One of the most popular jazz musicians in Japan today, Nicki Parrott's latest release from Venus Records is a gorgeous collection of romantic standards. The star-studded band includes her frequent collaborators--Harry Allen on tenor sax, her sister Lisa on alto sax, John Di Martino on piano--and, this time, Chuck Redd on vibraphone who adds a distinctive tonal color to the collective sound.

Sakura Sakura is a Japanese traditional song about cherry blossoms, which Parrott sings in very good Japanese, partly to show her appreciation for the Japanese fans, I suspect, and to show support to the survivors of the earthquake/tsunami disaster that hit Japan. A quick glance will reveal that the theme of this album is Spring, a season filled with hope and celebration of new life. A stellar team of New York-based musicians supports the leader. Nicki's sister Lisa Parrott is prominently featured on soprano and baritone saxophone, and the participation of the great young trumpeter Dominick Farinacci is a welcome surprise. Another twist is bassist Martin Wind, who plays cello instead of his usual instrument in this album.

Nicki is joined by an all-star line-up in the collection of Venus' best including Harry Allen tenor sax, Ken Peplowski (tenor sax and clarinet), Lisa Parrott (alto sax), Chuck Redd (vibraphone), John Di Martino (piano), Paul Meyer (guitar), Mark Sganga (guitar), Billy Drummond (drums), Dion Parson (drums) and Alvin Atkinson (drums).

Two of the most popular jazz musicians in the Venus Records' roster got together for a superb duo album! Australian singer and bassist Nicki Parrott, now based in New York, and clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Ken Peplowski are two of my favorite jazz musicians today. They are firmly based on the tradition of straight ahead jazz, are both leading voices of their repsective instruments, and bring something fresh to the music by their ingenuity.

Following her smash hit Venus debut album Moon River, her eagerly awaited second album, Fly Me To The Moon, finally arrived. Her bass playing is more powerful and emotive, and her singing gained on the sultry quotient. Just listen to the very sexy "Do It Again." Nicki surrounded herself with wonderful musicians again. John di Martino, Billy Drummond and Harry Allen - familiar faces from the previous album -- are joined by Nicki's sister Lisa, who plays baritone and soprano saxophones, and guitarist Mark Sganga. The audiophile recording enhances the value of this wonderful release.

Nicki Parrott's eagerly awaited third album is a sultry and attractive tribute to Peggy Lee and Julie London. She is again surrounded by a hugely talented cast that includes pianist John Di Martino, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen and guitarist Paul Myers as well as her sister Lisa Parrott who plays baritone and soprano sax and bass clarinet. In 2010, the album received Swing Journal's Gold Disc award.

Nicki Parrott всемирно известная австралийская вокалистка и контрабасистка. Начала свое музыкальное обучение на фортепиано в возрасте четырех лет. Сотрудничает со многими музыкантами. Новый диск - это совместная работа с John Di Martino (фортепиано).

Produced by Real Gone Music in collaboration with the Peggy Lee estate, At Last: The Lost Radio Recordings presents 45 solo performances from Peggy’s own radio series, nearly all of them unavailable since they originally aired in the early 1950s on CBS Radio and the Armed Forces Radio Service.

A jazz piano tribute to Tony Bennett featuring Beegie Adair with The Jeff Steinberg Orchestra.

Новый альбом итальянского певца, композитора и гитариста Sergio Caputo.

Brilliant in spite of its ragged texture, Cassandra Wilson's Silver Pony justly illuminates the important influence Wilson has had on all jazz vocals, since her artistic breakthrough with 1993's Blue Light 'Til Dawn (Blue Note). A sharp solution of live and studio performances, Silver Pony reveals the depth and breadth of both Wilson's enigmatic singing and instrumentation, that rich Delta organic approach disseminating throughout all of jazz vocals of the past 20 years. Always close to the blues, Wilson puts forth an extended live "Saddle Up My Pony," originally recorded by Charlie Patton in 1929, that succinctly frames her earthy method.

Cassandra Wilson has explored a lot of experiences, a lot of music, and that is testament to her curiosity, imagination, and intellect; and her album Another Country, created in collaboration with Fabrizio Sotti, has an elegance that is thoughtful and timeless. Cassandra Wilson’s song “Red Guitar” is painterly, poetic, its instrumentation classical and bluesy, with drumming that is precise and lively, whereas “No More Blues,” a song of determination in which misery is shown the door, is itself a light blues tune with finger-snap rhythm, a slowed-down beat with jangling assets, mellow, verging on strange. (“Just like Frank, I’m gonna do it my way,” Wilson says, an aside acknowledging Sinatra.) “O Sole Mio,” mellow, a little melancholy, has a Latin flavor; and, the Italian-language composition, a popular Neapolitan tune sung by Enrico Caruso and Mario Lanza, is here given a casually propulsive syncopation, and is pretty, possibly beautiful, followed by the meditative instrumental “Deep Blue.”

Returning to her Mississippi blues roots, singer Cassandra Wilson interprets the stories like no one else can. Her warm, contralto voice hypnotizes. Surrounded by the natural sound of her 6-piece touring band, Wilson settles in for a refreshing look at Americana. Plaintive guitar cries and hands-down percussion provide a natural landscape. Steel pans, dobro, hand drums, and gentle, foot-stompin' rhythms give her traditional session credibility.

The last album from internationally acclaimed vocalist/songwriter/keyboardist Elizabeth Shepherd was 2012's album of standards, Rewind. It was a sweet treat, but it's pleasing that she returns, with real success, to original composition on The Signal, her fifth album. Shepherd possesses a beautifully relaxed and unaffected vocal style, one a little suggestive of Sade. She's also a fluent keyboardist, concentrating on Rhodes here, and she has made real strides as a producer. Subtle musical touches from instruments as diverse as steel pan (on "B.T. Cotton"), flute, ngoni, kalimba and horns are incorporated tastefully, while vocal samples range from the sublime (Leadbelly, Mother Teresa) to the head-scratching (Laurie Brown).