Tag Archives: Best Jazz Vocal Album

Nancy Wilson: Turned To Blue

On August 22, 2006, “MCG Jazz” label released “Turned to Blue”, the fifty-second and final Nancy Wilson studio album. It was recorded in 2006, at “Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild” in Pittsburgh, “Conway Studios” in Los Angeles, “Somy Music Studios” in New York City, “Audible Images Recording” in Port Matilda, and was produced by Marty Ashby and Jay Ashby. At the 49th “Annual Grammy Awards”, “Turned to Blue” won “Best Jazz Vocal Album” award.

Personnel:

  • Nancy Wilson – vocal
  • Marty Ashby – acoustic guitar, guitar, arrangements, executive producer
  • Alon Yavnai – piano
  • Liew Matthews – piano
  • Billy Taylor – piano
  • Vito DiSalvo – accordion
  • John Clayton – bass
  • Kip Reed – bass
  • Nilson Matta – bass
  • Rufus Reid – bass
  • Jamey Haddad – drums, percussion
  • Roy McCurdy – drums
  • Terry Clarke – drums
  • Winard Harper – drums
  • Portihno (Telmo Porto) – drums, percussion
  • Andy Narrel – steelplan
  • Mike Tomaro – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Tia Fuller – alto saxophone
  • Andy Snitzer – tenor saxophone
  • Eric DeFade – tenor saxophone
  • Jim German – baritone saxophone
  • Jack Schantz – trumpet
  • Jim Hynes – trumpet
  • Steve Hawk – trumpet
  • Sean Jones – trumpet
  • Jay Ashby – trombone, percussion, marimba, backing vocals, arrangements, mixing, mastering
  • Bob Matchett – trombone
  • Ed Kocher – trombone
  • Michael Davis – trombone
  • Daglas Purviance – bass trombone
  • Hubert Laws – flute
  • Jennifer Cunner – flute
  • Jeremy Black – violin
  • Kate Black – violin
  • Kate Hatmaker – violin
  • Stephanie Tertick – violin
  • Rosemary Harris – viola
  • Mikhail Istomin – cello
  • Dr. John H. Wilson – arrangements
  • Liew Matthews – arrangements
  • Jay Dudt – recording, mixing, mastering
  • Pablo Array – recording
  • Seth Waldmann – recording
  • Todd Whitelock – recording
  • David Stoller – recording
  • Jeff O.Brien Myers – cover art, layout, design
  • Leroy Hamilton – photography (Candid)
  • Charles Bush – photography (Nancy Wilson)
  • Renée Govanucci – associate producer

Track listing:

  1. This is All I Ask – Gordon Jenkins
  2. Take Love Easy – Duke Ellington, John LaTouche
  3. Turned to Blue – Jay Ashby, Maya Angelou
  4. Knitting Class – K. Lawrence Dunham, Bruce Rohde
  5. Be My Love – Nicholas Brodszky, Sammy Cahn
  6. Taking a Chance on Love – Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John LaTouche
  7. Just Once – Barry Man, Cynthia Weil
  8. These Golden Years – D. Channsin Berry, John Proulx
  9. I Don’t remember Ever Growing Up – Artie Butler
  10. Old Folks – Dedette Lee Hill, Wilard Robinson
  11. I’ll Be Seeing You – Sammy Fain, Irving Khal

Esperanza Spalding: Songwrights Apothecary Lab

On September 24, 2021, “Concord” label released “Songwrights Apothecary Lab”, is the eighth Esperanza Spalding studio album. It was recorded in 2021, and was produced by Esperanza Spalding, Phoelix, Corey King and Raphael Saading. At the 64th “Annual Grammy Awards”, the album won “Best Jazz Vocal Album”.

Personnel:

  • Esperanza Spalding – vocals, bass, piano
  • Chris Sholar – guitar
  • Matthew Stevens – guitar
  • Leo Genovese – piano
  • Phoelix – vocals, piano, synthesizer, xylophone
  • Justin Tyson – vocals, drums, percussion
  • Francisco Mela – drums
  • Aaron Burnett – saxophone
  • Wayne Shorter – saxophone
  • James Greeley – eagle-bone whistle
  • Lamont Hamilton – bell
  • Steve Turre – conch shell
  • Ganavya Doraiswamy – vocals
  • Corey King – vocals
  • Thrive Choir – vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Esperanza Spalding, except here where noted.

