REVIEWS All About Jazz.com Hacking The Holidays: Obscure and Unusual Albums from Online Stores by Mark Sabbatini Lynette Washington Long, Long Ago (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa) GuavaJamm To put it simply, this is as good as online holiday music gets.Lynette Washington's Long, Long Ago (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa) is an obscure release that ought to be in the collection of any jazz fan celebrating any of the season's holidays. Not only is it one of the finest modern mainstream performances in recent years, it's also available as a $6 bargain download from audiolunchbox.com. Washington's singing is deep, husky, adventurous and so full of soul I hit the �purchase� option on my Web browser before the first 30-second preview was complete. Considering I've been listening to several dozen holiday albums nonstop during the past few weeks, that speaks volumes about its impact. Her acoustic quartet is first-rate all the way, with saxophonist Gerry Niewood in particular competing for the listener's ear with a lyricism that compliments Washington in Velcro-like fashion. Nothing about this album is familiar, yet every one of the six songs provides more immediate gratification to someone who's really listening than comfort food fare ever can. �Always Christmas� is a post-bop barn-burner, �Long, Long Ago� a ballad in need of an extinguisher and �Kwanzaa� an African- jazz hybrid that'll get people to observe the holiday just so they can play this song. Need more convincing? �Always Christmas,� is available as a free download from amazon.com - just consider yourself warned if your wallet is getting a bit thin from shopping. Featured Artist: Lynette Washington Jazz Review.com CD Title: Long, Long Ago (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa) Record Label: GuavaJamm Entertainment Style: Jazz Vocals Musicians: Lynette Washington (vocals); Gerry Niewood (saxophones); Dennis Bell (piano); Cameron Brown (bass); Darryl Pellegrini (drums). Review: The holiday season never fails to yield some refreshing jazz themes. While this �Jazz celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa� has been around for a few years, it�s still fresh and interesting. Native New Yorker, Lynette Washington gathered some of Gotham�s finest session players for her holiday suite. The former lead singer with The New Voices Of Freedom has toured the world and is capable of delivering her message in several languages. Her second solo project, Smoky Dawn turned heads in 2003. A powerful and compelling singer, Washington also contributed two of the compositions. Eight Bright Candles is a fine ode to Chanukah while her What�s Become Of Christmas? poses just that very question. The fine hand of pianist, Dennis Bell is evident in all other compositions. Bell has performed with a myriad of jazz stars including Marcus Miller, Nick Brignola and Sal Salvador. He was the musical director/conductor with the international touring unit of Jesus Christ Superstar. Bassist Cameron Brown studied with Ron Carter & Dave Holland and performed with Sheila Jordan, Don Cherry, Art Blakey and Archie Shepp to name a few. Drummer Darryl Pellegrini is a veteran of the bands of Chuck & Gap Mangione. The rhythm section really shines throughout this session. Ms. Washington�s gospel tinged voice mates perfectly with the exciting tones of reedman Gerry Niewood. Niewood appears on no less than 75 albums with a diverse group of star quality performers from jazz through rock. The saxophonist is one of the highlights of this Christmas offering and is showcased on several tunes. African-American celebrants of Kwanzaa are not forgotten. The final track on the CD is dedicated to them. Kwanzaa is a rhythmic showpiece and a fitting end to a nice holiday album. Tracks: Always Christmas; Long, Long Ago; Eight Bright Candles; What�s Become Of Christmas; A Visit From St. Nicholas (Jazz Suite); Kwanzaa. Record Label Website: http://www.guavajamm.net Reviewed by: Richard Bourcier ejazznews.com CD Reviews: Lynette Washington ''Long, Long Ago'' (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa) CD Reviews By George W. Carroll One of the more prolific & poignant attributes of our human nature is our ability to create change. Our adaptability to take a stolid, & stoic genre, & mold into something we of the jazz genre can understand. I proclaim that jazz chanteuse Lynette Washington & her stalwart sidemen have succeeded thus, in their musical celebration of the combined religious festivities of Christmas, Chanukah, & Kwanzaa. Lynette's vocals are a perfect marriage to the wonderful (I'll assume) originals to immortalize these specific holidays. Reedman Gerry Niewood is flawless in his reflective & moving renderings for the whole project........Giving Lynette the perfect vocal platform to ply her fine vocalise. All in all, a very solid CD project indeed! Hey baby! You can stuff my stocking anytime!! CDS avail. @: www.guavajamm.net George W. Carroll/the Musicians' Ombudsman All About Jazz.com C. Michael Bailey Lynette Washington Long, Long Ago (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa) Long, Long Ago is a weird little bird that takes advantage of addressing all of the holiday observances: Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanza. Lynette Washington's voice is durable and full-bodied as is her band. The disc is short (35:25) and consists of only six songs. However, this is not the standard fare and thus is justly interesting. The way to look at this recording is to pretend that Elvin Jones assembled a jazz band to play holiday music and the singer was a deft combination of Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, and Neena Freelon. Produced by Pianist Dennis Bell, Long, Long Ago can (and should) be obtained from GuavaJamm Entertainment . |
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