So in Love (EmArcy Records)
Roberta Gambarini
Released August 25, 2009
Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album 2010
Prix du Jazz Vocal de l’Académie du Jazz 2009
AllMusic Favorite Jazz Albums 2009
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About:
Every once in a while, a truly great singer comes
along who possesses the beauty, individuality and talent to remind us of the
magic and majesty of the human voice: that singer is Roberta Gambarini,
celebrated throughout the world by fans, critics and many of the world’s
greatest musicians.
With the August 25, 2009 release of So in Love Roberta Gambarini
affirms her status as the “true successor to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan,
and Carmen McRae” (Boston Globe) and “the best singer to emerge in over 60 years,”
as declared by 2009 GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Mr. Hank
Jones.
Mr. Jones, the legendary pianist who accompanied Roberta Gambarini’s 2008 major
label debut, You Are There, a superb follow-up to Gambarini’s
GRAMMY-nominated debut, ‘Easy to Love,’ knows a thing or two about great
vocalists – he has accompanied almost all of the most renowned vocalists of the
2oth century such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen
McRae, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat “King” Cole, and Billy
Eckstine.
Roberta didn’t set out to call the new album So in Love but looking
back at the song list after the recording, she realized that the “album is all
about love: the love between a man and a woman, the love of song, children, and
most of all, the love of life.”
As Roberta explains, she rarely goes into the studio with a “concept,” instead
she says that she tries “to let the songs come out of a balance between life
experience and reflection,” capturing the music I feel in the moment.”
Joining her in this adventurous journey is a group of “exceptionally talented,
sensitive, and sympathetic musicians,” who are long-time supporters, friends,
and collaborators of Roberta since her arrival in the States from Torino,
Italy: James Moody; Roy Hargrove; Tamir Hendelman; Eric Gunnison; Gerald
Clayton; Chuck Berghofer; Neil Swainson; George Mraz; Jake Hanna; Al Foster;
Montez Coleman; and Jeff Hamilton.
Recorded by Al Schmitt at the legendary Capitol Studios, with Roberta arranging
all but two of the tracks, So in Love is dedicated to the loving
memory of her dear friends, Johnny Griffin, Ronnie Mathews, and David “Fathead”
Newman.
Track Listing:
1. So In Love (Cole Porter) 3:05
2. Day In Day Out (Rube Bloom / Johnny Mercer) 2:50
3. Get Out of Town (Cole Porter) 5:06
4. Crazy (Willie Nelson) 5:01
5. That Old Black Magic (Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer) 3:29
6. Estate (Bruno Brighetti / Bruno Martino) 4:50
7. Golden Slumbers/Here, There, and Everywhere 5:57
8. I See Your Face Before Me (Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz) 6:15
9. From This Moment On (Cole Porter) 4:54
10. You Must Believe In Spring (Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / J. Demy / M. Legrand) 6:25
11. This is Always (Mack Gordon / Harry Warren) 4:41
12. You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Jamf (Roberta Gambarini / Johnny Griffin) 5:33
13. Medley From Cinema Paradiso: Main Theme/For Elena (Andrea Morricone / Ennio Morricone / A. Stewart) 6:39
14. Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen / E.Y. “Yip” Harburg) 3:55
Personnel:
Roberta Gamabarini: vocals
James Moody: tenor sax (8, 11)
Roy Hargrove: trumpet & flugelhorn (11)
Tamir Hendelman: piano (1-4, 7, 8, 11, 14)
Eric Gunnison: piano (5, 9, 10, 12, 13)
Gerald Clayton: piano (6)
Chuck Berghofer: bass (2-4, 6-8, 11)
Neil Swainson: bass (5, 9, 12)
George Mraz: bass (10, 13)
Jake Hanna: drums (2-4, 6-8)
Al Foster: drums (9, 10, 13)
Montez Coleman: drums (5, 9, 12)
Jeff Hamilton: drums
Recorded June 13 & 18 and October 18, 2008, at Capitol Studios LA, California
Produced by Larry Clothier
Executive Producer: Jacques Muyal
Recorded by Al Schmitt (1 to 9, 11, 12, 14) and Phil Edwards (10, 13)
Review:
It seems incredible that Roberta Gambarini didn’t win the Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition but she was new to the U.S., having just arrived from her native Italy. But with each new release, she has demonstrated that she is easily the most accomplished vocalist of the competitors for the prize, while pianist Hank Jones, who knows a thing or two about great singers, refers to her as the “greatest vocalist to come along in the past 60 years.” With a rhythm section rotating between three talented up-and-coming pianists Tamir Hendeman, Eric Gunnison, or Gerald Clayton) plus veteran bassists George Mraz, Neil Swainson, or Chuck Berghofer and seasoned drummers Jake Hanna, Al Foster, Jeff Hamilton, or Montez Coleman, Gambarini works her magic with familiar standards and a few unexpected choices. She has a love of Cole Porter’s songs, opening with a touching, richly textured “So in Love,” a virtual rhapsody in a duet with piano. She restores the oft-omitted verse to “Get Out of Town” then delivers a driving rendition that shows off her gift for interpreting a song that has likely been recorded by all vocal jazz greats who have preceded her, proving she belongs in their company; she is joined by the soft tenor sax of James Moody. Her rapid-fire scatting is a highlight of her brisk treatment of “From This Moment On.” Gambarini is also very comfortable looking outside of jazz for material, adapting Willie Nelson’s “Crazy” with a master’s touch, with subtle trumpet added by Roy Hargrove, while she has equal success with a medley of Beatles songs, including a moving “Golden Slumbers” that segues into a breezy “Here, There and Everywhere.” But Gambarini’s hilarious lyrics for Johnny Griffin’s blues “The JAMFs Are Coming” (retitled “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a J.A.M.F.”) prove to be the big surprise, showing off her incredible scatting range and sense of humor, though like a true lady, she never specifies what Griffin meant by a JAMF (hint: an acronym starting with “Jive Ass”). Roberta Gambarini continues to shine brightly as one of top jazz vocalists of her generation with this outstanding release.
Ken Dryden (AllMusic)
