Sophisticated Ladies (album)

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Sophisticated Ladies
Sophisticated Ladies (album).jpg
Studio album by
Charlie Haden Quartet West
Released2010
RecordedMay 20 & 21, June 4 and July 12 & 26, 2010
Studio Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA and Avatar Studios, NYC
Genre Jazz
Length60:17
Label EmArcy
0 602527 508160
Producer Charlie Haden and Ruth Cameron
Charlie Haden chronology
Jasmine
(2010)		Sophisticated Ladies
(2010)		 Time/Life
(2011–15)

Sophisticated Ladies is an album by Charlie Haden's Quartet West with guest vocalists Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Renee Fleming and Ruth Cameron, and a string orchestra arranged and conducted by Alan Broadbent which was released on the EmArcy label. [1] [2]

Charlie Haden American bassist

Charles Edward Haden was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than fifty years. In the late 1950s, Haden was an original member of the ground-breaking Ornette Coleman Quartet.

Cassandra Wilson American musician

Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work.

Diana Krall Canadian recording artist; jazz singer and pianist

Diana Jean Krall is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million albums worldwide. On December 11, 2009, Billboard magazine named her the second Jazz Artist of the Decade (2000–09), establishing her as one of the best-selling artists of her time.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
All About Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]

Allmusic awarded the album 3½ stars and said, "Sophisticated Ladies does fall just short at times of mimicking a brand of saccharine faux-post-big-band jazz that flourished in the '50s and early '60s, but Haden and his team are too masterful to allow their tribute to lose its stylishness and, of course, its sophistication". [3] Writing in The Guardian , John Fordham observed, "Haden's patient lyricism and devotion to classic song melody always exhibit a disguised intensity and a flawless touch ... all the performances are touched by Haden's instinct for doing the right thing quietly". [4] PopMatters' Steven Horowitz said, "Haden’s presence as bassist may not be the most audible feature on the disc, but the evidence here certainly shows that he commands the respect and effort of his band and guest vocalists. The music is consistently smooth and satisfying". [5] Martin Longley of BBC Music said, "Haden has managed to entice some of the most renowned jazz songbirds in the world, and their combined efforts are cumulatively sombre, with a frisson of bittersweet fatalism. Sometimes this build-up can establish a cocktail lounge atmosphere, but in most cases its emotional resonances hover on the right side of poignant". [7] On All About Jazz Chris May wrote, "With top drawer vocals, a virtuoso jazz backbone, immaculate audio quality and engaging liner notes by executive producer Jean-Philippe Allard, Sophisticated Ladies is a delight". [6]

<i>The Guardian</i> British national daily newspaper

The Guardian is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian, and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers The Observer and The Guardian Weekly, the Guardian is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of the Guardian free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for The Guardian the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders.

PopMatters is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater, visual arts, travel, and the Internet.

BBC Music

BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music and the BBC Asian Network.

Track listing

  1. "If I'm Lucky" (Eddie DeLange, Josef Myrow) – 5:39
  2. "Sophisticated Lady" (Duke Ellington, Mitchell Parish, Irving Mills) – 4:28
  3. "Ill Wind" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) – 4:25
  4. "Today I Am a Man" (Steve Kuhn) – 5:23
  5. "My Love and I" (David Raksin, Johnny Mercer) – 4:14
  6. "Theme from Markham" (Stanley Wilson) – 4:40
  7. "Let's Call It a Day' (Ray Henderson, Lew Brown) – 5:52
  8. "Angel Face" (Hank Jones) – 4:08
  9. "A Love Like This" (Victor Young, Ned Washington) – 5:13
  10. "My Old Flame" (Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston) – 5:35
  11. "Goodbye" (Gordon Jenkins) – 5:48
  12. "Wahoo" (Benny Harris) – 4:52

Personnel

Double bass Acoustic stringed instrument of the violin family

The double bass, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra.

Arrangement musical composition in altered form

In music, an arrangement is a musical reconceptualization of a previously composed work. It may differ from the original work by means of reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or development of the formal structure. Arranging differs from orchestration in that the latter process is limited to the assignment of notes to instruments for performance by an orchestra, concert band, or other musical ensemble. Arranging "involves adding compositional techniques, such as new thematic material for introductions, transitions, or modulations, and endings... Arranging is the art of giving an existing melody musical variety".

Ernie Watts American jazz musician

Ernest James Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's album The Grand Wazoo he played the "Mystery Horn", a straight-necked C melody saxophone. He played the notable saxophone riff on The One You Love by Glenn Frey.

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References

  1. ↑ Charlie Haden catalog, accessed December 13, 2006
  2. ↑ charliehadenmusic.com, accessed December 13, 2016
  3. 1 2 Tamarkin, Jeff. Sophisticated Ladies – Review at AllMusic . Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Fordham, J. The Guardian Review, May 6, 2011
  5. 1 2 Horowitz, S. PopMatters Review, April 27, 2011
  6. 1 2 May, C. All About Jazz Review, November 30, 2010
  7. ↑ Longley, M. BBC Music Review, November 1, 2010
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