Thursday, August 18, 2005

wood is a pleasant thing to think about


pat, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

PATRICIA BARBER
ODE TO BILLY JOE/gone<
w/michael arnopol (b), mark walker (d)
from CAFE BLUE, blue note,1994
THE BEAT GOES ON/gone
w/michael arnopol (b), eric montzka (d), john mclean (g)
from COMPANION, blue note,1999

well, lately i've been listening to some of patricia barber's records that fit my summer moods perfectly, then i used to feel the same way comes winter, fall or spring. of course you'll find all the info you want HERE
signed on the prestigious blue note label; though i'm not sure it means anything anymore: french singer keren ann being a labelmate now... critically speaking, i'm not sure she gets the props she deserves compared to the norahs, dianas, etc. maybe a hard-boiled dedicated jazz fan hopefully will give me his feedback (hi, nick francis!). found this nice info online about her : "critics can't always agree on the genre patricia barber falls into, saying she fits somewhere between billie holiday and joni mitchell, but barber knows exactly where she stands."i would define it as jazz. i'm going to insist that my years of sucking in smoke and playing for $100 a night entitle me to assert this is jazz".
patricia's discography is impressive and she probably tours a lot so be sure to catch her live in a club nearby. her own material is great but i really like her standards covers. SUMMERTIME is one of her early gems and a favorite (visit HERE). hope these few classic tracks will make you want more and go shopping at your local sound dealer, hey, these guys need to make a living too. cheerz.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE Patricia Barber. She is definitely JAZZ in my book.

Despite the fact that Blue Note is signing more "non-jazz" artists to their roster, I think it's still a prestigious label. Bruce Lundvall is one of the last few label execs who's also a fan of the music.

IMHO, the reason Patricia doesn't get the press that Norah and Diana get is that PB's material is considerably darker and dense in tone.

Thanks for the great tracks.

thebeathunters said...

thanks nick for your feedback. you're absolutely right about blue note and BL. i think it's great that their european branch sign "contemporary jazz" artists like st-germain or erik truffaz. and it can't hurt to have household names that are bestsellers, too.

Gary LeDrew said...

Wow! never heard heard Patricia before
very nice thanks

thebeathunters said...

welcome aboard capt comgar, hope to see ya around regularly!