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| I Want To Be Happy Is An Impressive Debut Recording By Jazz Singer Liz Cole. Liz Cole, who always exudes happiness in her voice, has recorded her long overdue debut album, I Want to Be Happy. She picked out ten of her favorite songs which range from swing, a Eubie Blake ballad and a song from the Bing Crosby/Frank Sinatra film High Society to a Brazilian number and a rarely-performed Erroll Garner tune. For this enjoyable project, the singer is joined on various selections by guitarist Larry Koonse, the great Otmaro Ruiz or Jacob Mann on piano, Darek Oles, Edwin Livingston or Jonathan Richards on bass, drummer Aar.n Serfaty, and guest vibraphonist Jackson Irvine. I Want to Be Happy begins with an uptempo and cooking version of the title cut. A relaxed "Mean to Me" finds Liz Cole improvising a bit with her choice of notes while retaining the song's classic lyrics and feeling. She takes one of her finest vocals on "You're Sensational" (which Frank Sinatra originally sang to Grace Kelly in High Society), a number that also features vibraphonist Jackson Irvine. She follows it up with a heartfelt version of Eubie Blake's "I'd Give a Dollar for a Dime" and the melancholy "Love" (from the 1975 animated Disney film Robin Hood) which has drummer Aar.n Serfaty playing an Afro groove. Liz Cole sounds very much at home performing a sweet duet in Spanish with guitarist Koonse on "T." that displays the beauty of her voice, and a celebratory rendition of "Lobo Bobo." She provides the lyrics to Erroll Garner's "Passing Through" (renamed "Things To Do") for a performance that also has a heated guitar-piano tradeoff, creates a particularly likable version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Up a Lazy River, " and concludes her memorable debut with Tom Waits' wistful "I'm Still Here." Liz Cole grew up in California where her parents exposed her to a wide variety of music including jazz and classical music. She played trumpet from the age of nine and, after a period away from music, gradually shifted to becoming a jazz singer. She has studied with Cathy Segal-Garcia, Madeline Eastman, Kathleen Grace, and Kate McGarry. In addition to singing in the Southern California area, she directed and edited the first Hans Groiner video. The recording and release of I Want to Be Happy is a major step forward in the singing career of Liz Cole, and makes for an enjoyable listeningexperience. Artist: LIZ COLE Title: I WANT TO BE HAPPY Artist Website: lizzycolemusic.com Release Date: January 28, 2025 Label: Self Released UPC Code: 198999178739 TRACK LISTING 1. I Want to Be Happy 2:11 Vincent Youmans / Irving Caesar 2. Mean to Me 4:28 Fred E. Ahlert / Roy Turk 3. You're Sensational 4:10 Cole Porter 4. I'd Give a Dollar for a Dime 5:32 Eubie Blake & John Finke / Andy Razaf 5. Love 4:21 George Bruns / Floyd Huddleston 6. Tú 4:50 Jorge Drexler 7. Lobo Bobo 4:03 Carlos Lyra / Ronaldo Bôscoli 8. Things to Do (Passing Through) 4:17 Erroll Garner / Elizabeth Cole 9. Lazy River 3:33 Hoagy Carmichael & Sidney Arodin 10. I'm Still Here 4:06 Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan MUSICIANS VOCALS: Liz Cole GUITARS (electric and acoustic): Larry Koonse - tracks 3, 6-9 PIANO: Otmaro Ruiz - tracks 2, 5, 10, Jacob Mann - tracks 1, 4, 7, 8 BASS: Darek Oles - tracks 2, 5, 10 Edwin Livingston - tracks 3, 9 Jonathan Richards - tracks 1, 4, 7, 8 VIBRAPHONE: Jackson Irvine - track 3 DRUMS: Aarón Serfaty - tracks 1–5, 7–9 write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |