Libby York

DreamLand

OA2 22208

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...a jazz singer of cool composure and artful subtlety...
The New York Times

The Johnny Mercer classic "Hit the Road to Dreamland" evoked the state of mind for singer Libby York and so many performers as stages in 2020 long went dark, but ultimately gifting the thrill of revival two years later. Dedication to the music and craft has flourished since, along with the connection to audiences and the music itself. DreamLand was born from that landscape and York's chance encounter with guitarist Randy Napoleon, who was accompanying Freddie Cole at Chicago's Jazz Showcase. Randy's playing and warm enthusiastic manner set the stage for their gathering in the studio in Fall 2021 for this intimate set of songs, each pure, classic, compositional gems in themselves.

"..a gifted and experienced singer whose warm tone and sharp sense of humor bolster her restrained artistry."
The New Yorker


Track Listing:

1. Hit the Road to Dreamland  4:15  
2. Estrada Branca (This Happy Madness) 5:36
3.  Mountain Greenery 3:16
4. Cloudy Morning 4:59
5. Throw It Away 7:15
6. Rhode Island Is Famous for You 3:50
7. Still on the Road 4:37
8. When October Goes 4:16
9. Moonray 2:50
10. An Occasional Man  4:32
11. Something Cool  5:24
12. It's Love  4:27

Performers:

Libby York - vocals
Randy Napoleon - guitar
Rodney Whitaker - bass
Keith Hall - drums (5,10,12)

Production Info:

Produced by Libby York
Co-Producer Randy Napoleon
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Corey DeRushia 
at Troubadour Studios, Lansing, MI
Fall 2021
Cover painting by Susan Sugar
Artist photos John Abbott
Cover Design & Layout by John Bishop


Reviews of DreamLand

Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Vocalist Libby York gives casual and intimate servings of standards with the deft team of guitarist Randy Napoleon and bassist Rodney Whitaker, with drummer Keith Hall sitting in for a handful of mellow tones. There's a maturity to her calm enunciation of pieces like the gentle "Cloudy Morning" and patient "Estrada Branca". She sits well with Napol ...

BeBop Spoken Here (Lance Liddle)
It's hard to believe that it's close on nine years since I reviewed Libby York's last album, Memoirs. I raved about that one and, with this release, my enthusiasm hasn't waned. A soft, sensuous voice that sends shivers down my spine the way Peggy Lee's does when I listen to her classic Black Coffee album. DreamLand is totally different, yet in ...

Jersey Jazz (Joe Lang)
York loves lyrics and is a premier interpreter of the words to each song she sings. There is a jazz underpinning to her vocalizing, but she is always right there for each listener, no matter how sophisticated their musical tastes." Despite being on the scene for over 40 years, DreamLand (OA2 Records – 22208) is only the fifth recording from the ...

JW Vibe (Jonathan Widran)
Though life circumstances and immersion in another business led to somewhat of a late start in launching her singing career Libby York has more than made up for lost time, performing with the likes of John Di Martino, Warren Vache, Russell Malone and Renee Rosness – and dazzling fans and critics alike with a handful of critically acclaimed albums ...

Paris Move (Thierry Docmac)
Libby York isn't the kind of jazz singer who needs vocal pyrotechnics to captivate an audience. Whether she sings a ballad or swings a standard, her deep connection to the lyrics and her subtle improvisations on the melody convey an intimacy that makes each song feel like it tells its own life. On Dreamland, her latest recording and new opus, she o ...

Gina Loves Jazz (Germany) (Matthias Kirsch)
Singer Libby York‘s fifth album, and first after her 2014 release "Memoir", is an intimate and intensive affair, with just guitar and bass (and drums on four tracks) spread over 12 songs. And it suits her really well since her poignant and lithe vibrato shines throughout the set, starting with an elegant and gently swinging "Hit The Road To Dream ...

JazzTimes (Andrew Gilbert)
Libby York has been on the scene for a while, but for those who haven't yet encountered her music, her 5th album, DreamLand, makes an excellent introduction. It's been nine years since she put out the quietly beguiling Memoir, and she's lost none of her old-school luster in the interim. Working with a highly sympathetic tandem of guitarist Randy Na ...

Wild Mercury Rhythm (C. Michael Bailey)
It is an accomplishment when a jazz singer finds a comfortable center in presenting material in an understated, yet authoritative manner. New York vocalist Libby York has made a career specializing in exactly this type of singing. It was been nine years since the release of Memoir (2014, Libby York Music), and York has taken a road less traveled fo ...

Music Pen Club (Japan) (Keizo Takada)
A veteran jazz singer with a career of over 40 years, Libby York's first new release in about 10 years. She has been singing since she was a child, but her professional debut was late at the age of 35 because she was married and also ran a restaurant. "Sunday In New York" (2003), "Here with You" (2008), and "Memoir" (2014). She said that there was ...

Sound Advice / Talkin’ Broadway (Rob Lester)
A pro with precise phrasing that gets the most out of key words and images in a lyric, a master of the mini-pause, Libby York has a sound that is decidedly mellow and mature. The savvy stylist breathily highlights some words in a state that approaches or crosses the border between sung and spoken without losing the essence of the musical line. Drea ...

The Jazz Page (D. Glenn Daniels)
Dreamland is the wonderful 5th album for singer Libby York. The Chicago-born and raised vocalist has an easy, pleasing delivery that imbues each song with a warm, vibrant feeling. The set for this effort is a nice cross-section of tunes from Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, Abbey Lincoln, Barry Manilow, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Billy Barnes, ...

New York City Jazz Record (Jim Motavalli)
On this, only her fifth release as a leader in a 40-year career as a jazz vocalist, Libby York is backed by an unusual instrumentation—guitar, bass and (on only 4 of the 12 tracks) drums. There's no piano in sight, but you won't miss it. The singer has a warm, expressive and mature voice that will remind you of the late Carol Sloane. She's ac ...

Chicago Jazz (Jeff Cebulski)
Libby York has developed a gradually progressive following over a nearly 25-year career, with five albums spaced through that time, each with an impressive supporting cast that demonstrates her popularity among seasoned players. Among them are Bobby Schiff, Warren Vache, Renee Rosnes, Frank Wess, Russell Malone, Howard Alden, and Billy Drummond. Re ...

Take Effect (Tom Haugen)
The inimitable vocalist Libby York is in fine company here, where Randy Napoleon, Rodney Whitaker and Keith Hall accompany her across these selections of old and new jazz that are delivered with a timeless warmth and intimacy. "Hit The Road To Dreamland" opens the listen with precise bass plucking from Whitaker, as York's expressive voice unfol ...

DownBeat (Brian Morton)
4 1/2 STARS Is it damning with faint praise to say that this is grown-up jazz? Too much female jazz singing seems to slide from Betty Boop pyrotechnics straight into "Gloomy Sunday" croaking with out much happening in between. The lovely thing about Libby York is that she seems like an adult artist without letting responsibilities weigh down jo ...

Deep Roots (David McGee)
TOP ALBUMS OF 2023 With four critically acclaimed albums behind her, elegant chanteuse Libby York made sure her fifth would be equally memorable. In her liner notes, Ms. York says the oft-covered Johnny Mercer-Harold Arlen beauty, "Hit the Road to Dreamland" (written by Mercer and Arlen for the 1942 musical film Star Spangled Rhythm and first reco ...









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