CAROL SLOANE - Dearest Duke (2007) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Jazz vocalist Carol Sloane covers ballads on Dearest Duke, generating a mellow love letter to one of America's greatest jazz composers, Duke Ellington. She's joined in her effort by clarinetist Ken Peplowski and pianist Brad Hatfield for a spare, intimate set that allows Sloane's voice to stand front and center. There is a hazard to stringing a dozen ballads together, mostly that an album will fall into a familiar pattern. Listening to a dozen Ellington songs performed by a sympathetic interpreter, however, builds thematic unity, creating an album well suited for late-night and lazy afternoon moods. And how can one fail with songs like "Mood Indigo," "In a Sentimental Mood," and "Sophisticated Lady"? The overall proceedings are only interrupted by slight variations in approach, as when Peplowski and Hatfield perform the instrumental "Serenade to Sweden" and Peplowski adds his vocals to "Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)." Sloane's approach may seem a bit old-fashioned by those who have become accustomed to the more polished sounds and production of Diana Krall and the current crop of torch singers, but what of it? There's something to be said for bringing all musical elements to bear on the singer and the song, and this approach works just fine on Dearest Duke. Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.  
Tracklist :
1     Sophisticated Lady 5:02
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish
2     Solitude 4:48
Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
3     I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart/Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me 4:17
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Henry Nemo / Bob Russell
4     I Didn't Know About You 5:01
Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
5     Serenade to Sweden 5:46
Duke Ellington
6     Mood Indigo 4:18
Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
7     Rocks in My Bed/I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues 5:38
Duke Ellington / Don George
8     In a Sentimental Mood/Prelude to a Kiss 5:09
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
9     Day Dream 5:34
Duke Ellington / John Latouche / Billy Strayhorn
10     I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good 6:43
Duke Ellington / Paul Francis Webster
11     Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'/All Too Soon 6:18
Duke Ellington / Lee Gaines / Carl Sigman / Billy Strayhorn
12     Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me) 3:11
Duke Ellington / Lee Gaines
Credits :
Clarinet – Ken Peplowski (pistas: 6 to 8, 12)
Piano – Brad Hatfield
Tenor Saxophone – Ken Peplowski (pistas: 1 to 3, 5, 10, 11)
Vocals – Carol Sloane (pistas: 1 to 4, 6 to 12), Ken Peplowski (pistas: 12)

CAROL SLOANE - Whisper Sweet (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

While young female singers tend to catch the eyes and ears of the general public, seasoned jazz musicians, critics, and fans are the ones to appreciate a veteran vocalist like Carol Sloane. With over a half century of professional singing experience, Sloane's voice is still magic as she captures the essence of each of the 11 ballads on this High Note CD. Guitarist Paul Bollenback is the major soloist backing her warm interpretation of the bittersweet "Here's That Rainy Day." Paul West's dancing bass propels her through a magical but playful take of "The Lady's in Love With You." Her bluesy, drawn-out rendition of "This Time the Dream's on Me" (a song usually played at a brisk tempo) is backed by pianist Norman Simmons, one of the late Joe Williams' favorite accompanists. But she pulls out all the stops with her unaccompanied introduction to an emotional "My One and Only Love." She also explores a few older gems, including a polished take of Eubie Blake's "Memories of You" and a surprising bossa nova arrangement of stride master James P. Johnson's forgotten chestnut "Whisper Sweet." Tenor saxophonist Houston Person, who frequently played with the late Etta Jones, is added on several tracks, including a delightful "The Night We Called It a Day." Carol Sloane's magnificent performances throughout this disc will easily stand the test of time. Ken Dryden   
Tracklist :
1 Here's That Rainy Day 5:18
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
2 Memories of You 5:25
Eubie Blake / Andy Razaf
3 The Lady's in Love With You 4:45
Burton Lane / Frank Loesser
4 It's Easy to Remember 5:52
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
5 Where or When 5:28
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
6 More Than You Know 4:43
Edward Eliscu / Billy Rose / Vincent Youmans
7 This Time the Dream's on Me 4:14
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
8 My One and Only Love 5:17
Robert Mellin / Guy Wood
9 Whisper Sweet 5:02
J.P. Johnson
10 The Night We Called It a Day 7:12
Tom Adair / Matt Dennis
11 You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me 5:33
Sammy Fain / Irving Kahal / Peter Norman
Credits
Norman Simmons,  Piano
Carol Sloane,  Vocals
Grady Tate,  Drums
Paul E. West,  Bass
Houston Person,  Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor)
Paul Bollenback,  Guitar

CAROL SLOANE - We'll Meet Again (2009) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Carol Sloane has paid her dues over a career that stretches over half a century, surviving the various detours into temporary fads and the fickle whims of the jazz marketplace. For her 37th album as a leader, the vocalist chose to omit both piano and drums, looking toward a cleaner, more intimate sound, which she achieves throughout the sessions. She could have hardly picked a better guitarist than Bucky Pizzarelli, a master who seems to have accompanied nearly everyone and has encyclopedic knowledge of thousands of songs, along with one of her biggest fans, tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Ken Peplowski (who has long told jazz journalists that she is one of his favorite vocalists), and veteran bassist Steve LaSpina. The Basie-like swing setting of "Exactly Like You," adding young violinist Aaron Weinstein to the trio, will have listeners tapping their feet along with it. Joe Williams' longtime pianist Norman Simmons wrote "If You Could Love Me" back in the 1950s, though the song never caught a wide audience -- Sloane's warm bossa nova setting is complemented by Peplowski's lyrical clarinet. Sloane exhibits both warmth and playfulness in "Zoot Walks In," opening with an unaccompanied half-chorus, then follows it with a snappy segment accompanied solely by LaSpina's walking bass. Peplowski salutes the late great Zoot Sims with a spirited tenor solo, after which Weinstein adds a wry chorus on violin in the manner of Ray Nance. Sloane is at her very best tackling the bittersweet "A Cottage for Sale," imbuing it with emotion without getting carried away. Carol Sloane is like a fine vintage wine; her voice keeps improving with time. Ken Dryden 
Tracklist :
1 Exactly Like You 5:43
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
2 Something to Remember You By 3:24
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
3 Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere 2:40
Ned Washington / Lee Wiley / Victor Young
4 I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do 6:32
Lee Pockriss / Paul Vance
5 If You Could Love Me 2:37
Norman Simmons
6 Why Don't You Do Right 3:36
Kansas Joe McCoy
7 The Meaning of the Blues 4:42
Bobby Troup / Leah Worth
8 Zoot Walks In 5:51
Dave Frishberg
 9 Where Are You? 6:35
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
 10 Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year 6:29
Frank Loesser
 11 A Cottage for Sale 5:18
Larry Conley / Willard Robison
12 I Never Loved Anyone 4:45
George R. Brown
 13 We'll Meet Again 3:24
Hughie Charles / Ross Parker
Credits
Steve LaSpina Bass
Ken Peplowski Clarinet, Sax (Tenor)
Bucky Pizzarelli Guitar
Carol Sloane Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals