GRETJE ANGELL - In Any Key
GREVLINTO RECORDS (No number listed)
Getje Angell (v); Dori Amarillo (elg); Kevin Axt, Chuck Berghofer, Gabe Davis (b); Steve Hass (d); Kevin Winard (pc); Quinn Johnson (ky); Michael Hunter (t)
Recorded California 2018
This is a relaxed session and Ms Angell proves to be a laid back but impressive vocalist. She is, in that almost impossible to describe but you know it when you hear it way, a real jazz singer. Not surprising really as she used to sit on her dad’s lap as a small child as he played the drums in smoky jazz clubs and eventually came to realise that he was ‘sowing the seeds of my future.’ She begins with Our Love Is Here To Stay, singing brightly on the beat as Amarillo on guitar and the rhythm section whisk her along. She has an original approach to I’m Old Fashioned and indeed to Fever where she jettisons the usual Peggy Lee style of vocal and heavy drum backing completely and sings it straight, to good effect. Her way with a ballad is also impressive as she gently teases out the melody of Deep In A Dream with highly sympathetic backing from Amarillo’s guitar, Johnson’s organ type keyboard support and Michael Hunter’s muted trumpet. Part of Gretje’s success is no doubt down to the fact that she is always relaxed, in control and sounds as though she is enjoying singing every selection. No histrionics here and certainly none are needed. Singer and accompanying musicians are in tune musically and with each other throughout.
Second in importance to the success of this CD is Amarillo. He arranged the music, mixed and mastered the recording and played guitar on every track. Gretje sings Berimbau in Spanish and is lithe and smooth in her vocals on Ellington’s Do Nothing and a tasty One Note Samba. The last three tracks here feature just voice and guitar but like the rest of the programme they are well performed and add to the overall success of the album. This is a very impressive and enjoyable vocal jazz record and is certainly recommended.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
GREVLINTO RECORDS (No number listed)
Getje Angell (v); Dori Amarillo (elg); Kevin Axt, Chuck Berghofer, Gabe Davis (b); Steve Hass (d); Kevin Winard (pc); Quinn Johnson (ky); Michael Hunter (t)
Recorded California 2018
This is a relaxed session and Ms Angell proves to be a laid back but impressive vocalist. She is, in that almost impossible to describe but you know it when you hear it way, a real jazz singer. Not surprising really as she used to sit on her dad’s lap as a small child as he played the drums in smoky jazz clubs and eventually came to realise that he was ‘sowing the seeds of my future.’ She begins with Our Love Is Here To Stay, singing brightly on the beat as Amarillo on guitar and the rhythm section whisk her along. She has an original approach to I’m Old Fashioned and indeed to Fever where she jettisons the usual Peggy Lee style of vocal and heavy drum backing completely and sings it straight, to good effect. Her way with a ballad is also impressive as she gently teases out the melody of Deep In A Dream with highly sympathetic backing from Amarillo’s guitar, Johnson’s organ type keyboard support and Michael Hunter’s muted trumpet. Part of Gretje’s success is no doubt down to the fact that she is always relaxed, in control and sounds as though she is enjoying singing every selection. No histrionics here and certainly none are needed. Singer and accompanying musicians are in tune musically and with each other throughout.
Second in importance to the success of this CD is Amarillo. He arranged the music, mixed and mastered the recording and played guitar on every track. Gretje sings Berimbau in Spanish and is lithe and smooth in her vocals on Ellington’s Do Nothing and a tasty One Note Samba. The last three tracks here feature just voice and guitar but like the rest of the programme they are well performed and add to the overall success of the album. This is a very impressive and enjoyable vocal jazz record and is certainly recommended.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
