CARMEN LUNDY — Fade to Black (2022) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Over 30 years into her career, vocalist Carmen Lundy is enjoying a career renaissance, one that finds her glowing with confidence on 2022's Fade to Black. Her sixteenth album and eighth released on her own Afrasia Productions label, Fade to Black is a sophisticated contemporary jazz record marked by themes of social justice, Black feminist empowerment, and a spiritual hope for the future. Joining her is an equally adept ensemble, including guitarist Andrew Renfroe, pianists Julius Rodriguez and Matthew Whitaker, bassists Kenny Davis and her brother Curtis Lundy, drummer Terreon Gully, and guests including trumpeters Wallace Roney, Jr. and Giveton Gelin and saxophonist Camille Thurman. Showcased throughout is Lundy's lithe, clear-toned vocal style, in which she bends and stretches words and phrases at will like a poet, or a painter putting brush to canvas. It's an apt comparison and one that makes even more sense when you realize she also painted the picture that appears on the album cover. There's a warm, often hypnotic quality to her singing, where she often repeats certain lines while developing her ideas over time as one might in a poem. Stylistically, Lundy touches upon shimmering modal jazz, as on the opening "Shining Light," her voice shimmering star-like over waves of piano and guitar. Elsewhere, she takes a soulful, gospel-influenced approach, as on the anthemic feminist anthem "Daughter of the Universe," in which she proclaims, "I have the power to change the world for the good/I am woman." Yet more pointed messages pop up, as on "Ain't I Human," where she takes on a flurry of intersectional issues, from voting rights and racism to women's reproductive rights -- the latter specifically in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. With Fade to Black, Lundy has crafted an album of nuanced, delicately colored beauty that feels deeply personal yet always universal in scope. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1. Shine a Light (Lundy) - 8:07
2. So Amazing (Lundy) - 3:31
3. Daughter of the Universe (Lundy) - 5:39
4. Ain't I Human (Lundy) - 3:19
5. Lonesome Blue Butterfly (Lundy) - 5:20
6. Spell of Romance (Lundy) - 4:41
7. Say Her Name (Lundy) - 7:16
8. Transition (To a Promised Land) (Lundy) - 5:22
9. Privacy (Lundy) - 3:50
10. Reverence (Lundy) - 5:52
11. Rest in Peace (Lundy) - 3:48
Credits :
Carmen Lundy - Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Percussion, Horn arrangements, Backing vocals
Julius Rodriguez - Piano
Matthew Whitaker - Organ, Keyboards, String arrangements, Programming
Kenny Davis - Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Curtis Lundy - Acoustic Bass
Terreon Gully - Drums
Andrew Renfroe - Guitar
Wallace Roney Jr., Giveton Gelin - Trumpet
Camille Thurman, Morgan Guerin - Tenor Saxophone

CARMEN LUNDY – This Is Carmen Lundy (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Carmen Lundy's first outing on the Justin Time label is also her first to feature all-original material. The classy vocalist is joined by an impressive cast: Curtis Lundy (Carmen's brother/producer) on bass, Onaje Allan Gumbs or Anthony Wonsey on piano, Ralph Peterson or Victor Lewis on drums, Bobby Watson on alto, Mark Shim on tenor, Kevin Louis on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Mayra Casales on percussion. Lundy wrote the music, the lyrics, and the arrangements, and much of it is impressive, particularly the difficult melody line she sings in unison with the horns on "Better Luck Next Time." In the production booth, however, Curtis Lundy relies a bit too heavily on fadeouts. The three/four ballad "Now That He's Gone," the mellow bossa "Send Me Somebody to Love," and the ambitious jam vehicle "(I Dream) In Living Color" would have benefited from real endings; the fades on these tracks sound like the creative equivalent of pulling the plug. Instrumental detail livens up some otherwise pedestrian material (e.g., the horn lick on the outro of "This Is the End of a Love Affair" and Mark Shim's tenor filigree and solo [and Ralph Peterson's brushes] on "Is It Love"). Lundy ups the ante, lyrically speaking, on the last two tracks: "One More River to Cross," co-written with Deborah Ash, deals with spiritual striving and contains a recitation of a Langston Hughes poem, while "Seventh Heaven," dedicated to the late pianist Kenny Kirkland, is a dramatic plea for peace. David R. Adler          Tracklist + Credits :
 

