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" I have been fortunate
to have conducted or played with Sarah, Ella, Carmen, Irene, etc.,
and Angela is in that class of singers with chops, time, feeling, and
can swing. Anybody who has heard Ron's band knows he can arrange, but
arranging for singers takes a little more talent, and Ron pulls it
off. Not only do Angela and Ron make a great team in marriage but
they also make a great team on this CD.”
-- Terry Gibbs, Legendary Jazz
Vibraphonist
Vocalist
ANGELA DeNIRO and saxophonist/arranger RON APREA were
married in 1985 and have been making beautiful music ever since.
DeNiro & the Ron Aprea Big Band’s latest release SWINGIN'
WITH LEGENDS 2 is an album of love songs written by some of
the greatest composers of the American Songbook. The album is a
long-overdue follow-up to Swingin' with Legends (1998), about
which All Music Guide said, “Possessing great range, perfect
pitch and good diction, and backed by a big band chock full of
outstanding performers playing scintillating arrangements, this CD is
a reminder of how exciting a big band can be.” The duo has also
released My Shining Hour (2005) and Just for the Fun of It (1997).
DeNiro
and Aprea have extensive resumes. Besides being a stellar vocalist,
DeNiro is also a voiceover artist, lyricist, and composer. She has
appeared at the Rainbow Room and in major concerts and festivals.
Along with Ron, she was one of the GTE Giants of Jazz at the Lionel
Hampton Jazz Festival. DeNiro can also be heard scatting on Mark
Murphy's 2001 Links album. She and Ron headlined les Nuits du
Jazz Festival in France. Their big band held a 6-year residency at
Trumpets Jazz Club and performed at Birdland Jazz Club in New York
City.
Aprea
has performed with legends Woody Herman, Tito Puente, Billy May,
Skitch Henderson, and Lionel Hampton. Throughout his career, he has
been in demand to write, arrange, and perform on countless
recordings. He released his own album as a leader, Ron Aprea
Sextet – Remembering Blakey, in 2013. Aprea was also part of the
horn section on John Lennon’s 1974 album Walls and Bridges.
His tribute to Lennon & the Beatles, Ron Aprea Pays Tribute to
John Lennon & the Beatles, was released in 2015 to rave
reviews.
Quarantined
in their NYC apartment during Covid, Aprea completed 25 vocal
orchestrations. When the lockdown was lifted, Aprea, anxious to hear
his arrangements, relates, “I scheduled a couple of rehearsals at the
Musicians Union, and I had trouble controlling my goose bumps as
Angela and the band brought this music to life. I was 100% convinced
that this material must be recorded.”
The
album comprises a 16-piece band with special guests RANDY BRECKER (trumpet),
KEN PEPLOWSKI (clarinet), and LEW TABACKIN (tenor
sax/flute). The band includes TODD BASHORE (alto sax), CHRIS
PERSAD (trumpet), BRYAN DAVIS (trumpet), ELIJAH
SCHIFFER (alto sax, flute), NATHAN CHILDERS (tenor sax,
flute, clarinet), LEE GREENE (tenor sax, flute, clarinet), DOUG
DEHAYS (bari sax, clarinet, bass clarinet), MATTHEW TIMM (trumpet),
SHAWN EDMONDS (trumpet), WAYNE GOODMAN (trombone), MATT
HAVILAND (trombone), BRANDON MOODIE (trombone), DALE
TURK (bass trombone), CECILIA COLEMAN (piano), TIM
GIVENS (bass), JONATHAN MELE (drums). Aprea arranged and
conducted. With just two rehearsals, they recorded 14 tunes in six
hours.
The
album opens with a tribute to the Big Apple, “New York City Blues,”
written by Quincy Jones and Peggy Lee. This song embodies a return to
life in their beloved city after the despair and silence of the
pandemic. It features DeNiro’s high-powered vocals and some screaming
notes from trumpeter Bryan Davis. Next is “Easy to Love,” which opens
with a soulful clarinet solo by Ken Peplowski and quickly turns into
a swinging rendition by the full band featuring some joyful scatting
by DeNiro and a tasty solo by Peplowski.
Randy
Brecker’s tender trumpet opens “Hello Young Lovers” which then
quickly transforms into a hard swinging big band number. The band
brings down the temperature a bit with Burt Bacharach’s ballad “A
House Is Not a Home,” featuring DeNiro’s emotive interpretation. Of
“Willow Weep for Me” Ron explains “I always loved Phil Woods’
version, so I decided to write this one in his style. Todd Bashore kills
the alto solo. I think that that kid is a future legend.” This tune
was recorded in just one take.
“It
Might as Well Be Spring” begins with tenor sax giant Lew Tabackin,
who digs into the bridge of this standard a cappella. DeNiro’s
opening chorus is full of warmth and then she cooks with the band,
scatting in unison with the horns. Written by Illinois Jacquet and
Jimmy Mundy, “Black Velvet” was retitled “Don’cha Go ‘Way Mad’ when
Al Stillman added lyrics. Aprea’s arrangement starts at a high level
of excitement and builds from there.
DeNiro’s
heartfelt singing highlights Henry Mancini’s haunting “Two for The
Road,” also featuring tasteful piano playing from Cecilia Coleman.
DeNiro’s vocals then float effortlessly over the high-powered
arrangement of “That Old Black Magic.” The Melissa Manchester/Carole
Bayer Sager song “Come in From the Rain” is meaningful for DeNiro and
Aprea, as Ron wrote a previous arrangement that Angela sang at their
wedding.
Aprea’s
swinging arrangement of “Green Dolphin Street” features a hot alto
solo from Todd Bashore and a burning soli with DeNiro. A superb
interpreter of ballads, DeNiro then performs “My One and Only Love,”
one of her favorites. “For Phil” is an original by Aprea written for
the great Phil Woods, with whom Aprea studied back in the 70s, and
remained friends until Phil’s passing. The memorable set concludes
with a brief rendition of “The Curtain Falls,” an emotional ballad
that the great Bobby Darin often sang at the close of his show.
The
professional and life partnership of Angela DeNiro and Ron Aprea is
truly a marriage of complementary talents. DeNiro is a hip, swinging
singer in total control of her instrument and the material. Combined
with an arranger of Ron Aprea’s stature and performed by an orchestra
comprising top players, SWINGIN' WITH LEGENDS 2 is a
captivating project for listeners who love not just big band music
but love great music.
"The title “Swingin’
With Legends 2” says it all, except that me, Tabackin and Peplowski
ain't the only "Legends" on this release which is Swingin'
from start to finish! Everyone on it including the "Power
Couple" of leader/arranger Ron Aprea & vocalist supreme
Angela DeNiro are Legends in The Making and Ron's original "For
Phil" is already a classic...!"
Randy Brecker, legendary trumpeter
# # #
SWINGIN’
WITH LEGENDS 2 was released on June 18, 2023 and is available on all
platforms.
Online:
Angeladeniro.com
Ronaprea.com
Facebook.com/angela.deniro.7
Facebook.com/ron.aprea |
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