Patti Austin

Patti Austin - For Ella - 2002 - Playboy Jazz
Patti Austin is well qualified to record an album in the style of Ella Fitzgerald, having spent her career shadowing the paths taken by Fitzgerald and her contemporaries. Although she has worked in R&B-oriented adult pop much of the time, she is clearly in the tradition of Fitzgerald, and in 1988 she even recorded an album of standards that she tellingly titled The Real Me. For Ella easily could be the sequel to that collection. Austin traveled to Köln, Germany, to record a program of songs associated with Fitzgerald with the WDR Big Band conducted by Patrick Williams. Many of the songs, of course, are just ones Fitzgerald happened to sing but that have broader associations as well, such as George & Ira Gershwin's "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "The Man I Love," though others, such as "A Tisket a Tasket," inevitably evoke Fitzgerald. Austin does not, for the most part, attempt to sing in Fitzgerald's style, giving listeners her own interpretations that, in Williams' neo-swing arrangements, nevertheless hark back to the 1950s. That's fine for the most part, though the version of "Miss Otis Regrets," which treats it as a gospel performance in the manner of Mahalia Jackson, without the slightest touch of humor, is a misstep. On two occasions, Austin does copy Fitzgerald, re-creating the scat sections of "You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)" and "How High the Moon." That obviates the problem of having to compete with Fitzgerald on her greatest improvisational triumphs, but it's a technical achievement of an odd sort. Austin is better off putting her own stamp on the songs; that she does very well. © William Ruhlmann © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hnftxqw0ldae

Patti Austin, Patrick Williams and Gregg Field have created in For Ella a dazzling tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, one of the greatest jazz/pop vocalists of all time. Austin's vocal performance is stunning; instead of trying to mimic Ella, she has absorbed Ella's vocal style into her own voice, and the result is an amazing synthesis of the two singers. This disc is sonically stunning as well, with production by drummer Field that allows the sound literally to sizzle with incredible power and clarity. Equally responsible for the sonic pyrotechnics is Williams, who arranged and conducted the WDR Big Band with arrangements and performances that are perfect for these songs. Pop the disc into your player and "Too Close for Comfort" will immediately knock your socks off with a big band extravaganza that sounds like what you might imagine the best big bands of the period might sound like, captured with today's state of the art recording technology. The horns punctuate the song in the most amazing sound quality, they literally leap out of the speakers then dissolve into a silky smooth bass and cymbal riff. You could demo your sound system with this stuff. "Honeysuckle Rose" starts out all cool and smooth with voice, bass, drums and cymbals, with the big band coming in right on time later in the song, sounding like the cream of all the big band talent that ever worked the genre. Signature song "You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)" also starts out nice and smooth with a top-flight string section. Again the big band kicks in later, and Austin gets to belt the slowed down last verse. Who knew that big band jazz/pop could sound this great? George and Ira Gershwin are represented here on three tunes; this version of "Our Love is Here to Stay" could be the best rendition I've ever heard. It's slow and sultry with a nice muted horn solo and perfectly subdued backing by the big band. I might have preferred another song in it's place, but "A Tisket A Tasket" is a unquestionably an Ella signature tune which is done total justice by Austin's interpretation, and ya just gotta love that big band. Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" has a reserved beginning section that is followed by a bluesy, almost gospel belting middle, then switches back to reserved for the finish; the vocal changes are astonishing. On "Satin Doll," Austin excels with vocals that are strong, confident and powerful, while totally capturing the nuances of Ella's vocal styling - most impressive. Along with 11 numbers from the huge Fitzgerald repertoire, there is one new original tune, "Hearing Ella Sing," which pays lyrical tribute to nicely complement the Ella classics. For Ella succeeds on every possible level, and in the process not only pays Ella Fitgerald the ultimate tribute, but stands as a major milestone in the careers of Patti Austin and everyone else involved with this project. In the liner notes, Austin says "The process of memorizing these vocals brought me closer and closer to the soul of Ella's awesome talent. She was teaching me things I never knew before about singing. The immense power of her talent lives on in her music and I hope that I will be able to help keep her memory alive in some small way with this recording." Mission accomplished.- © Rambles written by William Kates published 14 June 2003 © http://www.rambles.net/austin_4ella02.html

Patti Austin’s cool, sophisticated vocals have made her a hugely popular artist in jazz, R&B and pop. On the Grammy nominated “For Ella", Patti does not try to mimic Ella Fitzgerald. She absorbs the great lady's vocal style into her own voice, and this amazing synthesis results in a glowing tribute to the late, great legend. The tracks were recorded at WDR Studio 4 Köln, Germany between June 19-22 & 28, 2001 and at Köln Philharmonic Hall on June 26, 2001. Listen to Patti Austin's stunning "The Real Me" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Too Close For Comfort - George Weiss , Jerry Bock , Larry Holofcener 3:56
2 Honeysuckle Rose - Andy Razaf , Thomas Waller 4:13
3 You'll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini) - Sam Coslow 4:22
4 Our Love Is Here To Stay - George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin 5:28
5 A Tisket A Tasket - Ella Fitzgerald , Van Alexander 2:49
6 Miss Otis Regrets - Cole Porter 4:00 7 Hard Hearted Hannah, (The Vamp Of Savannah) - Charles Bates , Jack Yellen , Milton Ager , Robert Wilcox Bigelow 3:28
8 But Not For Me - George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin 3:53
9 Satin Doll - Billy Strayhorn , Edward Kennedy Ellington , John H Mercer 2:52
10 The Man I Love - George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin 3:29
11 Hearing Ella Sing - Arthur Hamilton , Patrick Williams 2:53
12 How High The Moon - William M Lewis Jr. , Nancy Hamilton 4:31

MUSICIANS

Vocals - Patti Austin
Guitar - Paul Shigihara
Bass - John Goldsby
Piano - Frank Chastenier
Drums - Gregg Field
Saxophone - Harald Rosenstein , Heiner Wiberny , Jens Neufang , Olivier Peters , Rolf Römer
Strings - WDR String Ensemble Köln
Trombone - Bernt Laukamp , Dave Horler , Ludwig Nuss
Trombone [Bass] - Lucas Schmid
Trumpet - John Marshall , Klaus Osterloh , Rick Kiefer , Rob Bruynen
Trumpet [Lead] - Andy Haderer
Cello [Celli] - Albert Jung , George Heimbach , Tilmann Fischer , Ulrike Schäfer
Viola - Bernhard Oll , Kai Stowasser , Katja Püschel , Stephan Blaumer , Wilfried Engel
Violin - Adrian Bleyer , Chiharu Yuki , Chizuko Takahashi , Christoph Seybold , Colin Harrison , Dirk Otte , Ingmar Püschel , Johannes Oppelcz , Koenraad Ellegiers , Manuela Belchior , Mischa Salevic , Sonja Wiedebusch , Ursula Maria Berg

BIO

A professional since the age of five, Patti Austin was a protégé of Dinah Washington and Sammy Davis, Jr. A 1969 single for United Artists titled "Family Tree" cracked the R&B Top 50. Austin cut her debut LP, End of a Rainbow, for Creed Taylor's CTI label in 1976, followed by Havana Candy in 1977 and Body Language in 1980. She sang lead vocals for Japanese koto player Yutaka Yokokura on "Love Light" in 1978, did a duet with Michael Jackson on "It's the Falling in Love" for Off the Wall, and sang "The Closer I Get to You" on Tom Browne's album in 1979. Austin dueted with George Benson on "Moody's Mood for Love" in 1980. She sang backgrounds for sessions by Houston Person, Noel Pointer, Ralph McDonald, Angela Bofill, and Roberta Flack. Austin did vocals on Quincy Jones' The Dude LP in 1981, and was featured on the hit "Razzamatazz." She inked a solo deal on Jones' Qwest label, and her 1982 LP Every Home Should Have One included the number one pop hit (number nine R&B) "Baby, Come to Me," which got widespread exposure via the ABC soap opera General Hospital. The follow-up single, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing," was the theme for the film Best Friends. Both songs paired Austin with James Ingram. She continued recording for Jones' Qwest label through the '80s, but couldn't recapture her pop or R&B success, despite working with several top producers, including Jam-Lewis in 1985. Austin switched to GRP in 1990 and recorded Love Is Gonna Getcha, with the singles "Through the Test of Time" and "Good in Love." She subsequently recorded Carry On and Live in 1991 and 1992. Street of Dreams followed in 1999 and On the Way to Love appeared in summer 2001. Her lovely tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, For Ella, appeared in spring 2002. Nearly five years later, Avant Gershwin was issued. © Ron Wynn © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifixqw5ldae~T1



