Carol Welsman – Swing Ladies, Swing!..A Tribute To Singers Of The Swing Era

 

Carol Welsman (born September 29, 1960) is a Canadian jazz pianist who accompanies her own easy listening, conversational style ‘singing’. She is the granddaughter of the founder and first conductor of the first Toronto Symphony Orchestra Frank Welsman and the sister of composer John Welsman. She has been nominated six times for the Juno Award, Canada's equivalent to the Grammy.

In 1995 she released her first album, Lucky to Be Me, containing jazz standards and her own song, "This Lullaby", which she presented on September 11, 2004 on the Larry King TV show commemorating the 3rd anniversary of 9/11. Welsman has written lyrics for Ray Charles and Nicole Scherzinger.

Her 2009 album, I Like Men: Reflections of Miss Peggy Lee, was voted Top 5 Album Pick of the Year 2009 in USA Today. 

Welsman sings in English, Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish. A Berklee Distinguished Alumnus, Carol Welsman is considered to be one of Canada's premiere Jazz vocalists and pianists.

1 Honeysuckle Rose 3:33

2 What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? 4:47

3 Fever 3:26

4 Never Let Me Go 5:54

5 More Than You Know 4:09

6 Cheek To Cheek 4:08

7 Black Coffee 5:06

8 Taking A Chance On Love 3:51

9 Over The Rainbow 5:00

10 If I Were A Bell 3:28

11 God Bless The Child 5:16

12 Do It Again 3:44

Swing Ladies, Swing!

https://carolwelsman.com/

Billy Swan and Buzz Cason new release Billy & Buzz Sing Buddy...tribute to Buddy Holly

On Billy & Buzz Sing Buddy, the new album from Billy Swan and Buzz Cason, the Nashville music legends revisit the songs of one of their first musical heroes, pioneering rocker Buddy Holly.

“We both have a lot of love for Buddy Holly,” says Swan, who is best known for “I Can Help,” his 1974 No. 1 hit. “He was the real deal.”

The album, which was released by Arena Recordings on August 17, features 11 songs originally recorded by Holly, plus a song about Holly, “Thank You Buddy,” co-written by Cason and Swan. “We figured that would be a nice way to wrap up the album,” says Cason, who is most widely recognized as the co-writer of the pop and R&B standard, “Everlasting Love,” and the producer of Robert Knight’s original hit recording of the song.

Interestingly, both Cason and Swan have a connection to Holly’s old band, The Crickets. In the early 1960's, Cason co-wrote and produced The Cricket’s hit, “They Call Her La Bamba” before joining the band as lead singer for a year. The Crickets continued to make records over the decades, and in the mid-1990's, they covered a song written by Swan, “Betty Sue’s Still Breaking Jimmy Lee’s Heart.” Crickets drummer Jerry Allison even makes an appearance on Billy & Buzz Sing Buddy, contributing percussion to their cover of “Well...All Right.”

“I’m Lookin’ For Someone To Love” is slated to be the first single from Billy & Buzz Sing Buddy, and they have already posted their hilarious music video for the song to YouTube. Conceived by Cason and featuring a cameo by rockabilly guitar legend Scotty Moore, to whom the album is dedicated, the video was shot at various locations around Nashville including the Tennessee Central Railway Museum, Centennial Park, and Lower Broad.

website: https://www.arenarecordings.net

Marty's review: What can I say about this brilliant album, it's a classic! Whether you're a Buddy Holly fan or not (and who isn't), Billy and Buzz have done a superb job with their passionate renditions of these timeless songs. Buddy and The Crickets would certainly approve as will their legions of fans. 

Steven Chera Pays Homage to Elvis with New Album "My Tribute To The King"

NYC Crooner, Steven Chera, pays homage to Elvis Presley in MY TRIBUTE TO THE KING

New Album Out Now!

Steven Chera is a singer and song stylist of 1940-1960′s era music — born, bred, and still living in New York City. He has four released CDs, including his most recently released album Smile–his first CD of original material–written for him by his director and coach, Shellen Lubin.

Following last year’s releases of In The Key of Jazz: A Tribute to The Beatles, out last July and Smile, released last October, Steven Chera releases My Tribute To The King, comprised entirely of his take on Elvis classics. Chera’s chief influences range from American Songbook to Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, to the Beatles and the Doors. Reigning supreme among his musical heroes, though, is Elvis Presley, whose music Chera fell in love with early in life. In honor of the king of rock 'n' roll, the release of My Tribute To The King coincided with the anniversary of Elvis' passing (August 16th).

Chera has been honing his Elvis impression to perfection from an early age, as is evidenced in songs like "Mean Woman Blues" and “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You”. The self-taught singer reaches the latter song’s peak as he croons, “But now I know that I will go on loving you eternally,” effortlessly singing in the style of the King while infusing his own brand of charisma.

The Brooklyn-born Chera spent his early years listening to and studying music legends like Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Bobby Darin. He started to perform at the age of 13, and has never stopped pursuing his music alongside his responsibilities to the family retail business. His work reflects a range of musical styles and appeals to the fans of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, to Queen and the Doors.


                                             

My Tribute To The King - track listing
1. That's Alright Mama
2. Love Me
3. Mean Woman Blues
4. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
5. Trying To Get To You
6. One Night With You
7. Little Sister
8. It's Now Or Never
9. Suspicious Minds
10. Wonder Of You

Listen to samples here https://soundcloud.com/stevenchera
Find out more about Steven on his website https://stevenchera.com/

Marty's review: There have been many artists releasing albums of Elvis covers and tributes (not to mention the numerous amount of Elvis impersonators worldwide), but Steven Chera has done a sterling job of presenting a selection of Elvis favorites done in his own style. Without trying to sound exactly like the King, Steven's voice is more than suited to these tracks and he does it in a style that compliments the originals without changing the arrangements too dramatically. Whether you're an Elvis fan or not, this album will certainly appeal as a collection on its own and deserves attention and listening.

Be sure to check out Steven's other albums too. Available on iTunes