HAZEL MITCHELL-BELL - Sack Full Of Dreams
SELF PRODUCED
www.hazelmitchellbellmusic.com
Hazel Mitchell-Bell (v); Vince Evans (p); James B. King Jnr (b); J.C. Jefferson (d; Kenny Rittenhouse (t); Craig Alston (ts) ) plus string quartet, vocal backing group.
No dates or locations listed.
This vocal recital begins with the smooth ballad of the title track, written by Gary McFarland. Ms Mitchell-Bell sings it with warmth and feeling before moving on to Where Is Love, the Lionel Bart opus. This song is given a straight ahead jazz interpretation by the rhythm section and the two horns. Rittenhouse plays soft focus trumpet backings and a catchy solo before Alston follows on with a smooth tenor sax line. Again Ms Mitchell-Bell is in lyrical mode with her clear voice and bright diction. Her voice is distinctive, bold and with plenty of volume on most of these selections. Looking at the composers or performers of the chosen repertoire it would appear that she has taken from several influences, namely Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson and Aretha Franklin to combine and forge a style of her own. There are also touches of Abbey Lincoln, most noticeably on Throw It Away, written by Lincoln. The string quartet is used sparingly throughout but is effective on the pieces chosen for it. The four woman background vocal group appear on three songs.
Spirit In The Dark, a hit for Franklin back in the 1970s is here given a robust, full blooded gospel and blues treatment and is one of the highlights of the set. When did You Leave Heaven is also a strong rendition, blues based and delivered with strength and conviction. Dance With My Father is sung with feeling as a tribute to her late father. This Bitter Earth is performed in dramatic fashion. The vocalist returns to ballad mode for the final two tracks, What I Did For Love from the stage musical A Chorus Line and written by Marvin Hamlisch. The last piece is Meet Me On The Moon, which moves into mid tempo once it gets going. Ms Mitchell-Bell is certainly original in her variety of song choices and her use of a strong, flexible voice. Some selections are close to pop or rhythm and blues selections but there is enough jazz in these twelve tunes to satisfy most tastes.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
SELF PRODUCED
www.hazelmitchellbellmusic.com
Hazel Mitchell-Bell (v); Vince Evans (p); James B. King Jnr (b); J.C. Jefferson (d; Kenny Rittenhouse (t); Craig Alston (ts) ) plus string quartet, vocal backing group.
No dates or locations listed.
This vocal recital begins with the smooth ballad of the title track, written by Gary McFarland. Ms Mitchell-Bell sings it with warmth and feeling before moving on to Where Is Love, the Lionel Bart opus. This song is given a straight ahead jazz interpretation by the rhythm section and the two horns. Rittenhouse plays soft focus trumpet backings and a catchy solo before Alston follows on with a smooth tenor sax line. Again Ms Mitchell-Bell is in lyrical mode with her clear voice and bright diction. Her voice is distinctive, bold and with plenty of volume on most of these selections. Looking at the composers or performers of the chosen repertoire it would appear that she has taken from several influences, namely Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson and Aretha Franklin to combine and forge a style of her own. There are also touches of Abbey Lincoln, most noticeably on Throw It Away, written by Lincoln. The string quartet is used sparingly throughout but is effective on the pieces chosen for it. The four woman background vocal group appear on three songs.
Spirit In The Dark, a hit for Franklin back in the 1970s is here given a robust, full blooded gospel and blues treatment and is one of the highlights of the set. When did You Leave Heaven is also a strong rendition, blues based and delivered with strength and conviction. Dance With My Father is sung with feeling as a tribute to her late father. This Bitter Earth is performed in dramatic fashion. The vocalist returns to ballad mode for the final two tracks, What I Did For Love from the stage musical A Chorus Line and written by Marvin Hamlisch. The last piece is Meet Me On The Moon, which moves into mid tempo once it gets going. Ms Mitchell-Bell is certainly original in her variety of song choices and her use of a strong, flexible voice. Some selections are close to pop or rhythm and blues selections but there is enough jazz in these twelve tunes to satisfy most tastes.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
