Yehudit – five string electric violin | John Hoy – guitars | Cindy Browne – bass | Karen Horner – bass | Curt Moore – drums
Produced by Yehudit. Engineers: Warren Dennis Kahn, Darryl Webb. Cover art: Eta. Photography: Carol Pratt. Graphic design: Neal Stillman. Art direction: Eta. Recorded, mixed and mastered at the Banquet Sound Studios, Santa Rosa, Californa.
Tracklist: 1. My Romance [5:51] 2. My Funny Valentine [4:41] 3. Caravan [4:03] 4. There Is No Greater Love [4:14] 5. Meditation [5:11] 6. I’m Beginning To See The Light [4:23] 7. Out Of Nowhere [3:50] 8. S’Wonderful [3:52] 9. How Long Has This Been Going On? [4:54] 10. Ain’t Misbehavin’ [4:50] 11. Love Me Tender [6:40] Total Time: [53:00]
This album is a valentine…
Each of these classic songs is a valentine – a celebration of the joy and gift of love. I imagine that you might play them while you sit down to a quiet dinner with your sweetie, with flowers and candlelight. In recording these songs, I manifest my profound love for the great American traditions of jazz and songwriting, I am always astonished and delighted to be a small tributary to this great river of music. The album itself is a labor of love on the part of the musicians, engineers, and artists who contributed their skill, creativity, and heart to make it what it is. And finally, this album is a valentine from me to you, the listener. May your life be filled with love and music.
Valentines to:
All the musicians, for their wonderful playing, support, friendship, and positive attitudes; Warren, Darryl and Shannon at The Banquet Sound Studios, for their professionalism, humor, and humanity; Eta, for vibrant artwork, an artist’s eye on the design, friendship, and some great walks; Carol, for photos that make me look SO good; Neal, for his outrageous design and way cool attitude; Rent Romus and Edgetone Records, for faith, support, and encouragement; Randy Klein, for his time, wise words, and help with the concept; the folks at Olde West, for making it real; my family and friends, for their continued love and support; and all the great people who came to my gigs, bought my first album, and encouraged me to make this one. – Yehudit
Forrest Gump said in the film of the same name
that life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get. The newest CD by jazz violinist Yehudit, Valentine, provides the listener with exactly what one would expect—a heart shaped box of bon bons of familiar musical standards devoted to the topic of love.
Guitarist John Hoy, bassists Cindy Browne and Karen Horner and drummer Curt Moore ably accompany Yehudit, performing on five-string electric violin. And, while she is relatively new on the jazz scene, Yehudit can certainly add her name to the list of other jazz violinists such as Stephan Grappelli, Ray Nance, Michael Urbaniak, Jean Luc Ponty, and Regina Carter.
All eleven cuts on this 53 minute CD follow a very similar, standard, straightforward rendering of tunes including “My Romance,” “My Funny Valentine,” “There Is No Greater Love,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin.” While the soloing is also rather standard and straightforward, Yehudit and her band mates reveal that they are competent improvisers.
There is no question that the musicianship on Valentine is of a high caliber. For the listener desiring more adventurous or profoundly deep music however, this CD would be somewhat of a disappointment. Yehudit and her band mates, provide no real surprises and the performances are relatively pedestrian and not particularly challenging to the ears. If one is seeking a nice collection of non-obtrusive renditions of well worn musical standards, then Yehudit’s Valentine is just the box of chocolates for you. – Craig W. Hurst, All About Jazz
CD version (incl. shipment cost world-wide)