CARMEN LUNDY - Self Portrait (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Jazz singers have a great deal of difficulty in building a fresh repertoire because so many pop songs are not really transferable to creative music. Carmen Lundy solves the problem on this CD by writing six of her own songs, both lyrics and music. Her talents in that area are impressive and it would not be surprising if a few future standards came out of her repertoire. Lundy's memorable, deep voice, which has a wide range, can go very low (as heard on Jobim's "Triste") and on "Firefly" she overdubs a second part, making the performance sound like a male-female duet. A tasteful string section is used on some selections, but most songs utilize the core of a strong rhythm section (pianist Cedar Walton, John Clayton, or Nathan East on bass and drummer Ralph Penland) plus occasional guests Ernie Watts and Gary Herbig on reeds. Whether interpreting ballads, singing more heated pieces, or floating over a funky vamp, Carmen Lundy pays close attention to the lyrics and mood of each song but feels free to improvise spontaneously. This is one of her strongest recordings, with the high points including "Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most," "Firefly," "Forgive Me," and "My Ship." by Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1    Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most 7:06
Arranged By, Conductor – Jeremy Lubbock
Lyrics By, Music By – Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf
2    Better Days 4:00
Lyrics By, Music By – Carmen Lundy
3    My Favorite Things 4:43
Lyrics By, Music By – Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rogers
4    Firefly 5:28
Lyrics By, Music By – Carmen Lundy
5    Forgive Me 6:27
Arranged By, Conductor – Jeremy Lubbock
Lyrics By, Music By – Carmen Lundy
6    These Things You Are To Me 5:27
Lyrics By, Music By – Carmen Lundy
7    Triste 4:08
Arranged By – John Clayton, Jr.
Lyrics By, Music By – Antonio Carlos Jobim
8    I Don't Want To Love Without You 5:00
Lyrics By, Music By – Carmen Lundy, Julie Raynor
9    Old Friend 6:17
Lyrics By, Music By – Carmen Lundy
10    Here's To You 4:05
Lyrics By, Music By – Carmen Lundy
11    My Ship 4:19
Lyrics By, Music By – Ira Gershwin, Kurt Weil
12    'Round Midnight 5:57
Arranged By, Conductor – Jeremy Lubbock
Lyrics By, Music By – Bernie Hanighen, Cootie Williams, Thelonious Monk
Oboe – Earle Dumler
Credits :
Arranged By – Carmen Lundy (faixas: 2 to 4, 6, 8 to 11)
Bass – John Clayton Jr. (faixas: 1, 2, 5 to 7, 9 to 11)
Bass [String] – Buell Neidlinger, Margaret Storer, Norman Ludwin
Cello – Ernie Ehrhardt, Fred Seykora, Larry Corbett, Margaret Edmondson, Ray Kelley, Suzie Katayama
Clarinet – Gary Herbig (faixas: 7)
Concertmaster – Assa Drori
Contractor [String] – Jules Chaikin
Creative Director – Sam Gay
Drums – Ralph Penland (faixas: 1 to 11)
Electric Bass – Nathan East (faixas: 3, 4, 8)
Flute – Gary Herbig (faixas: 3, 7)
Piano – Cedar Walton (faixas: 1 to 11)
Soprano Saxophone – Gary Herbig (faixas: 6)
Tenor Saxophone – Ernie Watts (faixas: 3, 4, 8)
Viola – James Ross, Keiko Elegino, Kenneth Burward-Hoy, Marilyn Baker
Violin – Assa Drori, Brian Leonard, Don Palmer, Elizabeth Wilson, Gordon Marron, Henry Ferber, Israel Baker, Jay Rosen, Joel Derouin, Marc Sazer, Mari Tsumura, Pip Clarke, Ruth Johnson, Shari Zippert
Vocals – Carmen Lundy

CARMEN LUNDY — Old Devil Moon (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The deep voice of Carmen Lundy is well showcased on this varied set. With assistance from an impressive backup crew (pianist Billy Childs, flugelhornist Randy Brecker, Frank Foster or Bob Mintzer on tenor, and a pair of rhythm sections), Lundy performs six standards, four of her stimulating originals, and Donny Hathaway's "Flying Easy." The music ranges from fairly straight-ahead to more R&B-oriented, with Carmen Lundy's appealing voice being the main star. by Scott Yanow

Tracklist :
1 Star Eyes 4:42
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
2 When Your Lover Has Gone 4:46
Einar A. Swan
3 Just One More Chance 4:46
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
4 You're Not in Love 4:35
5 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 3:21
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
6 Flying Easy 4:14
Donny Hathaway / Walter Lowe
7 I'm Worried About You Baby 3:30
Carmen Lundy
8 Old Devil Moon 4:24
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Burton Lane
9 At the End of My Rope 4:24
Carmen Lundy
10 In a Sentimental Mood 6:29
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
11 Love Me Forever 4:26
Carmen Lundy
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Santi Debriano
Arranged By – Carmen Lundy
Drums – Omar Hakim, Winston Clifford
Electric Bass – Victor Bailey
Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker
Keyboards – Harry Whitaker
Piano – Billy Childs
Tenor Saxophone – Bob Mintzer, Frank Foster
Vocals – Carmen Lundy