Life Among Giants (Brenda Brown Music)
Brenda Brown
Released May 22, 2020
JAZZ FM 25 Best Jazz Albums of 2020
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lLjIZL_GPKt-CZqvWU2i3oEdAkCJ42_SA
Spotify:
About:
Brenda Brown is pleased to announce the worldwide release of Life Among Giants. Brenda’s rich and expressive voice is perfectly backed up with eleven exciting new arrangements for jazz ensemble, big band, and full orchestra. Life Among Giants is a significant tribute to the era of classic jazz repertoire and hi-fi recordings capturing the richness and toe-tapping energy of big bands and orchestras. It contains a significant body of Canadian content.
Hamilton, Canada’s Brenda Brown owns a smooth and expressive voice that beautifully illuminates her distinguished selection of repertoire. Brenda and her debut album Life Among Giants are sure to delight fans of historical jazz and adult contemporary music worldwide. Life Among Giants launches Brenda confidently and deservedly into the worldwide spotlight.
Brenda studied Music at Mohawk College and Laurentian University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from Laurentian University and education degrees from Charles Sturt University and Nipissing University.
Drawing from the experience of hundreds of professional shows, Brenda teamed up with Canadian jazz musician Ross Wooldridge to record her debut EP in 2013. The remarkable debut earned Brenda a nomination for Jazz Recording of the Year at the 2015 Hamilton Music Awards.
Bolstered by the warm reception of her EP and audience feedback from her regular shows, Brenda had ample motivation to energize her preparation and performance on the album! Every track is infused with Brenda’s rich tone and emotional depth, making Life Among Giants a welcome Canadian addition to the adult-contemporary and jazz vocal playlists and collections around the world.
Musicians on the album include Canadian legend Terry Clarke on drums and harpist Erica Goodman. There is a special duet with Juno Award winner Alfie Zappacosta and a guest appearance by guitarist Reg Schwager. Canadian content includes songs by Paul Anka, Shelton Brooks, Molly Johnson/Steve McKinnon, and Reg Schwager/Jeannette Lambert.
Track Listing:
1. Put Your Head On My Shoulder (Paul Anka) 04:30
2. When You’re Smiling (Larry Shay / Mark Fisher / Joe Goodwin) 03:02
3. They Say It’s Wonderful (Irving Berlin) 04:09
4. They Can’t Take That Away From Me (George & Ira Gershwin) 03:44
5. Splintered Dream – feat. Reg Schwager – (Reg Schwager / Jeannette Lambert) 03:33
6. The Folks Who Live On The Hill – feat. Alfie Zappacosta – (Jerome Kern / Oscar Hammerstein) 04:36
7. Some Of These Days (Shelton Brooks) 05:26
8. If You Know Love (Molly Johnson / Steven McKinnon) 04:48
9. Yesterdays (Jerome Kern / Otto Harbach) 02:51
10. I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Irving Berlin) 03:08
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Hugh Martin / Ralph Blane) 04:01
Personnel:
Brenda Brown: vocals
Reg Schwager: guitar
Brian Dickinson: piano
Steve Wallace: double bass
Terry Clarke: drums
Alfie Zappacosta: vocals
Ross Wooldridge: clarinet, tenor saxophone, piano
Erica Goodman: harp
Big Band
Saxophones: Pol Coussee, Dave Dunlop, Shirantha Beddage e John Johnson
Trumpets: Jason Logue, Kevin Turcotte e Steve McDade
Trombones: Alastair Kay, William Carn e Larry Shields
String Orchestra
Marie Bérard: first violin
Recorded at Canterbury Music, Toronto Canada, by Jeff Wolpert
Producer and arranger: Ross Wooldridge
Mixed by Jeremy Darby and Ross Wooldridge
Review:
If you love the sounds of classical jazz, big bands and orchestras you will want to snap up a copy of Hamilton musician Brenda Brown’s debut album, Life Among Giants.
Brown’s rich and smoky vocals envelop the listener and her incredibly expressive voice is perfectly backed up with exciting new arrangements for jazz ensemble and full orchestra.
Life Among Giants is a significant tribute to the era of classic jazz repertoire and hi-fi recordings capturing the richness and energy of big bands and orchestras.
Get ready to hear classics from the North American Songbook including When You’re Smiling, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Put Your Head On My Shoulder, and an outstanding duet with Juno winner Alfie Zappacosta on The Folks Who Live on the Hill.
Released on May 22/20 the debut follows earlier releases by Brown of two singles, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
With hundreds of professional shows to her name, in 2013 Brown teamed up with Canadian jazz musician Ross Wooldridge to record a debut EP. The remarkable debut earned Brown a nomination for Jazz Recording of the Year at the 2015 Hamilton Music Awards.
Discover Brown’s vocal talents below as she performed one of her original songs, Now and Then on the Barber Shop Podcast, November 23/16.
Brown’s latest labour of love is a full length album with spectacular new arrangements of some of the finest songs in jazz repertoire. Her confident and rich voice is a perfect fit for the big band and orchestra, creating lush and authentic sounds.
A stellar group of musicians add to the experience, featuring Terry Clark on drums, Erica Goodman on harp, and a guest appearance by guitarist Reg Schwager.
Cyndi Ingle (MonkeyBiz)
