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Jazz Vocalist Natalie Jacob's "SOONER OR LATER," Her Long-Awaited Debut Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist NATALIE JACOB is releasing her highly anticipated debut album, SOONER OR LATER, a collection of tunes from the Great American Songbook and three bossa nova standards by Jobim. Produced by Grammy Award-winning SCOTTY BARNHART, the director of the Count Basie Orchestra, the album features a Who’s Who of L.A.’s top musicians, including Barnhart on trumpet, pianist TAMIR HENDELMAN (Barbra Streisand, Clayton-Hamilton Big Band) – who also wrote all the arrangements -- guitarist ANTHONY WILSON (Diana Krall, Madeleine Peyroux, Al Jarreau), bassist CARLITOS DEL PUERTO (Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Celia Cruz), drummer CLAYTON CAMERON (Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Neil Young), and percussionist KEVIN WINARD (Steve Tyrell, Rosemary Clooney, Diane Schuur). Jacob has been on the Los Angeles jazz scene for many years as a member of various bands. She was the lead singer for Bluenova, a jazz quintet that performed bossa nova, Latin jazz, and blues. She was also part of the Long Beach-based Latin jazz band, Along for the Ride, with whom she recorded the album Jobim and Vinicius Across Languages in 2016. The album featured world-renowned musicians Abraham Laboriel and Justo Almario. Most recently, Jacob has been the featured vocalist for the Paul McDonald Big Band and the bossa nova group, Corcovado. Jacob began fronting her own band in 2010, when she teamed up with the late guitarist Larry Feldman, who was her accompanist and musical director. Since then, she has performed at many venues across Southern California, including the Argyros Plaza at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, The Gardenia in Hollywood, Pip’s in Los Angeles, The Sky Room in Long Beach, and The World Stage in Leimert Park, among many other private and corporate events. Her annual appearance in the Fireside series at The Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica sold out for four years running. Jacob grew up in a house filled with music and fell in love with singing at a very young age. She loved to sing to all the records the family was gifted with by a friend of her father’s, who rented jukeboxes. Whenever he swapped out the records, he gave the old ones to her dad. Throughout her childhood, she honed her craft by singing in church choirs, and she continues to sing regularly at Sunday masses, weddings, funerals, and other Catholic church services throughout Southern California. Jacob studied sacred music and earned a cantor certification as a leader of song from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Jacob started seriously thinking about recording an album four years ago. “A few years ago, many of my fans began asking me for a CD at my live performances, so I decided it was time to record a solo album, ” recounts Jacob. She approached her friend, Scotty Barnhart, who loved the idea and offered to produce it. For this debut album, Jacob chose songs from her live shows that brought out her sultry timbre, clear diction, and unerring sense of swing, offering a fresh perspective to the ten timeless standards on SOONER OR LATER. The first track, “Exactly Like You, ” is a tune she became familiar with in a workshop conducted by Hendelman. Her effortless, swinging rendition is enhanced by Hendelman’s charming modern arrangement. Jacob performs Jobim’s classic tune, “Wave, ” so often in her live shows that many of her fans associate her with it. Her version features sensitive solos by Hendelman and Wilson. “I Could Write a Book” is another sultry swinger. Jacob fell in love with Harry Connick’s version in the movie When Harry Met Sally. The song opens with a vocal/bass duet, with Hendelman and Cameron joining in on piano and drums at the second A section. Jacob was attracted to “Smile” because of its hopeful message, which is sorely needed in these troubled times. Jacob plumbs the emotional depths of the song while Hendelman, listening deeply, responds subtly to the nuances of her phrasing. Jacob heard Diana Krall’s version of “East of the Sun” and decided to make the song her own. The up-tempo swinger opens with a bass solo by Del Puerto that sets up the rhythm section’s groove. “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” was arranged by Barnhart and Hendelman and features solos by both arrangers. Jacob, whose mother is French Canadian, spent a lot of time with family in Montreal. She performs her unique version of the song “Corcovado” in both English and French. Having a knack for languages, she also sings in Spanish, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese, all of which she’s studied at one time or another. The rubato intro to “I’ve Got You Under My Skin, ” featuring Jacob and Hendelman, sets the tone for the infectious, mid-tempo swing that follows. Jacob shows her bluesy side on the one track that isn’t a standard, “Sooner or Later, ” composed by Stephen Sondheim for the film Dick Tracy and sung by Madonna. Jacob closes the album on a high note with an upbeat version of “No More Blues, ” accompanied by the full band. “As the producer of this project for Natalie, I wanted to surround her with the finest musicians in Los Angeles to allow her beautiful voice and sensitive interpretations to shine through, ” states Barnhart. The success of his vision is apparent right from the opening track. SOONER OR LATER is a felicitous start to a promising solo career for this talented jazz vocalist. |
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