(Vocal jazz) Gail Pettis - Here In The Moment - 2009, MP3, 256 kbps

Named " 2010 Northwest Vocalist of the Year," by Earshot Jazz Society, (also 2007), Gail's rich, warm vocals and understated phrasing have been described as "deliciously soulful" by Cadence Magazine.
A native of Henderson, Kentucky, Gail grew up in Gary, Indiana, surrounded by healthcare professionals. Yet there was also music in the family tree: grandfather Arthur Pettis was a blues singer and guitarist who recorded for Victor Records in Memphis in 1928 and for Brunswick in Chicago in 1930 and grandmother, Ninevah played piano around Chicago. Along with her sister, Gail sang classical music and hymns at a local Presbyterian church and continued in other school and church choirs in later years. Initially drawn to follow in the family footsteps of healthcare delivery, she attended Ohio State University, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, completing an orthodontic residency program at Harvard University, after which she taught and practiced orthodontics full-time for the next 15 years, eventually moving to Seattle WA in 1996 by way of Memphis, TN. Gail spent her days chairside and her evenings with a newfound hobby of West Coast Swing dancing, having become attracted to this particular style of swing because it afforded the opportunity to respond to the music with a partner rather than only dancing through patterns. When an injury took her off the dance floor in 1996, she began looking for other creative outlets, including a jazz workshop led by Seattle saxophonist Darren Motamedy. In this class, Gail was delighted to discover within jazz similar opportunities to interact with the music and with fellow musicians. With Motamedy’s encouragement, she continued to pursue her new passion by participating in jam sessions and also through private study, eventually selling her orthodontic practice in 2006.
Gail enjoys interacting with listeners as well; her live performances have been described by Earshot jazz as going "...from strength to strength, performing a winning, crowd-involving style of vocal jazz.". As artist-in-residence at the Amersfoort Jazz Festival in the Netherlands in 2006, she was featured artist with the New Manhattan Big Band, also Eddie Conard and the Dutch Jazz Cats on the mainstage and smaller combs in venues in Amersfoort and Harderwijk. Included on this tour was a stop in Kobe, Japan to perform as a guest artist at KAVC Hall as First Place winner of the Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition. She has also performed at the Gene Harris Jazz Festival in Boise, Idaho, Jazz at the River Festival in Eagle, ID.
Gail’s debut CD, May I Come In?, (Origin/OA2 Records, 2007), was given a warm reception by XM Satellite Radio and Music Choice Television as well as by stations across the United States and in Germany and Portugal. This recording was nominated for Earshot’s Golden Ear award “2007 Northwest Recording of the Year”. The eagerly awaited sophmore recording, Here in the Moment, was released in January 2010 on Origin/OA2 Records. Gail’s refreshing readings of standard songs have been embraced by listeners, resulting in a 14 week stay (peaking at #5) on the JazzWeek National Airplay Chart.
Gail has also contributed vocals to Grammy-nominated CD "Colabs", has song credits in major motion pictures and her voiceover and jingle work can currently be heard on radio and television.
Whether traveiing, performing closer to home or spending time in the recording studio, Gail continues to value is the freedom of personal expression she finds in music. For me, emotion is the the currency of jazz. Over the years, I have learned that wearing your heart on your sleeve is not always the best approach to every life situation, but within the context of music, vulnerability always feels right.”

Gail Pettis – Here in the Moment
When a jazz singer revisits a standard that has been tackled time and again, it is quite the task to express their musical personality without having to alter the integrity of the original. The experienced jazz vocalist should set the tone for his or her self and their accompanists to create a colorful musical canvas for their audiences. As one who has successfully transformed standards into new gems during her short recording career, Gail Pettis recognizes the power of time-tested lyrics. And her musicality equally matches her interpretative skills. Her finely tuned instrument swings with shear ease, caresses the senses, produces soulful gusts and oozes the blues; all sans the excess vocal gymnastics and fanfare. Besides all those gifts, Pettis never forsakes her musicians in the process, which in the long run makes another lasting imprint when singing jazz, pop and blues classics. Not bad for someone who did not pursue a professional music career at an early age.
Considering Pettis’ short time as a full-time jazz stylist, she has won critical acclaim and plenty of fans throughout various festivals in Japan and the Netherlands. This well-traveled talent has also won the hearts of audiences in her current hometown of Seattle, WA. In fact, she records on the Seattle-based Origin Records, which was recognized by JazzWeek - an online site tracking the best in all of jazz music - as Record Label of the Year in 2009 (the other nominees included some of jazz’s top independents: Heads Up! and Sunnyside Records.
Even though Pettis was a ‘late bloomer’ in the industry, she was born into some musical blood. Her grandfather - blues singer Arthur Pettis - recorded a few sessions in the late twenties and early thirties. Pettis and her sister partook in classical and gospel music. Eventually Gail followed in her immediate family’s non-musical footsteps. After finally closing her orthodontics practice in 2006, Pettis now spends full time investing in her love and respect for the standards; first with her debut May I Come In (2007) and now her latest disc, Here in the Moment. And there are many moments that even non-jazz loyalists might find attractive from this gentle, yet persuasive alto.
The opening track, “In the Still of the Night” (usually heard in doo-wop or in ballad format) and “Day In Day Out” is executed in full swing mode. The strains of the pop and jazz classic, “Canadian Sunset,” thanks to bassist Anderson’s foundation, accentuates the beauty of “The Very Thought of You.” There is Latin flair with “Nature Boy,” as Pettis’ voice runs circles underneath the samba rhythm, and “I Could Have Danced All Night” is injected by drummer/percussionist Mark Ivester’s lively conga rhythms. The later track brought back some memories for me; specifically Peggy Lee’s tribute to Broadway music hyped with Afro-Cuban beats: Latin ala Lee! (1959) on Capitol Records. Pettis sprinkles soft blues nuances on a jazzier angle of the Etta James’ R&B hit, “At Last,” “How Did He Look?” demonstrates Pettis’ ability to understate but still convey heavy emotions towards a lost love. Petti also treats us to duets with Anderson’s in-the-pocket bass on “Snap Your Fingers” and Halberstadt’s sensitive piano gracing the exquisite, “I Thought About You.” Throughout Here in the Moment, the two piano (Darin Clendenin & Randy Halberstadt)/acoustic bass (Clipper Anderson & Jeff Johnson) tandems backing Pettis are deservedly given ample room to develop their solo voices.
No matter what the mood dictates, Here in the Moment proves Pettis’ calm but articulate style speaks plenty of volumes. She is also quite comfortable in reinterpreting the standards repertoire; an art form in which Pettis truly excels.
Peggy Oliver

Gail Pettis, vocals
Darin Clendenin, piano (1, 2, 6, 7, 10)
Randy Halberstadt, piano (3-5, 8, 9)
Clipper Anderson, bass (1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11)
Jeff Johnson, bass (3, 5, 8, 9)
Mark Ivester, drums, percussion

Оф.сайт : http://www.gailpettis.com/