Diana Krall From This Moment on

"From This Moment On" is an eleven-song collection that captures the Canadian-born sensation in full swing, in great company, and at the top of her game. Recorded with her quartet and the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, it may also be her strongest, most cohesive release to date. Clearly inspired by the Big Band Era, the music mixes Krall's golden intimacy with arrangements that often channel the spirit of Sinatra or Nat King Cole. Many of the songs are traditional jazz standards, but Krall and her group of superbly talented musians make them all their own. From the sexy Bossa of "How Insensitive" to the lounge-y combo sound of "It Could Happen To You", to the rollicking Big Band of "From This Moment On", the album is a remarkable work by one of the great voices of contemporary jazz.

With a unique fusion of modern-day pop sensibility, combined with sizzling musicianship, Bria Skonberg makes a firm claim on fresh territory in the sophisticated pop landscape pioneered by Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall and Michael Bublé. Titled Bria, her debut album on Portrait Records features standards plus five original songs. Skonberg credits producer Matt Pierson with helping her tie together the best aspects of the music she s been exploring, in a quest to fuse my love of classic jazz with worldly rhythm, percussion, contemporary songwriting and more.

Nina Simone was only 25 years old in 1958 when she entered Beltone Studios in midtown Manhattan for a one-day recording session for her debut album, Little Girl Blue,on Bethlehem Records. The 14 songs she recorded that day reveal just how well developed Simone’s sound — her powerhouse vocals, her classically-trained piano-playing, her inventive, genre-blind arrangements, and her dynamic personality — already was.

Sentimental Journey is the proof that Nils Landgren is not only a world class trombonist and bandleader but a singer with heart and soul as well. Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Natalie Cole - these are the stars that have caused a worldwide furore with their full-blown movement back to the 'standards'. It comes as no surprise that the interpretation of the well-known ballads that make up a large portion of 'The Great American Songbook' has always been considered one of the highest disciplines in jazz.

Minimalist arrangements and smoky vocals convey the raw and deep emotion of jazz standards from around the world. Christie Winn's voice wraps itself around you like bear hug and carries you along for the ride on "C'est Magnifique". A pure professional as a vocalist, Winn is on every moment of the album, selling each song as if she's lived it, and knocking out each note with a level of technical proficiency and artistic grace that is a cut above the pack. Winn's interpretations are generally right on the mark, elevating song craft at times to the sublime. "C'est Magnifique" truly is.