Stacey’s new album finally arrived on vinyl after its initial release last fall. It’s an album which was recorded with pianist Art Hirahara and occasional flute by husband Jim Tomlinson, who also produced the album. Some of the songs have been released as singles since last summer and were recorded during lockdown. So it is…
It looks like this fall will be pretty full of interesting new music, with a lot of album announcements coming in almost on a daily basis. Nightmares On Wax will come up with a new album called “Shout Out! To Freedom…” on October 29th. The album features guest artists like Shabaka Hutchings, Haile Supreme, Wolfgang…
You could really feel the joy singer Stacey Kent had when she was sharing the stage with a 30-piece orchestra, the Hamburg-based Ensemble Resonanz under the direction of Francesco Bossaglia. The 18 strings and four flutes built a very harmonious, lush and concentrated cushion last night at Berlin’s smaller Philharmonie venue, the Kammermusiksaal. Mostly playing…
It was just a matter of time before this was about to take shape: Stacey Kent recording with a full orchestra. The arrangements are by Tommy Laurence, the sessions took place in London up until May of this year and Jim Tomlinson produced the album which really suits her fine. There are a lot of…
Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series had Vanessa Williams last night at the incredible Appel Room. I do find myself watching the long stretch of 59th Street and the dark Central Park drama on the left vs the bustling Midtown to the right instead of what’s going on on the stage. But with Vanessa Williams, it…
This has finally been a day without any live music can you imagine? After a couple of meetings and a nice chat over coffee with singer Kenia, I met my friend Becca for a long walk through Central Park. It was still pretty cold, but with the sun out we could easily walk from around 72nd…
Singer Stacey Kent continues to explore the Great American Songbook on her latest album “Tenderly” and adding some fine guitar touches by Brazilian legend Roberto Menescal to the mix. (She had worked with him on her “The Changing Lights” album.) Her subdued approach and tender, soft and sweet style seems to be perfect for classics…
Stephen Holden of the New York Times writes today in his review of the Wednesday evening show at Birdland: “Singing “The Face I Love,” “My Nightingale,” “Look Who’s Mine” and “If You Went Away,” Ms. Kent embodied the essence of saudade as persuasively as any of her Brazilian idols.” You can read more about Stacey’s…
The 71 year old released his first album back in 1964: “Samba Demais”. And it was as early as the mid 60s that he had his first hits like “Samba De Verao”, also known as “Summer Samba”. His international career in the ensuing decades incorporated Jazz, Pop, Electronic, Soul and Reggae and his songs were…