Vocal Sample

The daughter of the popular late R&B singer Donny, husky voiced Lalah Hathaway is the perfect foil for Joe Sample's compelling notion that The Song Lives On. Finding a happy medium between the graceful straight-ahead jazz trio vibe of his Invitation album and the plucky pop energy of Spellbound, Sample provides Hathaway on seven of the 11 tunes with a showcase for her sultry approach.His and Bill Shnee's production approach is generally sparse, not much more than piano and bass, enhanced on occasion by Fender Rhodes and the occasional smoky input of Kirk Whalum. Sample doesn't seem to mind playing second fiddle most of the time, his trademark mix of dark chords and dancing, optimistic improvisations forming harmony lines behind her; often, though, his itchiness to step higher into the mix comes clear and he breaks into extended upbeat improvisations. On a cover of his Crusaders hit "Street Life," Hathaway turns the title into a mantra and Sample echoes her sentiments with sharp, percussive reiterations of the song's main melody. Then Hathaway stops and Michael Thompson steps in with some edgy electric guitar lines.

Enjoy Vocal Jazz's finest in the best possible audio quality with our selection of legendary tracks in Hi-Res, featuring Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Blossom Dearie, Dizzy Gillespie, Anita O'Day, Chris Connor, Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Jamie Cullum, Norah Jones, Michael Bublé, Melody Gardot, Gregory Porter, Kat Edmonson…

If you want a good sampling of Copland's orchestral works, then this 2-CD compilation comes highly recommended, with excellent performances of works such as Appalachian Spring, Quiet City, El Salón México and others. (Presto Classical)

Laura Misch will release her acoustic sister-album ‘Sample The Earth’, a new collection regrown from original tracks, on June 7th via One Little Independent Records. It follows her acclaimed debut ‘Sample The Sky’ and comes alongside the announcement of a special Union Chapel London headline event on September 19th, where she will be performing these new reworks for the first time with a full live band.