Friends And Family
Ray Brown Jr.
Jane Monheit, Melba Moore, Terry Gibbs, James Moody, Maria Muldaur, Dr. John, Dr. Lonnie Smith, David "Fathead" Newman, Dionne Warwick, Freda Payne, Paul Williams, Sophie B. Hawkins, Haylee, David Somerville, Kim Hoyner, Sally Kellerman, Ella Fitzgerald
Engineer: Eric Jensen, Joe Vannelli,
Producer: Shelly Liebowitz
SRI Jazz, 2008
1 CD
Catalogue #: SRI31125
EAN: 0821603112521
UPC: 821603112521
You save: 20%
Liner Note Author: Shelly Liebowitz.
Recording information: Quad Studios; Blue Moon Studios.
Tracklist
Jane Monheit
With movie-star looks, a sensual, pitch-perfect voice, and a strong sense of jazz history, vocalist Jane Monheit made a big splash on the jazz scene around the turn of the century. She was still in her early twenties when she began turning heads with her recordings, garnering comparisons to the likes of Diana Krall and Cassandra Wilson. The latter comparison was further borne out when 2002's IN THE SUN found Monheit dropping in Bonnie Raitt and Judy Collins tunes amid the jazz standards.
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur got her start in the heady West Village folk scene of the early 1960s with the Even Dozen Jug Band (her bandmates included guitarist Stefan Grossman and future Lovin' Spoonful John Sebastian), and then enjoyed a few years with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, alongside her then-husband Geoff Muldaur. After their marriage split up in 1972, Muldaur focussed on a solo career, establishing an image as a sultry earth-mama chanteuse. Her first album, released in 1973, made a splash, spawning the classic pop hit "Midnight at the Oasis." Although subsequent albums and singles didn't go over as well with the public, Muldaur never stopped recording or touring, and later in her career adopted a jazzier, more timeless repertoire that suits her varied international audiences.
Dr. John
Cutting his teeth on New Orleans session work while still a teen in the 1950s, pianist and singer Dr. John (born Mac Rebennack) emerged in the late 1960s with GRIS-GRIS, a blend of snaky rhythms, Crescent City funk, and swampland voodoo flair. Since then, he has remained one of New Orleans's prime musical ambassadors, an artist with his own trademark sound and style.
David "Fathead" Newman
A sax player whose full-throated bluesy expression reflects a strong R&B background, David "Fathead" Newman has lent his powerful yet supple sound to an incredible variety of musical situations since his first appearance in the mid-1950s. He has worked as a sideman on countless soul, blues, and jazz dates over the years, including a long and fruitful association with Ray Charles during Ray's richest soul-jazz years. Newman's own recordings as a leader also reflect the range of his talent.
Dionne Warwick
With her beautifully clear and unmannered, yet soulful, voice, Dionne Warwick became the perfect instrument for the compositions of 1960s pop kings Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The partnership resulted in an incredible string of classic hits, and Warwick's chart success continued well into the '80s, even with other writers and producers providing the material. Few could have predicted her subsequent emergence as a TV personality via the Psychic Friends Network, but regardless of her extracurricular activities, she continued lending her vocal talents to recordings and performances.
Ella Fitzgerald
Through unparalleled ability and judicious choice of repertoire, Ella Fitzgerald became the foremost female interpreter of the 20th-century Great American Popular Song Book. With producer Norman Granz she worked on the "songbook" series, placing on record definitive performances of the work of America's leading songwriters. Fitzgerald had a wide vocal range, but her voice retained a youthful, light vibrancy throughout the greater part of her career, bringing a fresh and appealing quality to most of her material, especially her scat singing. While there are still numerous excellent artists whose work has been strongly influenced by Fitzgerald, the social and artistic conditions that helped to create America's First Lady of Song no longer exist, and it seems highly unlikely that we shall ever see or hear her like again.
