Paul McCartney to team with Diana Krall for Great American Songbook album !

Diana Krall

Interesting item about Paul McCartney and the Great American Songbook:

It seems that despite a busy schedule of touring throughout 2010 and this year, the former Beatle, Paul McCartney has been working on an album of standards with Canadian chanteuse/pianist Diana Krall at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.

He told USA Today that he'd hesitated to do such an album before, lest it look as if he were jumping on a rather tattered bandwagon.

He's got legitimate roots in the genre; father Jim McCartney headed up a dance band in the '30s and '40s, so McCartney already knows a slew of classic songs.

"It's my dad's style of music," he says. "I've wanted to do that kind of thing forever, since the Beatle days. But then Rod [Stewart] went mad on it. I thought, 'I have to wait so it doesn't look like I'm trying to do a Rod,'" he told Rolling Stone magazine.

"And I've written a few tunes in the genre," he said. "We're going all sorts of ways, and I'm having a ball."

Diana Krall and her quartet took part in the proceedings, which also included orchestral arrangements, but the number of songs to be used is uncertain and the titles remain strictly confidential. Other tracks will be recorded in London later this year.

 Should be a great collector's item.

Photo: album liner

Visit the Memory Lane Shop for Diana Krall music

Bay Area's Lisa Lindsley to debut new show July 31st

 BAY AREA VOCALIST LISA LINDSLEY WILL DEBUT HER NEW SHOW “I LIKE MEN!”

AT THE RRAZZ ROOM IN SAN FRANCISCO, CA

SUNDAY JULY 31^ST AT 8:00PM

FEATURING KELLY PARK , DAN FABRICANT AND EDDIE MARSHALL

Following Lisa’s sold out show, I’ve Got a Lot of Livin’ To Do  at The Jazz School and her sold out and standing room only CD release concert of “Everytime We say Goodbye” at Piedmont piano with Grammy nominated George Mesterhazy, she previews her new show, “I Like Men!”

Sprinkled with comedy and songs like, The Boy Next Door, Someday My Prince Will Come, Twisted and Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?  Lindsley brings a sense of comedy to old standards to create an experience you won’t soon forget.

“Every great song has a complete story in it, with a beginning, middle, and end,” Lindsley says. “When you’re singing you have to be connected to the words, or there’s nothing there, you have to have an emotional connection to the song. I want to tell the audience the story of the song, and my experience with acting helps that immensely.”

Lisa Lindsley was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, the daughter of a jazz-loving father and a former film actress mother who’d left Hollywood because of the McCarthy-era blacklist. By high school Lisa had discovered musical theater, a passion that carried through to college. She attended the prestigious California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) theater program, then spent a decade touring and performing with The Imagination Company.

Raising and homeschooling three daughters put her performing ambitions on the backburner for a long time, but in recent years she developed a successful career as a voice-over artist and, inspired by her daughters’ own involvement in musical theater, she took the plunge into singing.

The Bay Area’s rich pool of jazz education has proven invaluable—from her classes at Contra Costa College with Roger Letson, who vocal group, Vocal Flight, was a six-time winner of DownBeat magazine’s student music award in the college vocal group division; to her studies with Maye Cavallaro, Laurie Antonioli, and Pamela Rose at the Jazzschool in Berkeley and her on-the-job training with veteran pianist/drummer Kelly Park.

Last year, Lindsley enrolled in the Jazzschool Institute’s demanding jazz studies degree program. She’s found that “the work has made me freer with my interpretation and has sharpened my ear. It has given me an increased appreciation for the jazz greats.”

On Sunday July 31^st she will be joined by Eddie Marshall on drums, Dan Fabricant on bass and  Kelly Park on piano. The concert takes place at the Hotel Nikko’s The Rrazz Room at 222 Mason Ave. in San Francisco. Tickets are $20, call 415-394-1189 or order online at www.therrazzroom.com  under “buy tickets”.