BIO (WIKIPEDIA)
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy-winning R&B and jazz music singer. Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents. By the late 1960s Austin was a prolific session musician and commercial jingle singer. During the 1980s, signed to Jones's Qwest Records, she began her most prolific hitmaking period. She charted twenty R&B songs between 1969 and 1991 and had success on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where she hit number one in 1981 with "Do You Love Me?" / "The Genie". The album containing that hit, Every Home Should Have One, also produced her biggest mainstream hit. "Baby, Come To Me", a duet with James Ingram, initially peaked at number 73 on the Hot 100 in early 1982. After being featured as the love theme in a prominent storyline on the soap opera General Hospital, the song re-entered the pop chart in October and went to number one in February 1983. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA. She would later team up again with Ingram for "How Do You Keep The Music Playing". That year, Austin's single "It's Gonna Be Special" was featured on the soundtrack for the Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta film Two of a Kind. Though the film was not the major success envisioned for the re-teaming of the Grease stars, the soundtrack went Platinum and Austin's single, produced by Quincy Jones, became one of her highest-profile hits. "It's Gonna Be Special" peaked at #5 on the Dance charts, #15 on the R&B charts, and charted on the Hot 100 in 1984. The song also appeared on her self-titled album of that year, and its follow-up, "Rhythm of the Streets", remixed by John "Jellybean" Benitez, narrowly missed Billboard's Dance Top Ten, though it peaked higher on Hi-NRG charts. The two songs were featured on a double-A-side 12" single. For "Rhythm of the Streets" Austin shot her first music video. Austin released her third album in three years entitled Gettin' Away With Murder. In addition to the title track, she had two more hit singles, "Honey For The Bees" (#24 R&B and #6 Dance) and "The Heat of Heat". Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, noted for their later work with Janet Jackson, the latter track returned Austin to the top 15 of the R&B charts for what would be the last time to date. It would also be her last Hot 100 charting to date, although she would score a top-5 dance hit with the single Reach that appeared originally on her 1994 CD That Secret Place. She next appeared with Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen in Francis Ford Coppola's critically acclaimed period piece Tucker: The Man and his Dream (1988). That year, Austin released The Real Me, a collection of standards which garnered her the first of several Top 10 showings on the Jazz Albums chart. She sang the duet "It's the Falling in Love" with Michael Jackson on his album Off The Wall. Other duet partners include George Benson ("Moody's Mood for Love" and "Keep Your Dreams Alive"), and Luther Vandross ("I'm Gonna Miss You In The Morning"). In 1985 she sang lead vocals on a collaboration with her producer, Narada Michael Walden, and the single, "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme", went top 40 on the R&B charts. In 1991, she recorded the duet "You Who Brought Me Love" with music legend Johnny Mathis, which was received with critical acclaim. That same year she was invited to be a guest on a Johnny Mathis television special that was broadcast across North America. Austin led a new group of Raelettes for the 2006 album Ray Charles + Count Basie Orchestra = Genius². That group also featured veteran session singer Valerie Pinkston and members of the group Perry. During a 2007 interview promoting her latest recording, Austin reflected how as a teenager she reluctantly attended one of Judy Garland's last concerts and the experience helped focus her career, stating "She (Judy Garland) ripped my heart out. I wanted to interpret a lyric like that, to present who I was at the moment through the lyric." In 2007 Patti Austin participated in the Avo Session Basel with a program dedicated to Ella Fitzgerald. In 2008, fifty-three years after getting her first record contract, Patti Austin was awarded her first Grammy, winning Best Jazz Vocal Album for Avant Gershwin at the 50th annual Grammy Awards. The award came for her ninth nomination in that category. She reported to Jim Newsom of Portfolio Weekly in 2006 “I just lost 140 pounds. “I had gastric bypass surgery a year and a half ago, and my life was saved by it. “I went to a doctor for a complete physical because I had a torn meniscus in my knee. He said, ‘You’ve got to lose this weight —- you’ve got type II diabetes, you have asthma and you’re menopausal. You’ve got to get rid of this weight and you’ve got to get rid of it fast. This is the best way for you to do it.’” Austin is one of over 70 artists singing on "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti", a charity single in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.