Listening across the Internet this week, I stumbled upon Tom Benefiel’s Friday program on a radio station (WGCY) located in Gibson City, Illinois. The program featured Ella Fitzgerald, and her 1956 recording of “The Cole Porter Songbook,” one of the first recordings for the then-new Verve Records label.
I’ll spare you my rant about how all radio ought to be local, and about how station owners who turn the whole day over to national networks ought to have their licenses taken away. I’ll simply say that Mr. Benefiel’s program – and upon inspection, the whole station – seems a welcome oasis in the wasteland that is commercial radio in too many cities. Tom’s got a program dedicated to Hoagy Carmichael coming up this (2/27) Friday night. If you’re in WGCY’s listening area, and you enjoy good music on local radio, you should support Tom, his program, and his station. Good stuff.
I also seemed to be running across Ella a lot on the way home this past week, listening to Jonathan’s Schwartz’s Sirius/XM program. Friday’s program sent me scrambling to find my own copy of Ella and Louis singing Irving Berlin’s “Cheek To Cheek.” Spend enough time listening to Ella, and you could be spoiled for anyone else.
Back to the rest of what filled the ‘pod on that overseas trip earlier this month…
Raquel Bitton – Boleros
Released – March 17, 2009
This disc is a unique one – combining latin music with, in many cases, lyrics in French; but the truth is you don’t need to understand a word of it (I failed French in high school) to appreciate Ms. Bitton’s voice. Among her pursuits is an Edith Piaf tribute show. The publicity says, “Raquel became not only an expert historian on the life and songs of Piaf, but also a renowned interpreter of her music, singularly able to capture the complete essence of one of the great vocalists of the 20th Century.” Once suggested, it’s not easy to lose that comparison when listening to this disc.
Ms. Bitton is backed by a 30-piece orchestra, but it’s the sheer force of Ms. Bitton’s voice alone that demands attention. It’s not hard to close your eyes, and be transported to…well, given the multi-language nature of this one, transported to anywhere your mind may wander.
Go take a listen. If you’re cherry-picking, my favorites included “Besame Mucho,” the opener, “Dos Gardenias,” and “J’Attendrai,” the popular French song from World War Two. Highly recommended, with kudos for Martin French, who did a fine job with the cover art.
Cecilia (Herrera) – Papillon (One Music)Released – December 10, 2008
In Italian, French, Portuguese – and one track in English, this offering from Italy’s Cecilia deserves a listen. Ms. Herrera’s voice, the languages and the latin rhythms combine for a great outing. Bassist Alfredo Paixão joins for a duet on the title track, one of my favorites from the disc.
Other tracks I liked include “Le Cose Semplici,” and the single English track, “Dance With Me.”
For a delightful change of pace, drop this one into the changer, or download a track or two. That’s the nice thing about online music today – the ability to return to those days of trying before you buy music.
This one is recommended.
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I agree with you on the CD Boleros by Raquel Bitton. It does take you to another place.
it’s so beautiful, romantic and seductive. I have several of her other CD’s which are all great, but I think she really out did herself on this one. Well done, Ms. Bitton!