The material and performances are well off the beaten path, keeping the offering fresh and interesting.
Called "...one of the best male vocalists in the world today" by WCLK in Atlanta, Jeff Baker's four recordings for OA2 Records revealed a compelling and engaging musical voice. Now as vocal director at ArtsWest School for the Performing Arts in Eagle, ID, Baker shares his musical insights with his vocal ensemble of equally motivated high school students. Collectively inspiring each other through daily practices and performances, the group here perform as individuals with only the coda on the last piece featuring the choir. One can hear a sound, concept and approach that has been influenced by Baker's experiences but at the same time, their distinct personalities shine through, tempting thoughts of what these kids will sound like after two more years of high school!
Track Listing:
1 My Man's Gone Now 5:19 (Camille Avery)
2 You Don?t Know What Love Is 5:25 (LeAnne Robinson)
3 Moon River 7:30 (Georgia Sedlack)
4 Time After Time 5:40 (Cari Stevens)
5 Nothing Compares 4:37 (Fara Sumbureru)
6 Much Farther to Go 7:49 (Karmen Wolf)
7 My Funny Valentine 5:01 (Georgia Sedlack)
8 Too Late Now 6:16 (LeAnne Robinson)
9 City Called Heaven 5:44 (Harris Long)
10 Dienda 4:46 (Cari Stevens)
11 Both Sides Now 5:23 (Karmen Wolf)
12 Sparks 8:40 (Mary Thompson)
Performers:
THE VOCAL JAZZ COLLECTIVE:
Camille Avery - Vocals
Harris Long - Vocals
LeAnne Robinson - Vocals
Georgia Sedlack - Vocals
Cari Stevens - Vocals
Fara Sumbureru - Vocals
Mary Thompson - Vocals
Karmen Wolf - Vocals
Michael Wood - Vocals
Sekayi Sumbureru - Vocals
Andrew Coba - Vocals
Justin Nielsen - piano
Jeff Johnson - bass
John Bishop - drums
John McLean - guitar
Thomas Marriott - trumpet-flugelhorn
Brent Jensen - saxophone
Production Info:
Produced by Jeff Baker
Recorded & mixed by Reed Ruddy at Studio X,
Seattle WA, November 19-24, 2009
Mastered by Ross Nyberg
Cover photography by Matja? Slanic
Cover design by John Bishop
Reviews of Redefinition
100 Degrees at Midnight Arts Blog (C. Michael Bailey)
One need only read the producer's name of this fine multi-vocalists disc to understand its daring and probing personality. Jeff Baker has recorded several releases for the OA2 imprint of OriginArts, including Baker Sings Chet (2004), Monologue (2005), Shopping For Your Heart (2007), and, most recently, Of Things Not Seen (2009).
Baker is a dur ...
All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
Jeff Baker, one of the best male jazz vocalists around today, is also the vocal director at ArtsWest School for Performing Arts in Eagle, Idaho. Working with high school age performers must be a gas, because Baker has produced a very engaging vocal jazz outing, featuring his students backed by an Origin Records all-star band, with pianist Justin Ni ...
Cadence Magazine (Jerome Wilson)
Redefinition is one of those CDs where a group of students, here from the Arts West School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Eagle, Idaho, get to show off their musical talents. In this case the kids are all vocalists who look to be in their teens and sound very polished and professional. You wouldn't expect teenagers to grasp the nuances and ...