We’ve Got A World That Swings
Year: 2016
Label: Linn Records
Personnel
Claire Martin (vocals), Ray Gelato (tenor sax & vocals), David Newton (piano), Dave Whitford (double bass), Sebastiaan de Krom (drums & percussion)
Claire Martin and Ray Gelato are artists at the top of their game; with a wealth of bestselling jazz albums, extensive UK tours and established fan bases, this recording is a tour de force.
‘Year’s Best Albums’ 2016 Hi-Fi News
Album Choice: ‘Ms Martin [is] an audiophile poster child…the results are irresistible…swing it does and the killer sound is a bonus.’ Hi-Fi News
‘It’s an album that strikes all the right notes, played and sung with a real joie de vivre.’ Jazzwise
‘A superb collection of songs that swing from the outset and impeccably played that is guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.’ Jazz Views
Following sellout tour dates of their new swing show, the duo took to the studio; Ray’s jumpin’ vocals and sax provide an ideal foil for Claire’s velvety voice. The result is irresistible.
The song selection is a delicious serving of some of the most sumptuous morsels in the Great American Songbook including a classy R&B treatment of Billie Holiday’s ‘Now Baby Or Never’. The breadth of Claire’s stylistic and vocal range is perfectly displayed among these tracks: listen to her boogaloo take on ‘You Came A Long Way From St. Louis’ or her interpretation of the melody on ‘More Than You Know’, which is a vocal masterclass.
Ray’s brilliant original ‘A Swingin’ Affair’ sets the tone for an album that is the perfect antidote to twenty-first century life. The duo is accompanied by a trio of world-class musicians: pianist David Newton (Stacey Kent), bassist Dave Whitford (Bobby Wellins Quartet) and drummer Sébastian de Krom (Jamie Cullum).
JazzTimes
‘There are few, if any, finer jazz singers than Claire Martin. She’s certainly the best the U.K. has produced, with her cunning mix of straight-ahead purity and interpretive legerdemain…There’s an impressive bigness to their sound, mirroring the thunderous showmanship of Prima with Keely Smith.’
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Hi-Fi News
4-stars
Album Choice: ‘the results are irresistible’
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The Musician
Top Pick: ‘…a party-bound masterclass…with the UK’s king and queen of swing.’
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Lynn News
‘A celebration of the great Swing duets is what we were promised and boy, these two certainly deliver.’
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Vocal Sound of Jazz
‘A superb collection of songs that swing from the outset and impeccably played that is guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.’
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SR
CD of the Month: „We’ve Got A World That Swings” bietet beste, vergnügliche und zeitlose Entertainermusik, bietet Songs für die Cocktailbar, für ein gutes Essen oder einfach nur so.
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Jazzwise
4-stars
‘It’s an album that strikes all the right notes, played and sung with a real joie de vivre.’
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InTune International
‘One to share for its toe-tapping rhythm and joi-de-vive!’
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Straits Times
4-stars
‘A swinging charmer that lives up to the promise in the album’s title.’
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Jazz Views
‘A superb collection of songs that swing from the outset and impeccably played that is guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.’
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The Jazz Breakfast
‘An album which is damned fine fun from beginning to end.’
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The Observer
4-stars
‘[An] irresistible mixture of swing, jump-and-jive and sheer bonhomie…’
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The New Listener
„Ist eine grundsolide Platte und für jede Cocktailparty zu empfehlen. Die musikalische Qualität ist durchweg gut…”
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Soul and Jazz and Funk
‘Between them and Ray and Claire they find freshness and vitality in familiar material…’
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