ERNESTINE ANDERSON - Love Makes the Changes (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Ernestine Anderson has been not only one of the greatest all-time jazz and blues singers, but has also displayed remarkable consistency. Her straight-laced, no-nonsense, soulful vocal control has graced many a standard or laid-back bluesy tune, each one of which she makes all her own. This collection is no different in terms of her refined quality in rendering well-known tunes, but there are some true signature statements included here that have to keep her high on anyone's list of favorite American born and bred vocalists. Producer, arranger, and guitarist Rodney Jones is a treat to hear on this date, dipping deep into the wellspring of his blues background in a way his progressive recordings only hint at. Pianist Lafayette Harris is one of those unsung heroes who plays so much in the pocket, he's easy to take for granted, yet never upstages anyone. Bassist Chip Jackson is borrowed from Billy Taylor's band, and the hard charging young drummer Carl Allen tones his swing down beautifully for this program of classy tunes. Anderson's sophistication comes to the forefront for ballads like "It's Easy to Remember" as the band adopts a classical Modern Jazz Quartet type backdrop under lyrics of regret, while two Michel Legrand songs, "Love Makes the Changes" has some great piano musings from Harris, and the little boy lost tune "Pieces of a Dream" makes one aware of her authenticity in relating matters of the heart. Her sullen, confident voice on the song of slight confusion "Wonder Why," as well as five other tracks, blend in the tart alto saxophone of Donald Harrison, an unmatched pair working in contrasts, not in tandem. It's great to hear her do the autobiographical "Nightlife" popularized by Willie Nelson with Jones in the style of B.B. King, or an easygoing take of Louis Jordan's fun tune "Everybody Eats When They Come to My House," just to show that everything is not all serious or about a brokenhearted romance. "On the Sunny Side of the Street" showcases Anderson at her best, straddling the lyric with classic extensions over seven tasty minutes; it's the only one in the bunch she has recorded before (with George Shearing on the 1988 Concord album Perfect Match) adding some scat to the famous song lines as well. Though most will not be familiar with "Bargain Day," shoppers of material goods or love will relate to finding that discounted item when they least expect it, and pleased that Jones knows his blues interpretations so well as heard here. A solid effort, and one of her better latter period recordings, Ernestine Anderson deserves all the high praise she can receive as a truly first-rate singer, and mainstream populist purveyor of her craft far beyond most mortal divas or wannabes. Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1    Wonder Why 3:01
Written By – N. Brodszky / S. Cahn
2    Nightlife Ain't No Good Life 5:30
Written-By – C. Strouse, L. Adams
3    It's Easy To Remember 4:45
Written-By – R. Rodgers / L. Hart
4    On The Sunny Side Of The Street 6:57
Written-By – D. Fields / J. McHugh
5    So Long 6:02
Written-By – I. Melsher, R. Harris, R. Morgan
6    This Time The Dream's On Me 2:41
Written-By – H. Arlen / J. Mercer
7    Bargain Day 5:35
Written-By – W. Roy
8    Everybody Eats When They Come To My House 3:05
Written By – J. Burns
9    Love Makes The Change 4:35
Written-By – A. Bergman / M. Bergman, M. Legrand
10    Pieces Of A Dream 3:03
Written-By – A. Bergman / M. Bergman, M. Legrand
11    The Party's Over 4:06
Written-By – B. Comden / A. Green, J. Styne
Credits :
Bass – Chip Jackson
Drums – Carl Allen
Guitar, Producer, Arranged By – Rodney Jones
Piano – Lafayette Harris
Vocals – Ernestine Anderson

ERNESTINE ANDERSON - A Song For You (2009) FLAC (tracks), lossless

It is hard to believe that Ernestine Anderson was within a few months of her eightieth birthday at the time of this 2008 session, but she shows the wisdom of a veteran vocalist in her interpretations of this collection of standards, ballads, and pop songs, often proving that less is indeed more. Well complemented by tenor saxophonist Houston Person (who was an important presence on so many of the late vocalist Etta Jones' albums), pianist LaFayette Harris, bassist Chip Jackson, and drummer Willie Jones, Anderson sings with a confidence that makes each song sound like a first take. She masters the catchy midtempo setting of "Make Someone Happy," a piece often played painfully slow in order to get a sense of drama, but her upbeat treatment is a fine alternative. She knows how to sing a ballad, demonstrated in her richly textured and soulful rendition of the timeless "Skylark." She is equally at home with pop material like Leon Russell's "A Song for You" and her superb, very deliberate take of "Candy," with soulful fills inserted by Person. This is a potent effort by a singer who remains very much in her prime. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1     This Can't Be Love 3:52
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
2     A Song for You 5:51
Leon Russell
3     Make Someone Happy 4:34
Betty Comden / A. Green / Jule Styne
4     Skylark 7:09
Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer
5     A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening 3:26
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
6     Candy 6:10
M. David / A. Kramer / J. Whitney
7     Day by Day 6:41
Sammy Cahn / Axel Stordahl / P. Weston
8     For All We Know 7:15
J. Fred Coots / Steven Chino Lewis
Credits :
Bass – Chip Jackson
Drums – Willie Jones III
Piano – Lafayette Harris Jr.
Tenor Saxophone – Houston Person
Vocals – Ernestine Anderson

ERNESTINE ANDERSON - Nightlife 'Live At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola' (2011) FLAC (tracks), lossless

After the triumph that was 2008's A Song for You, Ernestine Anderson returns with a live collection compiled from three dates at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola and Jazz at Lincoln Center, recorded between that year and 2010. The mix is a healthy helping of jazz and swinging blues with a top-shelf band. The constants are saxophonist Houston Person, and pianist Lafayette Harris, Jr., with new drummer Jerome Jennings (Willie Jones III plays on the stellar "All Blues"), and alternating bassists Lonnie Plaxico and Chip Jackson. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this date is that Anderson, who was 80 at the time of the earliest of these recordings, is captured at her dusky, sultry, swinging best. It's there in the fingerpopping "I Love Being Here with You," the deeply emotive title track (a fine showcase for Harris), the shimmering backbeat groove in "Only Trust Your Heart," and the jaunty reading of "Falling in Love with Love"-- where she meets meets Person in a call-and-response interchange that is delightful. Anderson lets her deep well of experience, phrasing, and expression compensate handsomely for what age has taken from her range. This set doesn't have the sense of controlled elegance that A Song for You did, but it isn't supposed to. It's a party record, a collection of jazz tunes done with pure blues feeling by an artist who obviously relishes engaging with her band in front of an audience. Thom Jurek  
Tracklist :
1     I Love Being Here with You 5:58
Bill Schluger    
2     Since I Fell for You 5:22
3     All Blues 7:27
Miles Davis
4     Goin' to Chicago Blues 5:22
Jimmy Rushing
5     Nightlife 8:02
Charles Strouse
6     Only Trust Your Heart 7:59
Sammy Cahn    
7     Falling in Love with Love 4:54
Lorenz Hart
8     Never Make Your Move Too Soon 7:30
Joe Josea / R. B. King
Credits :
Bass – Chip Jackson (pistas: 4, 7), Lonnie Plaxico (pistas: 1 to 3, 8)
Drums – Jerome Jennings, Willie Jones III (pistas: 3)
Piano – Lafayette Harris Jr.
Tenor Saxophone – Houston Person
Vocals – Ernestine Anderson