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MP3 Laura Wolfe - ...Also Dances (A Tribute to the Great Dancers of Film)
12 MP3 Songs in this album (44:25) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Jazz Vocals, EASY LISTENING: Cabaret
Details:
"Laura Wolfe makes my ears happy. Great style. Great interpretation."
-Lou Powers, WBCB 1490 AM Philadelphia
"Laura Wolfe’s lovely voice glides effortlessly through precise arrangements of tunes from the “Great American Songbook.” She’s faithful to the words and music of the lyricists and composers, but her distinctive style stands out as she caresses your ears. Watch out world, here she comes. This lady can sing!"
-John Bohannon, WRHU 88.7 FM New York
"...Laura Wolfe could be a real contender. Her first album is a winner. Taking on a dozen old standards, she sings them with zip on the up-tempo numbers and wistfulness on the ballads ...has a very good handle on the melodies and sense of the lyrics ...her phrasing is quite fresh in the very often recorded and performed classics ...another strength is avoiding melodrama, for even though she sings with real passion it''s thoughtful consideration of situations that comes across, rather than wallowing in puddles of emotion. Laura wins points for often including the neglected verses to these great old songs. ...(she) is someone I''d like to hear more from soon. She sounds invested in the material, projects intelligence, and has a very attractive sound."
-Rob Lester, Talkin'' Broadway
"When I first heard Laura Wolfe''s new album, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not," I knew that my listeners would love it too. Here is a rare collection of fresh and beautiful love songs that are passionately recorded with fine instrumentation. This album is just what is needed to acquaint all generations with these great tunes from the American Songbook. However, these are just old songs. Even people who have heard them before will think that they are new again, when they hear Laura''s unique interpretations of these timeless lyrics. She truly is a song stylist and not just a performer.
Laura successfully places herself in the role of the writers of these classic love songs and then gently communicates their message of adoration or heartbreak to the listener. She really knows how to sell a song. In fact, I was sold just after hearing just a few bars of her pleasing and talented voice.
-John Russell Ghrist, host of Midwest Ballroom,
WDCB 90.9 FM Chicago
"Laura''s CD, ''He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not'', is a treasure for music lovers who like the great standards. Every phase of Laura''s talent shines through each tune. She is imaginative and creative and delivers a distinctive style that is all her own. Listen and enjoy as the excitement builds from the very first cut to the last and I am sure you will agree with me that Laura Wolfe is one of the brightest stars of today."
-Jim Stone, host of Big Band Swing, WLNZ 89.7FM Lansing
"Laura Wolfe''s new CD takes you back to the days when JAZZ was soothing and a part of real life and romance...This is an artist that I truly enjoy, and I am pleased that we''ll have more on the way... The best way to describe the
effort is, "TRULY DELICIOUS"... Enjoy."
-John Moultrie, WTBQ AM 1110 and 99.1 New York
WVOS 95.9 New York
"Laura has a strong theatrical voice and puts it to good use in front of a swinging ensemble. Ron Snyder (p), Jack LeCompte (perc), John Smith (b) and Damon Zick (sax, fl) sound larger than a quartet yet never get in the way of the music. Wolfe sings a dozen standards arranged by Snyder. They range from the happy go lucky spirit of "It''s So Nice To Have A Man Around The House” and "Can''t We Be Friends", to the soft ballads like "I''ve Got It Bad and That Ain''t Good". The vocals are so crisp and well articulated; you''ll feel like you''re at a live stage show."
-D. Oscar Groomes - O''s Place Jazz Newsletter
"How can a voice be seductive and yet charming at the same time. I can''t wait to hear more music from Laura Wolfe. Talent and beauty in one package."
-Alan Arehart, WSVG 790 AM Virginia
"Laura Wolfe''s CD, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" is a perfect showplace for her vocal prowess...12 captivating cuts with Laura''s distinctive touch. I''m a fan!"
-Bill Miller, host of The Bill Miller Show, https://www.tradebit.com
The lovely entertainer Laura Wolfe embodies the description “triple threat," a handle defining her equal abilities as an actor, singer and dancer. It’s an accurate description, though it doesn’t sufficiently explain what happens when all aspects of a talented performer’s training and discipline come to bear, as they do in Laura’s work. Her distinctive style derives from a life’s worth of dedication. Listening to her CD, Laura Wolfe/He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, you’re treated to a layered and intelligent take on a dozen gems of the American Songbook delivered by an authentic stylist. In performance, Laura is so natural she pulls the wool over your eyes. Engaging and warm, her voice is confident and assured, each gesture and emotion, organic.
