Impressions of Ella / Robin McKelle

$9.49
Label
Naïve
Release Date
June 2, 2023
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      VARIOUS
    • PERFORMER
      Robin Mckelle, Kenny Barron, Peter Washington, Kenny Washington
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      June 02, 2023
    • UPC
      3700187680718
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      BLV8071
    • LABEL
      Naïve
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Vocal Jazz
    Works ⌄

    1. Old Devil Moon

      Composer: Burton Lane, Yip Harburg

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    2. My One and Only

      Composer: Guy Wood, Robert Mellin

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    3. Lush Life

      Composer: Billy Strayhorn

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    4. How High The Moon

      Composer: Morgan Lewis, Nancy Hamilton

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    5. I Won't Dance

      Composer: Jerome Kern

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums), Kurt Elling (Vocals)

    6. Embraceable You

      Composer: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    7. Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me

      Composer: Duke ELlington, Bob Russell

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    8. Robbin's Nest

      Composer: Illinois Jacquet, Sir Charles Thompson

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    9. Taking A Chance On Love

      Composer: Vernon Duke, John La Touche, Ted Fetter

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    10. April In Paris

      Composer: Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)

    11. Soon

      Composer: George Gershwin

      Performer: Robin McKelle (Vocals), Kenny Barron (Piano), Peter Washington (Double Bass), Kenny Washington (Drums)


From country music to rhythm and blues, Robin McKelle has made an entire career exploring the rich vastness of American music. With Impressions of Ella, McKelle returns to her traditional jazz roots and finds herself right at home. McKelle wisely eschews Ella’s scatting and note-bending style in favor of thoughtful arrangements and keen musicianship that revivify these timeless standards.

“For me, “Impressions of Ella” feels like a homecoming of sorts. Like a family reunion after years of separation. A reconnection with the music that fueled my most formative musical years and it was Ella Fitzgerald that left quite an impression. I admired the effortless way she made herself a part of the band, even though she was the star. Her powerful voice and explosive scat to the most delicate tones had me hooked. I wanted to celebrate her and the style of her sound but in doing so, keeping my own individuality.

To help bring her concept to life, McKelle enlists a brand new trio of venerated jazz players: Kenny Washington on drums, bassist Peter Washington, and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano. “I wasn’t intimidated to make music with them, but [their] résumés were like, ‘Wow!’ [Am I] going to be good enough? Are we going to connect? The exciting thing was having the opportunity to sing over them as a trio; that was such a huge joy.” The bond between a vocalist and an accompanist is perhaps one of music’s most profound and extraordinary unions.

With Impressions of Ella, she doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel or limit her potential for creative expression. While it lauds our “First Lady of Song,” the album also marks an inevitable coming of age for McKelle’s career in jazz, as the fruits of her hard work and years of training finally ripen and bear fruit.