

Time: 46:57 

Total Time: 86:04

Credits:
Producer, Editing - Duncan Yardley
Executive Producer - Toby Chadd
Engineer - Russell Thomson
Mixing & Mastering - Virginia Read

Patti Austin - Love Is Gonna Getcha (1990)

With apologies to Dianne Reeves, Patti Austin has always quite simply been the best jack-of-all-genre singers on the planet, crossing effortlessly from jazz to pop and R&B with a voice that's so sweet, rich, and lovely, it can't help but warm the heart. On the heels of her 1988 masterpiece The Real Me, her GRP debut packs a wallop of festive up-tempo tunes, lite funk pop, torchy message songs, passionate ballads, and breezy tenderness -- all delivered with a truly Austin-tatious flair. Austin surrounds herself with some of pop jazz's best here, with GRP's 1990 roster well represented: Dave Grusin (whose production is flawless), Don Grusin (with whom she co-wrote the happy "Ooh Wee [The Carnival]"), Deborah Henson-Conant (whose harp adds punch to "In My Dreams"), Lee Ritenour, and Nelson Rangell (whose alto soars on the title cut). But as tantalizing as the music is, it is Austin who gives the collection wings with a powerful voice whose mood she so artfully modulates depending on the feel of the individual tune. Soft and tender on her own composition "In My Life," easy and lilting for "In My Dreams," and full of genuine excitement for "Through the Test of Time" and "Ooh Wee." An added bonus is the Oscar nominated "The Girl Who Used to Be Me," which gives Austin a chance to show her range, even if the tune is a bit schmaltzy. ~ by Jonathan Widran, AMG. 

GRP Records, GRD-9603, 1990
Recorded At Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, California 

Personnel:
Patti Austin - Vocals, Backing Vocals, Vocal Arrangements
Dave Grusin - Piano, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Harmonica,
Rhythm & Vocal Arrangements, Vocals [Background]
Nelson Rangell - Alto Saxophone
Ernie Watts - Tenor Saxophone
David Paich - Keyboards, Synthesizer, Arranger
Greg Phillinganes - Piano
Steve Porcaro - Synthesizer
Michael Landau, Lee Ritenour - Guitar
Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus - Bass
Deborah Henson-Conant - Harp
Harvey Mason - Drums
Paulinho Da Costa, Lenny Castro, Michael Fisher, Jeff Porcaro - Percussion
Robin Beck, Shelton Becton, Jocelyn Brown, Bill Eaton, Lani Groves,
Casey Sissik, James "D-Train" Williams - Vocals [Background] 

Strings:
David Nadien - Concert Master, Violin
Elena Barere, Arnold Eidus, Barry Finclair, Regis Iandiorio, Charles Libove, Louann Montesi, John Pintavalle, Matthew Raimondi, Richard Sortomme, Marti Sweet, Gerald Tarack - Violin
Jean R. Dane, Carol Landon, Sue Pray - Viola
Charles McCracken, Richard Locker - Cello 

Tracks:
01. Through The Test Of Time {David Pack, Jeff Pescetto} (5:07)
02. Too Soon To Know {Lorraine Feather, Michael McDonald, David Pack} (4:23)
03. In My Life {Patti Austin} (4:04)
04. Love Is Gonna Getcha {Lou Pardini, Alan Scott, Reed Vertelney} (5:04)
05. Ooh-Whee [The Carnival] {Patti Austin, Don Grusin} (5:41)
06. Believe The Children {Lyn Laboriel, Lou Pardini, Abraham Laboriel, Sr.} (5:36)
07. Good In Love {Robin Batteau, François Eckart, Jeff Southworth} (4:38)
08. Wait For Me {Don Grusin, Kate Markowitz, Christina Trulio} (5:26)
09. First Time Love {Patti Austin, Dave Grusin, Harvey Mason, Sr.} (5:31)
10. In My Dream {Eddie Arkin, Edward Arkin, Beckie Foster} (5:09)
11. The Girl Who Used To Be Me {Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch} (4:16) 

Total Time: 54:55 

Credits:
Producer, Executive Producer, Liner Notes - Dave Grusin
Executive Producer, Producer - Larry Rosen
Producer - David Paich
Production Coordination - Suzanne Sherman
Production Assistant - Barbara Hein
Engineer - Bill Cooper, Tom Knox, Ed Rak, Bob Schaper
Assistant Engineer, Engineer - Matthew "Boomer" La Monica, Joe Martin, Brian Soucy
Engineer, Mixing - Don Murray
Mixing Assistant - Elaine Anderson
Digital Editing - Mike Landy, Robert Vosgien
Mastering - Wally Traugott
Creative Director - Andy Baltimore
Photography - Richard Corman
Graphic Design - David Gibb, Jacki McCarthy, Andy Ruggirello, Dan Serrano
Liner Notes - Patti Austin

