Jazz

Stick People and Beyond…

by Deborah E on July 13, 2011

Greetings,

Ok, I am not new to blogging (www.SocialWebCafe.com, www.PositivePersistence.com, www.ScatNStyle.com). I am not new to art loving. I wouldn’t trade my LACMA membership and I can’t resist visiting the Park West Gallery and art auction on every cruise. That said, this post marks the beginning of the series on the combination of both, “art blogging.”

I have enjoyed my journey into art education, art appreciation, and art expression. My personal expression is music, however, music and art are related on the family tree of creativity, and I enjoy frolicking in the field with my cousin, the field that creativity sows.

I spent some time checking out the art blog world on the ‘net and found an interesting description of art blogs, by Liz Tunick @ Forbes.com. She starts by saying, “Ever start to read a newspaper or magazine review of a contemporary art show and give up because the writer seems to be speaking in a foreign tongue?” Personally, I have a tendency to want to slip into writing college term papers, so the idea of the foreign tongue sort of appeals to me. But, then I ask myself… When I have no idea what they are saying, do I enjoy it because it sounds sophisticated? Well, I will make every effort, in this blog, to be “sophisticated enough” without speaking in a “foreign tongue.”

Let me introduce myself. I am a Jazz musician (Deborah E) who appreciates art so much I sometimes want to crawl into the painting to take a closer look. I was trying to figure out this morning, when I began to be an art lover. I really think it was always there. One of those things where I was always an art lover, but didn’t know it. Can you relate?

I used to teach Adobe Photoshop® and Advanced Photoshop® to artists and was able to appreciate their great talent. Oh, I am still a Photoshop® expert, but I pale in comparison to that talent that I saw in my classes. I’m over here demonstrating techniques with stick people and then watching as the artists are creating works ready for a gallery!

Surfing the net one day my husband and I found an artist that we just adore. Stay tuned and I will tell you more about her, featuring her in another post (probably several posts!). We actually need to buy a bigger house to display all of her art that we have collected!

Walk, read, comment, share with me on this journey as we explore the new and the old, the defined and the raw, where no answer is the “right answer” because all answers are the expression of what we feel and think.

Deborah E

Deborah E is a smooth and sultry summer night on Bourbon Street… Classy with a dash of sass… Proof that the jazz greats have not been sacrificed to processed pop. ladyD.info. For more information, including other blogs, visit her main site at deborah.info.

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Remembering Ella

by Deborah E on June 15, 2011

Excellent post honoring Ella Fitzgerald here.

Deborah E

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The Glamorous Grit of Old Hollywood

by Deborah E on June 15, 2011

Greetings,

Mike Davis, of Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion, provided this wonderful unsolicited review of Albumette

Artist: Deborah E
Album: Albumette
Review by Mike Davis, Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion

Some time ago, a friend’s father spoke of his love for jazz and blues and the vibrant scene in Los Angeles of musicians and clubs that livened and delighted his nights off. When I listen to the Albumette EP from Deborah E, I get a sense as to what those nights must have felt like and the possibility still gleaming in the nooks and crannies of the city. The five-song effort wastes no moment setting a scene and tone for the listener to be enveloped in. It drips with notions of small corner stages in smoky, cocktail soaked lounges and the glamorous grit of old Hollywood, while maintaining an indefinable essence that imbues the songs with contemporary relevance and vivacity beyond mere nostalgia. Deborah E, or Lady D as referenced by admirers, possesses in her voice an instrument bound by no clear limits. It is sultry, dynamic, gripping, and above all else full of grace. Whether crooning to classics tackled by the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, and Roberta Flack, or bringing all new compositions to life, Lady D has a distinctive flair that draws you in to consider her offerings with only her rendition in mind. Albumette is a beautiful collection of jazz and blues colored songs that hits every note, melancholic and jubilant, with precision and elegance.

Track 1: Black Coffee – Penned in the 1940s, “Black Coffee” naturally sounds the most classic and evocative of some distant and beautiful time. However, Deborah E pumps newly oxygenated blood into its arteries and resuscitates its heart here and now the way Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and many others did in their time. Her voice slinks along over the orchestration like indigo silk, making for a swooning and sexy interpretation.

Get YOUR copy of Albumette @ iTunes or Amazon.