Laura comes from a family of music lovers, and she has been steeped in music and rhythm all her life. Her mom was a professional dancer/singer, who now acts as a solid sounding board during Laura’s pre-production and show rehearsals. Laura began studying ballet at age three, followed by tap at five, and not long after, jazz. At thirteen she was honored with a scholarship from the Professional Dancer’s Society. Soon after she was invited as one of only four scholarship recipients to perform at their annual Gypsy Awards Gala in a production number set by renowned choreographer Alex Romero. By that time, Laura had decided performing was her career path. While attending California State University, Northridge, she put dancing on a back burner to focus on her other passion--singing. The summer after Laura received her degree in Theatre Arts, she created and produced her first cabaret show, Old Beginnings. It debuted at Tom Rolla''s Gardenia (Hollywood, CA) to excellent reviews and an invitation for a return engagement. Soon after, Laura joined the repertory company Theatre West, drawn to the well-reputed musical theatre class taught by founding member Betty Garrett. Through Theater West, Laura met the late lyricist Marshall Barer who featured her in his staged reading of Happy Lot starring Betty Garrett and Michael Feinstein.
After a brief move to New York City, Laura was offered a nine-month world tour by Cunard Cruise Lines before she had unpacked her belongings. Laura eventually returned to Los Angeles and began to study with Kerrie Keane, an acting teacher she credits with a real shift in her approach to learning and performing music. Says Laura, “I began to understand the emotional connection to the lyric and the audience more deeply with Kerrie''s help.” Laura continued to perform in Los Angeles cabarets, culling her repertoire from theatrical composers including The Gershwins, Cole Porter, Jerry Herman, and Stephen Sondheim. An audition for Swingin'' SophistiCats, an L.A. based swing band, led to a stint as the “girl singer” for the group’s many Southern California engagements. In May 2005, Laura stepped back on the boards, debuting the character of Swoozie Blessed in White Buffalo''s premier production of Fool Am I. Laura received wonderful reviews for her portrayal of a desperately struggling singer “on the edge” in the production at the Mark Taper/NoHo. For many years, from university through her early professional life, Broadway and musical theater was Laura’s principal influence and concentration as she moved between the theater and cabaret stage.
Recording a CD was a natural step for an artist who lives and breathes music as Laura does. The delightful surprise is the decidedly jazz influenced repertoire and style Laura explores with commitment and sophistication on He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (Too Tall Productions, 2007). Laura explains, “Many elements brought me to the place where I started exploring more jazz: my background as a dancer and a natural feel for rhythm, musicians who kept teaching and inspiring me and my growth from those experiences, the desire to constantly challenge myself and explore uncharted territory where my music is concerned." Laura has an eclectic list when she mentions the music she listens to - among others, Broadway scores, 80’s rock, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Basia, Barry Manilow, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Eydie Gorme, and Tony Bennett. Laura says, “When I saw Tony Bennett, I understood the power in really interpreting a song and making it your own." She saw Bennett perform several times and says they were some of her favorite concerts. As a keeper of the flame for the Great American Songbook, Laura is determined to keep bringing the material to young audiences with fresh interpretations of lyrics she considers timeless. Laura is drawn to beautiful melodies, never mind their difficulty, and lyrics she can get her acting chops into. "I think of a piece of music as a little story, a slice of someone''s life that if interpreted well, can impact a person or a crowd. I love performing because it allows me to engage peoples'' emotions."
The 2007 release of Laura Wolfe/He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not was met with universal critical praise for her skillful phrasing, her beautiful, versatile voice, and imaginative and passionate interpretations. The CD is receiving national attention on radio stations across the U.S. through continuing airplay and the many on-air interviews Laura has given. She has recently made two winning appearances on the nationally syndicated show The Dennis Bono Show from Las Vegas. Her fan base has spread to Europe and Japan where He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not has met with tremendous success via iTunes.
As Laura was considering ideas for her follow-up album, the concept of “...also dances” came about quite quickly. Given her background and passion for dance, coupled with her love of musicals, the theme created itself: a tribute to great dancers from film, utilizing music from some of their better known dances on the screen. The album''s title originated from the studio review of Fred Astaire''s initial screen test in 1933: "Can''t act. Slightly bald. Also dances."
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