Tom Browne - Browne Sugar (1979)

Despite the trumpet's prominent historic role in Jazz music, the instrument didn't showcase many of its practitioners in the contemporary jazz genre after the mid-Seventies. Queens, New York native Tom Browne, however, changed that notion. Browne's blistering solos and flair for melodicism and lyricism were on full display on Browne Sugar, his 1979 debut. From the album's opener, "Throw Down," composed by Browne, a bold, up tempo number that highlighted the trumpeter's facility to play smooth, fluid lines, to the closer "Antoinette Like," a contemplative ballad, penned by keyboard wunderkind Bernard Wright, Browne demonstrated that he is a focused, original artist, destined to be on the scene for the long run. The long run began its race for Browne on this record with the aid of Wright; the incomparable pianist/composer/producer Dave Grusin (who co-produced); first-rate-bassists Francisco Centeno and the illustrious Marcus Miller (the latter of whom wrote the alternately mellow and funky "Herbal Scent"); acclaimed saxophonist Michael Brecker, versatile vocalist Patti Austin, and underrated drummer Buddy Williams, just to name a few stellar names on the eight-tunes project. Because of its mix of ballads and mid-tempo funk, "Browne Sugar" was definitely a record that established the trumpet ace's (also a flugelhornist) own musical identity. It placed Browne front and center as a leader and not as a bystander on his own record. Speaking of his own musical identity, Browne's composition, "Promises for Spring," is another tune that possessed that gentle, late-night aura that would be heard on Quiet Storm radio. It's just the kind of record that would become the template for contemporary jazz--radio-friendly, breezy tunes laced with R&B overtones with jazz inflections. The album had great flow without any selections that would prompt listeners to skip to the next track. Even in the present musical soundscape, there are few trumpet-led projects that embrace the distinctive sound of Browne's. It's a classy, stylish debut that sounds just as rich and melodic in 2020 as it did in 1979. Cheers to Tom Browne and to the musicians who have made Browne Sugar a sonic gem! ~ Liz Goodwin, SmoothVibes.com. 

GRP Records, GRP 5003, 1979
GRP Records, GRP-D-9517, 1991
Recorded and Mixed 1979 At A&R Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Tom Browne - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Michael Brecker - Tenor Saxophone
Phil Bodner - Horn
Eddie Daniels - Horn
Walter Kane - Horn
David Tofani - Horn
Dave Grusin - Piano [Electric], Clavinet, Moog Synthesizer, Oberheim Synthesizers, Organ, Percussion, Synthesizer
Rob Mounsey - Oberheim Synthesizer, Organ, Synthesizer
Bernard Wright - Piano, Piano [Electric]
Ron Miller   - Guitar [Electric]
Marcus Miller - Bass [Electric]
Francisco Centeno - Bass [Electric]
Buddy Williams - Drums
Sue Evans - Congas, Percussion
Errol Crusher Bennett - Congas, Percussion
Patti Austin - Vocals
Vivian Cherry - Vocals
Frank Floyd - Vocals
Zachary Sanders - Vocals
+ Strings Ensemble 

Tracks:
1. Throw Down {Tom Browne} (3:58)
2. I Never Was A Cowboy {Don Grusin} (4:24)
3. Herbal Scent {Tom Browne} (5:25)
4. Brother, Brother {Denzil Miller} (5:32)
5. The Closer I Get To You {Reggie Lucas, James Mtume} (4:38)
6. What's Going On {Renaldo Benson, Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye} (5:09)
7. Promises For Spring {Tom Browne} (4:50)
8. Antoinette Like {Bernard Wright} (3:38) 

Total Time: 37:34 

Credits:
Producer, Conductor, Arranger, Liner Notes - Dave Grusin
Producer, Engineer, Liner Notes - Larry Rosen
GRP Production Coordinator - Peter Lopez
Recording Engineer - Jim Boyer
Recording Assistant - Peter Lewis
Recording & Mixing Assistant - Bradshaw Leigh
Mastering Engineer - Ted Jensen [Sterling Sound, NYC]
Digital Remastering - Josiah Gluck [The Review Room, NYC]
Editing & Formatting - N.Y. Digital Recording
GRP Creative Director, Art Design - Andy Baltimore
Art Direction - Dan Serrano
Photography - Mario Astorga