Web Site: www.LisaLindsley.com

                                                   

                                 

Meet Hiromi Kanda

Hiromi Kanda, the acclaimed Japanese vocalist with a penchant for the Great American Songbook, has completed her sophomore album, Days of Yesterday. Scheduled for release on September 13th on the Music Gate label (distributed by Warner Music Group/ADA), the follow up to Kanda’s critically acclaimed 2010 debut Hiromi in Love features both more timeless classics and new, original material penned by Kanda and her husband, Yusuke Hoguchi. Hoguchi, a prominent composer in his own right, served as the album’s producer. Arranged by Matt Catingub (Rosemary Clooney, Louie Bellson), who also conducted the 50-piece orchestra, and engineered by multiple Grammy-winner Al Schmitt (Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Ray Charles), Days of Yesterday was recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Hollywood in the summer of 2010. “What an unexpected treat to work with Hiromi, whom I never worked with before,” says Schmitt. “She has a wonderful voice and has love and respect for that classic era of music. She’s a great talent.” Days of Yesterday extends Kanda’s reach via lush orchestrations and sophisticated arrangements and showcases the expanded vocal palette of Hiromi, whose love for the giant songwriters of yesteryear such as Cole Porter and the Gershwins knows no bounds. On Days of Yesterday Kanda offers her interpretations of such proven gems as “All of Me,” “I Love Paris,” “Smile,” “Stella by Starlight” and “It Had to Be You.” The set’s three original compositions fit in cozily alongside the classics and one, titled “Goodnight Yesterday,” spotlights the great Joe Sample—best known as one of the founding members of jazz legends the Crusaders—guesting on piano. “It was a wonderful experience to record with Hiromi,” says Sample. “The choice of material was exceptional and her performances were heartfelt. That adds up to a fantastic day!” Writing about Hiromi In Love, JazzTimes Magazine said, “Blessed with a solid voice and an impressive sense of time, Hiromi sings in a style that suggests the smokiness of Marlene Dietrich crossed with the lilt of Astrud Gilberto,” while the Honolulu Star Bulletin declared, “This romantic nostalgic album by Japanese vocalist Hiromi Kanda has a timeless beauty.” For Hiromi, the experience of recording Days of Yesterday was a career highlight. “I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such talented people as Al Schmitt, Matt Catingub, Joe Sample and the wonderful musicians at Capitol Studios,” she says. “And I’m excited to share my interpretations of the songs of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Eubie Blake and many great composers on my second album.” Days of Yesterday will undoubtedly reap praises of a similar nature and further the reputation of this unique, stylish and poised artist. For Hiromi Kanda, this gorgeous new recording marks the point where she no longer simply pays tribute to, but emerges as one of the great vocalists. “I need good music,” says Kanda. “Music, to me, is like pure air. Music is joy. And I feel that my musical voyage is just beginning with Days of Yesterday.” The Nagasaki-born singer recently moved to the United States, and will embark on a national tour in support of Days of Yesterday.

The album will be released on September 13, 2011. Click here to pre-order.                                  Live in a LA Club-"When I Fall In Love"

Warwick Valley Jazz Festival August 18-21, 2011

Jimmy Roselli rival of Frank Sinatra has died

Sad news this week... a crooner from Hoboken, New Jersey and a rival of the late Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Roselli has died at 85 on Thursday from heart problems, according to published reports.

Growing up, Sinatra and Roselli lived only five houses away from each other in Hoboken.
Roselli was known for his renditions of songs from Naples. His biggest hits occurred in the mid 1960s: "There Must Be A Way" and "Mala Femmena."

Inspired by his grandfather's love of music, young Jimmy crooned on weekends at a Hoboken hotel and then was discovered at 13 on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour, where Frank Sinatra also got a start.

Roselli was one of the most significant Italian-American pop singers of his time, during an era of formidable competition from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como, Frankie Laine, and Jerry Vale.


He was living in Venice Beach, Fla. when he passed away. Reports say that a funeral mass will be held this Tuesday, July 5 in Hoboken at St. Ann's Church.