Carmen Lundy

Carmen Lundy has that rare combination of qualities found in great jazz singers: imagination, a superb sense of swing phrasing and improvisation, a broad vocal range with powerful lungs, and a sure grasp of jazz tradition. This Is … features not only Lundy's voice, but also her songwriting, another of her talents. While her lyrics are not always as clever as her music, with its challenging turnarounds and charged interplay, Lundy's baring of her life experiences makes This Is … a record you can sink your ears into. Her band, including brother Curtis Lundy on bass, drummer Ralph Peterson, pianist Anthony Wonsey, and saxophonists Mark Shim and Bobby Watson, can sometimes sound tentative and they are ill-supported by a diaphanous mix. But Carmen and her songs are the stars.

Carmen Lundy - Soul To Soul (2014) {Core Port Japan RPOZ-10004}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 470 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 182 Mb
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© 2014 Afrasia / Core Port Japan | RPOZ-10004
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Post Bop

There are records created through years of preparation and production that take a lifetime to achieve. Soul to Soul by vocalist Carmen Lundy, indeed falls in that category, yet defies categorization. Lundy is setting her own course, while other singers seek safe refuge in tepid covers of popular standards. She offers original material delivered with authenticity that can only come from a seasoned jazz veteran.

Fade To Black is Carmen Lundy's 16th album and one of her most personal to date. Grammy® Nominated for her previous album Modern Ancestors, these 11 original songs, written and arranged by Carmen Lundy, were conceived during the challenging months of the pandemic and reflect this time of great loss, sorrow, healing, and hope for a brighter, more inclusive future for us all. Tackling the difficult social issues of our time while also musing on the joys of love and relationships, this stunning set of songs takes us on an emotional journey that culminates in the extraordinary hymn-like ballad titled "Rest In Peace". Jazzy, passionate, introspective, thoughtful, smart, kind, honoring and loving, Carmen has crafted an album without borders that transfixes it's listeners.

The deep voice of Carmen Lundy is well showcased on this varied set. With assistance from an impressive backup crew (pianist Billy Childs, flugelhornist Randy Brecker, Frank Foster or Bob Mintzer on tenor, and a pair of rhythm sections), Lundy performs six standards, four of her stimulating originals, and Donny Hathaway's "Flying Easy." The music ranges from fairly straight-ahead to more R&B-oriented, with Carmen Lundy's appealing voice being the main star.

Carmen Lundy is a world-renowned musical polymath: She is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer (with over 100 songs to her credit, she even has her own songbook), actor, visual artist, and instructor. She is also the sister of bassist Curtis Lundy. A Miami native, Lundy began singing early, inspired by her mother, the lead vocalist in the gospel group the Apostolic Singers. She studied music in high school and took vocal lessons, initially concentrating on classical music, although blues, jazz, and gospel remained passionate pursuits in her spare time. She signed to Arabesque where she recorded 1992's Moment to Moment and enlisted Gumbs, Chico Freeman, and Kevin Eubanks as some of her sidemen.