Kelly Johnson Something Good

Kelley Johnson
Something Good
OA2 Records

There is a warmth and a genial, sensual quality to Kelley Johnson's vocals. Her latest CD, "Something Good," has her wonderful interpretations of ten musical gems backed by a trio, including her husband, John Hansen on piano, Michael Glynn on bass, and Kendrick Scott on piano. Jay Thomas adds his horn (saxophone or trumpet to three songs.

She has such a delightful voice as she cleanly delivers the lyrics with flawless pitch, and fluid phrasing backed by the superb rhythm section would provide the backdrop for a romantic evening. It starts with Stephen Sondheim's "Anyone Can Whistle" and followed by Richard Carpenter's "Goodbye to Love." Hanson's superb piano and Scott's percussive accents complement her reflective vocal. There is a mesmerizing quality to her charming, swinging, almost whispered singing on Cole Porter's "You Do Something To Me," and George Shearing's "Lullaby of Birdland." There is a perky quality to her interpretations another Cole Porter classic, "Let's Do It." She ably negotiates the tempo changes of Leonard Bernstein's "Some Other Time," while she places her stamp on "Unforgettable." Jay Thomas' muted trumpet here, along with the superb rhythm section, contributes to a jewel of a performance.

In addition to her sublime vocals, Kelley Johnson (and John Hanson) contributed the arrangements for these sterling performances. With the superb backing musicians, an excellent selection of songs, and her lovely, captivating singing, Kelley Johnson's "Something Good" is an exceptional vocal jazz album.

I received my review copy from a publicist. here is a recent performance of "Let's Do It," by Kelley Johnson.

Rosana Eckert Sailing Home

Rosana Eckert
Sailing Home
OA2 Records

Texas-based vocalist and songwriter Rosana Eckert collaborated with her renowned New York composer/singer friend Peter Eldridge to produce "Sailing Home." Eckert is joined by a simpatico band including Corey Christiansen on guitar, bassist Young Heo, and drummer Steve Barnes, plus special guests. Rosana Eckert grew up in the Bordertown of El Paso, Texas and later attended North Texas State University on a scholarship based on her French Horn playing. On a lark, she auditioned to the University of North Texas Jazz Singers, the school's premier jazz vocal ensemble. She eventually became section leader, lead soprano, featured soloist, and arranger, later singing with the school’s One O’Clock Lab Band and various other ensembles. She earned a Masters in Jazz Studies and was hired as the school's first private jazz voice teacher. At the same time, she had a parallel career as a working musician in nearby Dallas, performing with her own jazz band and doing commercial singing and voiceover work. She also began writing her own songs and recorded three albums.

"Sailing Home", her fourth album is her first in nine-year and is hard to pigeon-hole as a jazz vocal recording. It has a definite pop flavor infused with her honey-toned jazz leanings. The is a bright and perky spirit to the opening "Sailing Home" with its bubbly rhythm. Dedicated to her husband Gary, "Garby the Great" is a charming song of her love for him with some delightful scatting. Set to a reggae groove "Waiting" is a homage to pregnant women in waiting rooms waiting for their doctors. Ginny Mac provides the attractive accordion that engages in a call and response with Eckert's "la la la" scatting on this lighthearted performance that illustrates her beautiful, melodic voice along with clean diction and relaxed delivery of lyrics.

Other notable performances include "Coriander Stomp" has a roots-rock tone with a hint of New Orleans in the groove and is a showcase for guitarist Christiansen who has a tinge of twang with his jazzy single note runs. "Empty Room" has a heartbreaking lyric conveyed by her moving wistful performance. Set against a bossa nova groove, "Lovely Ever After," is a song dedicated to her daughter who was four when Eckert wrote it. It is an endearing and spirited performance with a wonderful vocal along with Daniel Pardo's winsome alto flute. "For Good" was inspired by a character on the TV show "Mad Men" who committed endless infidelity. It opens as a duet with bassist Heo with the other players eventually filling out the understated accompaniment.

Rosana Eckert sings of love, friendships and hopes on an exquisite recording that enchants listeners with Rosana Eckert's lovely, nuanced vocals and the apt and supportive accompaniment. "Sailing Home" is a jazz-pop gem.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the November-December 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 367). Here is Rosana performing "For Good" as part of a NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

George Cotsirilos Mostly in Blue

George Cotsirilos 
Mostly in Blue 
OA2 Records 

Originally from Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area guitarist George Cotsirilos has been a member of the area's jazz community for many years. He has performed with a wide variety of artists including jazz fixtures like Eddie Marshall, Mel Martin, Pharaoh Sanders and Mark Levine as well as soul and blues singer Etta James, and Bill Evans bassist Chuck Israels. This is his new quartet CD with a band that includes pianist Keith Saunders, former Cal Tjader bassist Robb Fisher and drummer Ron Marabuto. 

This is a strong, straight-ahead set of mostly blues-tinged performances with Cotsirilos having contributed six of the eight numbers. Cotsirilos is a marvelous guitarist in the vein of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell and the like and his swinging, fluid, inventive, single note inventions are complemented by the backing rhythm section with pianist Saunders also outstanding.

Highlights include the lively title track that opens the CD; the tribute to Wes Montgomery "Wes Side Blues," where he evokes the guitar legend; a lovely Brazilian-tinged performance on the standard "I Wish I Knew," that has a brief unaccompanied guitar opening; a peppy rendition of the Benny Harris bebop classic "Crazeology"; and the late evening mood engendered on "Lights Out." 

Cotsirilos notes that the idea was "to present the music much as one would hear it in live performance … ." The performances were recorded at a single session in first or second takes, and on the evidence of the superior performances here, Cotsirilos and his band is a group I would love to hear live if I had the chance.

I received my review copy from a publicist.This review appeared originally in the May-June 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 378). If you visit www.georgecotsirilos.com and click music, you can hear 5 full tracks, including two from this album (the quartet tracks). Here is George Cotsirilos performing live.