Track 4: Perfectly Wonderful World – One of three new original songs exclusive to Albumette, “Perfectly Wonderful World” sounds like a standard that could have been a staple in any songstresses set in the 30s or 40s, yet Lady D makes it all her own. Her voice flows languid and delicate over sparkling piano sweeps and fine jazzy guitar lines. A song that sets a high bar for what will surely attract others in attempting to recapture its magic.

Albumette is a beautiful collection of jazz and blues colored songs that hits every note, melancholic and jubilant, with precision and elegance.

Track 5: Only Temporary – Another original composed by Denny Martin & Jaimee Paul for Deborah E, “Only Temporary” is the sassy and blazing close to Albumette. It is a tenacious blues number laden with overdriven guitar licks, jiving B3 organ, and saxophone lines that sound like strained impulsive bolts from the throat of some possessed bluesman. A humorous ode to the passing anxieties and darkness of life fully lived.

Review by Mike Davis
Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion

Deborah E

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…Whatever Song She Chooses To Conquer…

by Deborah E on May 25, 2011

Good morning,

Ms. O’Neil describes the versatility of talent on Albumette, including the exceptional band mates and recording engineers! Read more, below:

Artist: Deborah E
Album: Albumette
Review by Kelly O’Neil

Lots of stereotypes surround redheads, including that they are sassy, snobby and will steal your boyfriend. Whether or not those trivialities hold true, what can be said about one particular Los Angeles-based redhead is that she commands attention. Deborah E possesses an incredible deep-throated voice that obeys whatever direction she tells it to go. Her singing style is captivating and mature without losing itself in a quandary of sentimental emotions

Heralding not only jazz but Broadway and soul influences, Lady D, as she is affectionately called, exhibits a wide array of equally enrapturing vocal styles.

Heralding not only jazz but Broadway and soul influences, Lady D, as she is affectionately called, exhibits a wide array of equally enrapturing vocal styles. She opens her EP Albumette with Paul Francis Webster and Sonny Burke’s standard “Black Coffee,” scantily crawling around in her lower register. Each syllable is as rich and dark as the title suggests. Every vocal turn is impeccably smooth, perfectly timed and expertly handled.

Deborah performs a credible cover of the unassuming masterpiece “Killing Me Softly,” first done by Roberta Flack and later by The Fugees. The tempo may be a hair too fast, but the well-known ballad plays out predictably. Deborah sings more upright and straight than in the jazz numbers where her voice is covered in a mysterious sultry shroud. The acoustic guitar player adds wonderful embellishments from the line “Strumming my pain with his fingers,” to the tasteful bridge solo over subtle strings. “Perfectly Wonderful World” opens with a nice piano and string duet. Deborah is singing at her highest and most crystalline yet in this happy ballad. The first half of the bridge loses energy with her soprano musings that are scarcely heard above the instruments. In the second half the piano comes to the fore with a droll tinkling solo with light drum and string accompaniment.

A dynamic aspect of Albumette is the recording quality. With a slight echo resounding from the vocals it sounds as if the album were recorded live and thus inviting a more intimate aural experience for the listener. “Just Say When” adds to this quality with its perky upbeat vibe. The song is in a higher vocal range resulting in clearer enunciation. Deborah has collaborated with a phenomenal group of musicians, notably the saxophonist in this tune. His tone is not obnoxiously bright, and not too mellow either, creating a nice blend with the vocals. The extended coda featuring a dialogue between the saxophone and the organ is a treat worth mentioning.

The big production number and grand finale to Albumette is “Only Temporary.” This rocking number has empowering vocal breaks between heavy downbeats as Deborah mockingly sings tongue-in-cheek about her cruddy job and crummy boyfriend but then positively belts out that both of these misfortunes are “only temporary.” The walking blues line in the bridge is the perfect backdrop for an awesome growling saxophone duet giving way to the thrilling electric guitar. The song remains surprisingly upbeat despite, “Sometimes this life may get a little scary / But it’s only temporary.” It is a fantastic sentiment coupled with an infectious groove. The saxophone leads into a formidable jam that begins in the same call and response as the opening. Then he cuts loose running up and down the full range of the horn, even jumping effortlessly into the altissimo range. The electric guitar joins in with a slight overdrive effect taking the song out.

Deborah has an awesome vocal range and easily wraps her voice around whatever song she chooses to conquer.

Lady D and her band mates are exceptionally talented musicians and have chosen a fantastic collection of songs to best showcase their gifts on Albumette. Deborah has an awesome vocal range and easily wraps her voice around whatever song she chooses to conquer.

Review by Kelly O’Neil

Deborah E