|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| VOCALIST ANGELA DeNIRO and SAXOPHONIST/ARRANGER RON APREA RELEASE "SWINGIN' WITH LEGENDS 2" Vocalist ANGELA DeNIRO and saxophonist/arranger RON APREA were married in 1985 and have been making beautiful music ever since. DeNiro & the Ron Aprea Big Band's latest release SWINGIN' WITH LEGENDS 2 is an album of love songs written by some of the greatest composers of the American Songbook. The album is a long-overdue follow-up to Swingin' with Legends (1998), about which All Music Guide said, "Possessing great range, perfect pitch and good diction, and backed by a big band chock full of outstanding performers playing scintillating arrangements, this CD is a reminder of how exciting a big band can be." The duo has also released My Shining Hour (2005) and Just for the Fun of It (1997). DeNiro and Aprea have extensive resumes. Besides being a stellar vocalist, DeNiro is also a voiceover artist, lyricist, and composer. She has appeared at the Rainbow Room and in major concerts and festivals. Along with Ron, she was one of the GTE Giants of Jazz at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. DeNiro can also be heard scatting on Mark Murphy's 2001 Links album. She and Ron headlined les Nuits du Jazz Festival in France. Their big band held a 6-year residency at Trumpets Jazz Club and performed at Birdland Jazz Club in New York City. Aprea has performed with legends Woody Herman, Tito Puente, Billy May, Skitch Henderson, and Lionel Hampton. Throughout his career, he has been in demand to write, arrange, and perform on countless recordings. He released his own album as a leader, Ron Aprea Sextet – Remembering Blakey, in 2013. Aprea was also part of the horn section on John Lennon's 1974 album Walls and Bridges. His tribute to Lennon & the Beatles, Ron Aprea Pays Tribute to John Lennon & the Beatles, was released in 2015 to rave reviews. Quarantined in their NYC apartment during Covid, Aprea completed 25 vocal orchestrations. When the lockdown was lifted, Aprea, anxious to hear his arrangements, relates, "I scheduled a couple of rehearsals at the Musicians Union, and I had trouble controlling my goose bumps as Angela and the band brought this music to life. I was 100% convinced that this material must be recorded." The album comprises a 16-piece band with special guests RANDY BRECKER (trumpet), KEN PEPLOWSKI (clarinet), and LEW TABACKIN (tenor sax/flute). The band includes TODD BASHORE (alto sax), CHRIS PERSAD (trumpet), BRYAN DAVIS (trumpet), ELIJAH SCHIFFER (alto sax, flute), NATHAN CHILDERS (tenor sax, flute, clarinet), LEE GREENE (tenor sax, flute, clarinet), DOUG DEHAYS (bari sax, clarinet, bass clarinet), MATTHEW TIMM (trumpet), SHAWN EDMONDS (trumpet), WAYNE GOODMAN (trombone), MATT HAVILAND (trombone), BRANDON MOODIE (trombone), DALE TURK (bass trombone), CECILIA COLEMAN (piano), TIM GIVENS (bass), JONATHAN MELE (drums). Aprea arranged and conducted. With just two rehearsals, they recorded 14 tunes in six hours. The album opens with a tribute to the Big Apple, "New York City Blues, " written by Quincy Jones and Peggy Lee. This song embodies a return to life in their beloved city after the despair and silence of the pandemic. It features DeNiro's high-powered vocals and some screaming notes from trumpeter Bryan Davis. Next is "Easy to Love, " which opens with a soulful clarinet solo by Ken Peplowski and quickly turns into a swinging rendition by the full band featuring some joyful scatting by DeNiro and a tasty solo by Peplowski. Randy Brecker's tender trumpet opens "Hello Young Lovers" which then quickly transforms into a hard swinging big band number. The band brings down the temperature a bit with Burt Bacharach's ballad "A House Is Not a Home, " featuring DeNiro's emotive interpretation. Of "Willow Weep for Me" Ron explains "I always loved Phil Woods' version, so I decided to write this one in his style. Todd Bashore kills the alto solo. I think that that kid is a future legend." This tune was recorded in just one take. "It Might as Well Be Spring" begins with tenor sax giant Lew Tabackin, who digs into the bridge of this standard a cappella. DeNiro's opening chorus is full of warmth and then she cooks with the band, scatting in unison with the horns. Written by Illinois Jacquet and Jimmy Mundy, "Black Velvet" was retitled "Don'cha Go 'Way Mad' when Al Stillman added lyrics. Aprea's arrangement starts at a high level of excitement and builds from there. DeNiro's heartfelt singing highlights Henry Mancini's haunting "Two for The Road, " also featuring tasteful piano playing from Cecilia Coleman. DeNiro's vocals then float effortlessly over the high-powered arrangement of "That Old Black Magic." The Melissa Manchester/Carole Bayer Sager song "Come in From the Rain" is meaningful for DeNiro and Aprea, as Ron wrote a previous arrangement that Angela sang at their wedding. Aprea's swinging arrangement of "Green Dolphin Street" features a hot alto solo from Todd Bashore and a burning soli with DeNiro. A superb interpreter of ballads, DeNiro then performs "My One and Only Love, " one of her favorites. "For Phil" is an original by Aprea written for the great Phil Woods, with whom Aprea studied back in the 70s, and remained friends until Phil's passing. The memorable set concludes with a brief rendition of "The Curtain Falls, " an emotional ballad that the great Bobby Darin often sang at the close of his show. The professional and life partnership of Angela DeNiro and Ron Aprea is truly a marriage of complementary talents. DeNiro is a hip, swinging singer in total control of her instrument and the material. Combined with an arranger of Ron Aprea's stature and performed by an orchestra comprising top players, SWINGIN' WITH LEGENDS 2 is a captivating project for listeners who love not just big band music but love great music. "The title "Swingin' With Legends 2" says it all, except that me, Tabackin and Peplowski ain't the only "Legends" on this release which is Swingin' from start to finish! Everyone on it including the "Power Couple" of leader/arranger Ron Aprea & vocalist supreme Angela DeNiro are Legends in The Making and Ron's original "For Phil" is already a classic...!" Randy Brecker, legendary trumpeter write your comments about the article :: © 2023 Jazz News :: home page |