| In the Lounge with Gary Williams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 11, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | Abbey Road Studios | |||
| Genre | jazz | |||
| Label | Vocalion | |||
| Producer | John Wilson | |||
| Gary Williams chronology | ||||
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In the Lounge with Gary Williams is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's second album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios and released in 2006. It is a collection of arrangements played by jazz musicians.
The album was warmly welcomed by critics and reviewers.
Clive Fuller of In Tune commented: "This 17-track and 48-minute selection is one of the most relaxed albums that I have heard. I attribute this to the superb combination of the vocalist, musicians, arrangements and material lending itself to the gentle swing that is achieved throughout the set... The songs are ideally suited to the atmosphere that Gary wanted to achieve and he gets 10 out 10 for achieving just that." [1]
David Ades of Journal Into Melody said: "Gary’s approach to his lyrics, and his empathy with his musicians demand your full attention, and his choice of numbers confirms what a wonderful period in history the last century was for high quality popular songs. Being the supreme professional that he is, Gary occasionally surprises by slipping in a verse that others have not treated us to previously." [2]
Malcolm Laycock of Big Band World commented: "It shows a more intimate side of Gary and he doesn’t put a foot wrong. He swings when needed. He smooches when needed. He caresses when needed. His phrasing is sure, his intonation spot on. It’s an intelligent reading of a set of ‘standards’ which is never pretentious and always satisfying." [3]
Hilary Porter of The Bournemouth Echo said: "Whether playing this in the lounge or in the car, you are always in good company with Gary. A charming, charismatic performer his vocal skills make him a fine match for the likes of Sinatra and Dean Martin." [4]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Music to Watch Girls By" | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Sweet Lorraine" | 2:50 |
| 3. | "I Thought About You" | 2:49 |
| 4. | "A Swinging Affair" | 3:04 |
| 5. | "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" | 2:28 |
| 6. | "I’ve Got the Sun in the Morning" | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Lover Come Back to Me" | 2:51 |
| 8. | "Fly Me to the Moon" | 2:29 |
| 9. | "I’m Glad There Is You" | 4:31 |
| 10. | "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" | 2:48 |
| 11. | "Call Me" | 2:43 |
| 12. | "All That Jazz" | 2:04 |
| 13. | "Change Partners" | 3:17 |
| 14. | "Let's Get Lost" | 2:27 |
| 15. | "Let There Be Love" | 2:40 |
| 16. | "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" | 2:30 |
| 17. | "As Long As I’m Singing" | 2:00 |
| Total length: | 47:17 | |
Performers
Technical
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in European harmony and African rhythmic rituals.
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumental virtuosity, and improvisation based on a combination of harmonic structure, the use of scales and occasional references to the melody.
Traditional pop is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards or American standards. The works of these songwriters and composers are usually considered part of the canon known as the "Great American Songbook". More generally, the term "standard" can be applied to any popular song that has become very widely known within mainstream culture.
Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. The danceable swing style of big bands and bandleaders such as Benny Goodman was the dominant form of American popular music from 1935 to 1946, known as the swing era, when people were dancing the Lindy Hop. The verb "to swing" is also used as a term of praise for playing that has a strong groove or drive. Musicians of the swing era include Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Benny Carter, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Earl Hines, Harry James, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, and Django Reinhardt.
Jazz fusion is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock and roll started to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll.
Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The range of lounge music encompasses beautiful music–influenced instrumentals, modern electronica, while remaining thematically focused on its retro–space age cultural elements. The earliest type of lounge music appeared during the 1920s and 1930s, and was known as light music.
The swing era was the period (1933–1947) when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though this was its most popular period, the music had actually been around since the late 1920s and early 1930s, being played by black bands led by such artists as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Bennie Moten, Cab Calloway, Earl Hines, and Fletcher Henderson, and white bands from the 1920s led by the likes of Jean Goldkette, Russ Morgan and Isham Jones. An early milestone in the era was from "the King of Swing" Benny Goodman's performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles on August 21, 1935, bringing the music to the rest of the country. The 1930s also became the era of other great soloists: the tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Lester Young; the alto saxophonists Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges; the drummers Chick Webb, Gene Krupa, Jo Jones and Sid Catlett; the pianists Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson; the trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Bunny Berigan, and Rex Stewart.
British dance band is a genre of popular jazz and dance music that developed in British dance halls and hotel ballrooms during the 1920s and 1930s, often called a Golden Age of British music, prior to the Second World War.
James Williams was an American jazz pianist.
Frank Holder was a Guyanese jazz singer and percussionist. He was a member of bands led by Jiver Hutchinson, Johnny Dankworth and Joe Harriott.
Alone Together is the debut album by vocalist Gary Williams. It was recorded with the John Wilson Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios and released in 2004. It is a collection of ballads and swing standards arranged by Andrew Cottee.
Swingin' on Broadway is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's third album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios and released in 2008. It is a collection of songs from some of the most famous Broadway musicals.
Gary Williams Meets Frank Sinatra is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's fourth album, recorded with Chris Dean and his Orchestra, and released in 2010 in Europe and 2011 in Japan. It is a Frank Sinatra tribute album.
The Best of Abbey Road is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's fifth album, released in 2010. It is a compilation album of songs from three albums recorded at Abbey Road Studios: Alone Together, In the Lounge with Gary Williams and Swingin' on Broadway.
Let There Be Love is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's sixth album, recorded at the Caxton Theatre, Grimsby, on 15 May 2004, and released in 2011. It is a Nat King Cole tribute album, recorded with the musicians James Pearson, Jeremy Brown and Matthew Skelton, and arranged by Andrew Cottee. Academy Award winner Don Black provided the sleeve notes.
Live in Brazil is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's seventh album, recorded live onboard Royal Caribbean's ship Splendour of the Seas in 2013. It includes big band covers of songs by Gipsy Kings, Antônio Carlos and Tom Jobim, Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue. One song is recorded in English, German and Japanese. The live show was seen by over 20,000 Brazilians in 8 months.
Big Band Wonderland is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's eighth album, recorded in Kenilworth Studios in 2015. It is a collection of Christmas classics, recorded with full big band and featuring duets with Clare Teal and Michael Feinstein. More than half of the money for the album was raised with a crowd-funding appeal.
At The Movies is the ninth album from jazz vocalist Gary Williams. Recorded at Kenilworth Studios in 2017, the album was originally intended to feature only Disney songs but was later expanded to cover songs from the movies. It was recorded with full big band and a jazz combo.
Treasure Seeker is the tenth album from jazz vocalist Gary Williams and his first as singer-songwriter. Recorded at Kenilworth Studios in 2018, all songs are co-written with Jonathan Nickoll. It was recorded with full big band and a jazz combo.
Legends is the eleventh album from jazz vocalist Gary Williams. Recorded at Kenilworth Studios in 2019, it is a tribute to the stars of Las Vegas including Tom Jones, Elvis Presley and The Rat Pack. It was recorded with big band and a jazz combo.