Description
Release Date: 2007
Label: Carmela Rappazzo Music
Track List
- 1 Bye Bye Blackbird
- 2 Miss You So
- 3 Let’s Fall in Love
- 4 Lit Up from Behind
- 5 All the Things You Are
- 6 Ask Coral
- 7 It Might As Well Be Spring
- 8 No Moon at All
- 9 Pandora
- 10 Old Black Magic
- 11 Joseph City
Notes
Vocalist Carmela Rappazzo\’s fourth release finds her leading a jazz quintet featuring Pete Snell (g), Armando Compean (b) and Lee Spath (dr) through a program of jazz standards and clever originals. The band itself is Beale Street bluesy, and accompanies Ms Rappazzo swingingly through faithful versions of tunes like \’Old Black Magic\’ and \’Let\’s Fall in Love\’.\’Miss You\’ has her mourning over the mood created by Coco Trivisonno\’s bandoneon; \’Ask Coral\’ has Rappazzo acting sly and witty over the snappy rhythms, and \’Pandora\’ finds her in a convincing foreboding mood. A disc of all originals could prove to be something quite formidable from this promising lady. -George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly Carmela grew up in upstate New York learning the great American songbooks at an early age, as her father was a big band swing coronet player and the large Sicilian family gatherings always included live music. She got involved in musical theater in high school but was enthralled by jazz. She moved to Boston in her late teens hanging out in Paul’s Mall and the Jazz Workshop listening to the greats play live and sitting in as a singer with friends who were attending Berkley. Arriving back in New York City she attended ‘Theatrium’ (a Strasberg Institute training) and became involved in off-off broadway theater and appeared in a few independent films, later training with Eric Morris. Carmela moved to Los Angeles in ’92, working in the L. A. Theater scene and on several feature films with such notable film directors as Rob Reiner, Wolfgang Petersen, Jonathan Lynn and Ken Kwapis. She continued her vocal training with Dan Balestrero. She began to perform in the L. A. Jazz scene with the Jon Mayer trio and recorded her first record ‘Black and White’, a straight ahead standards record with them. After appearing in many of the local clubs she began to branch out and work with established musicians recording her second CD with Paul Smith, Jim DeJulio and Joe LaBarbera. This CD ‘Regarding Frank’ was a tribute record to Sinatra and his 50’s Capitol years. Shortly after this she formed her own trio which featured guitarist/ song writer Hirth Martinez. Out of this trio ‘The Girl Who Dreams Out Loud’ was conceived. This new CD, “Joseph City”, combines straight ahead covers, with some very unique arrangements, and original tunes by Carmela. The superb rhythm section is led by Pete Snell on guitar, Armando Compean on bass, Lee Spath on drums, Chase Morrison on cello, Stu Elster on Hammond B3, Steve Marsh on saxophones, John Fumo on trumpet and Scott Breadman on persussion. Also featured on this CD is tango master Coco Trivisonno on bandoneon.