  1. Formwela 1
  2. Formwela 2
  3. Formwela 3
  4. Formwela 4 – Corey King, Esperanza Spalding
  5. Formwela 5 – Corey King, Esperanza Spalding
  6. Formwela 6 – Corey King, Esperanza Spalding
  7. Formwela 7
  8. Formwela 8 – Leo Genovese, Esperanza Spalding
  9. Formwela 9 – Leo Genovese, Esperanza Spalding
  10. Formwela 10 –
  11. Formwela 11 – Leo Genovese, Matthew Stevens
  12. Formwela 13

Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society

Radio_Music_Society

On March 20, 2012, “Heads Up International” label released “Radio Music Society”, the fourth Esperanza Spalding studio album. It was recorded in summer 2011, and was produced by Esperanza Spalding, Q-Tip and Dave Love. The album won two “Grammy Awards”, for “Best Jazz Vocal Album” and “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the track, “City of Roses”.

Personnel:

  • Esperanza Spalding – vocals, acoustic and electric bass
  • Gilad Hekselman – guitar
  • Ricardo Vogt – guitar
  • Lionel Loueke – voice, guitar
  • Jef Lee Johnson – guitar
  • Leo Genovese – piano, Rhodes, guembri, keyboards
  • Janice Scroggins: piano
  • James Weidman – organ
  • Raymond Angry – organ
  • Billy Hart – drums
  • Jack DeJohnette – drums
  • Terri Lyne Carrington – drums
  • Lyndon Rochelle – drums
  • Jamie Haddad – percussion
  • Q-Tip – vocals, glockenspiel
  • American Music Program (Big Band):
  • Daniel Blake: saxophones, flute
  • Anthony Diamond – saxophone
  • Stanley Matabane – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Sam Seacrest – alto saxophone
  • Kyle Zimmerman – alto saxophone
  • Renato Caranto – alto saxophone
  • Andrew Olsen – alto saxophone
  • John Carey – alto saxophone
  • Adam Reihs – tenor saxophone
  • Aaron Reihs – tenor saxophone
  • Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone
  • Tivon Penicott – tenor saxophone
  • Hayden Conrad – tenor saxophone
  • Nicole Glover – tenor saxophone
  • Jeff Rathbone – baritone saxophone
  • Kama Bell – clarinet
  • Darren Barrett – trumpet
  • Benjamin C. McDonald – trumpet
  • Benjamin Seacrest – trumpet
  • Noah Conrad – trumpet
  • Tre Palmedo – trumpet
  • Noah Hocker – trumpet
  • Kiran Bosely – trumpet
  • Igmar Thomas – trumpet
  • Corey King – trumpet
  • Stan Bock – trombone
  • Jeff Galindo – trombone
  • Ian Garner – trombone
  • Javier Nero – trombone
  • Matt Warming – trombone
  • Ashton Summers – trombone
  • Dan Brewster – trombone
  • Jerry Stalnaker – bass trombone
  • Olivia Deprado: violin
  • Jody Redhage – viola
  • Lalah Hathaway – vocals
  • Algebra Blessett – vocals
  • Savannah Children’s Choir – choral voices
  • Raydar Ellis – spoken word, sounds
  • Gretchen Parlato – backing vocals, spoken word
  • Leni Stern – backing vocals
  • Becca Stevens – backing vocals
  • Justin Brown – backing vocals
  • Alan Hampton – backing vocals
  • Chris Turner – backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Esperanza Spalding except where noted.

  1. Radio Song
  2. Cinnamon Tree
  3. Crowned & Kissed – Esperanza Spalding, Algebra Blessett
  4. Land of the Free
  5. Black Gold
  6. I Can’t Help It – Susaye Brown Greene, Stevie Wonder
  7. Hold On Me
  8. Vague Suspicions
  9. Endangered Species – Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter, Joseph Vitarelli
  10. Let her
  11. City of Roses
  12. Smile like That
  13. Jazz Ain’t Nothin But Soul – Norman Mapp