Terence Blanchard: Let's Get Lost (2001)

Entertainment Weekly (6/8/01, p.77) - "One of jazz's trumpeters-of-choice has settled on a ripe concept, with inviting tunes by great American songwriter Jimmy McHugh. Wisely, Blanchard calls on several fine singers..." - Rating: B+

CMJ (6/11/01, p.23) - "...Thoughtful and reaching arrangements that simmer with the same blue flame that fueled Miles Davis' '50s work....This is a no-brainer for fans of vocal and traditional jazz."

Down Beat (8/01, pp.66-7) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Blanchard's buttoned-down performance is consistently restrained and thoughtful....adroit and distinctive....with some attractive interpretive and sometimes idiosyncratic departures..."

Personnel: Terence Blanchard (trumpet); Diana Krall (vocals, piano); Jane Monheit, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson (vocals); Brice Winston (tenor saxophone); Edward Simon (piano); Derek Nievergelt (bass); Eric Harland (drums)

Tracklist:

1. Let's Get Lost — (with Diana Krall)

2. Too Young to Go Steady — (with Jane Monheit)
3. You're a Sweetheart
4. I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me — (with Dianne Reeves)
5. I'm in the Mood For Love
6. Don't Blame Me — (with Cassandra Wilson)
7. I Can't Give You Anything But Love — (with Jane Monheit)
8. Exactly Like You
9. Can't Get Out of This Mood — (with Dianne Reeves)
10. Lost in a Fog
11. On the Sunny Side of the Street — (with Cassandra Wilson)
Let's Get Lost
Rapidshare / Hotfile @ 320K

Ray Brown Trio: Some Of My Best Friends Are...Singers (1998) mp3 @ 320K

What does a bass player do when he's recording an album as a leader? Surely not an hour's worth of bass solos! Ray Brown solved the bass player's dilemma with a series of recordings under the Some of My Best Friends Are... heading. This 1998 release is the third in the series, following the earlier Some of My Best Friends Are...Piano Players and Some of My Best Friends Are...Sax Players, and it's a gem. Featuring a sextet of fine vocalists, ranging from the well-established to the unknown, this CD is a class act from beginning to end. The rising jazz vocal superstar of the late '90s, Diana Krall, is showcased to great effect on "I Thought About You" and "Little Boy." Well-established female vocal veterans Etta Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Marlena Shaw deliver superb performances, soulfully giving master lessons in the art of singing. The lone male singer spotlighted here, Kevin Mahogany, wraps his smooth baritone around the ballad "Skylark," and swings gently on "The Party's Over."

The one unknown in this collection is Oregonian Nancy King. This veteran of the San Francisco and Pacific Northwest scenes shows she has a fine way with a ballad on "But Beautiful," and scats her way across the upbeat Brown original "The Perfect Blues," that closes this set. Both of these songs also feature Antonio Hart's alto saxophone. In addition to Brown's trio mates Geoff Keezer and Gregory Hutchinson, musical support includes guitarist Russell Malone on two tracks and tenor saxman Ralph Moore cooking alongside Bridgewater on "Cherokee."
Some Of My Best Friends Are ... Singers