Allegra Levy: Looking At The Moon [Pure Vinyl 1LP 180g]

Vocal Jazz / Contemporary Jazz
premiera polska: 2025-06-10
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: Singlefoldowe etui
opis:
Named one of the TOP 10 RISING STAR JAZZ Vocalists in the 2021 Downbeat Critics’ Poll
“A Gift for Sculpting Words…and agile vocalizing…” - The New Yorker
“An Anomaly in the vocal jazz world, a strong original songwriter…she sings your life back to you." - New York Music Daily
"Levy is the new pinup girl for cool." - MIDWEST RECORD
"If Allegra Levy is not yet on every jazz listener's radar, this new album should rectify the situation." - Jazzhistoryonline.com

DownBeat
Cleverly conceptualized and elegantly executed, vocalist Allegra Levy’s new album is a lunar excursion through the Great American Songbook.
On this 58-minute disc, nearly all of the tunes have the word moon in the title. One exception is the closer, “I’ll Be Seeing You,” the lyrics of which supply the album with its title: Looking At The Moon. Levy’s previous two albums focused on her original compositions, but this outing is all about enlivening the classics. The opening track, Levy’s arrangement of “Moon River,” is surprisingly fresh and offers a different tempo than some of the famous renditions of this Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini classic. Bassist Tim Norton’s arrangement of “Moon Ray” provides an ideal setting to showcase Levy’s graceful phrasing and nuanced, less-is-more delivery, as well as her skills in scat-singing.
On this 13-track program, lovely, carefully sculpted versions of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” (1992) and Cat Stevens’ “Moonshadow” (1971)—as well as an adventurously creative reading of Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” (1972)—fit nicely alongside standards from the 1930s and ’40s, such as “Moonglow,” “Moonlight In Vermont” and “I Got The Sun In The Mornin’.” Thanks to the exquisite musicianship of Levy and her band—Norton, pianist Carmen Staaf and guitarist Alex Goodman—the concept behind this album doesn’t eclipse the artistry. In lesser hands, this project could have felt like a contrived effort to fulfill a flimsy theme. Instead, it’s a cohesive set of excellent performances that will inspire listeners to take a meaningful glance up at that shining orb with renewed wonder.
By Bobby Reed

muzycy:
ALLEGRA LEVY, vocal
CARMEN STAAF, piano
ALEX GOODMAN, guitar
TIM NORTON, bass

utwory:
A1. Moon River
A2. I Got The Sun In The Morning
A3. Harvest Moon
A4. Blue Moon
A5. Moon Ray
B1. Moonglow
B2. Polkadots And Moonbeams
B3. No Moon At All
B4. It's Only A Paparmoon
B5. Pink Moon
B6. I'll Be Seeing You

wydano: Apr 29, 2025 (2018)
nagrano: Recorded February 2017

more info2: www.allegralevy.com