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Irene & Her Latin Jazz Band



Last Updated: 12/1/2009

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Status: Single
City: Los Angeles
State: California
Country: US
Signup Date: 12/14/2006

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Saturday, June 20, 2009 

Category: Music

IRENE AND HER LATIN JAZZ BAND
ARRANGE TO 'CHANGE THE WORLD'
 
Irene and Her Latin Jazz Band - A Song of You

This is light and refreshing like drinking a pina colada or margarita on a hot day. Or you go to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, get sweaty and exhausted, and take a time out in a little club along the beach and there on the bandstand is a group like this keeping it mellow. Irene and Her Latin Jazz Band, on their second CD A Song of You, take the smooth jazz sound of today, add authentic Brazilian musicians, pick some classic Latin tunes, plop in a dollop of standards from the Great American Songbook, and mix in a few original and contemporary compositions.

According to her bio, Irene brings many experiences to her passionate musical performances. Latin music entered Irene’s consciousness at an early age. She was born in East Los Angeles, California’s heartland of Latino culture. Every morning at breakfast her mother turned the radio on and they listened to a station that played all kinds of Latin jazz, bossa-novas, sambas and rumbas. She has performed for audiences from Los Angeles to Paris to Martinique to Bora Bora. She has studied singing, piano (for ten years), acting (B.A. cum laude at UC Irvine), modern jazz dancing (for 15 years), screenwriting, television video editing and comedy troupe improvisation. Her band (mostly from Brazil) has a page full of credits playing with both major Latin acts (Enrique Iglesias, Carlos Santana, Tito Puente) and top American jazz acts (Chet Baker, Pat Metheny). So the band is solid musically and Irene has a warm, gently-caressing voice that fits this style. Pianist Rique Pantoja is especially good.

Irene plays it safe covering Latin standards like Jobim’s “Triste,” but she offers up a surprising Latin jazz rendition of Eric Clapton’s “Change the World.” In between are some originals, some more standards and a Sting tune. The whole thing goes down easy, especially if you take the little umbrella out of your drink first.
6:02 PM 
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Saturday, June 06, 2009 

Category: Music
JUNE 2009

CD Feature:
Irene and Her Latin Jazz Band - 
"A Song of You"

Jazz is a tainted term, ill with prejudice and cliche. But even its creative pains pale in comparison to the genre of Female Vocal Jazz. Artists like Norah Jones and Katie Melua are just the tip of the iceberg for a category held together by the flimsiest of definitoric parameters. Today, “the female vocalist“ can be influenced by anything from Pop to Classical Music, perform both at sizable concert halls and intimate theatres and build a fan base consisting of hip youngsters and experienced aficionados alike. Their diet, too, no longer exclusively consists of “Standards“. Instead, a whole world of original material and works from adjacent genres is waiting to be imported, assimilated and digested. The territory of creative competition has shifted. Instead of battling it out over the most heartfelt and plaintive interpretation of a popular piece, creating cohesive concepts of sound, instrumentation, repertoire, visual presentation and cross-medial links is increasingly turning into the main artistic task.

Seen from this perspective, “A Song of You“ is all but an anachronism. Supported by an exquisitely pussyfooting band, multilingual and classically trained Irene Nachreiner follows in the footsteps of her “Summer Samba“ debut, dishes up a program of classic Latin tunes (including Cole Porter's “It's Too Darn Hot“, Jobim's “Triste“ and Joao Gilberto's “Bim Bom“) and takes her audience back to the Karaoke Bar at Bora Bora where she was discovered in a fairy-tale like entry to the biz. The dreamy swing of her musical partners creates a kind of lush Bossa-vibe nestling comfortably in between 60s French arthouse cinema and the unreal vibe of a cocktail party hosted by David Lynch on Mullholland Drive. Irene, meanwhile, excels in a cool eroticism that would make the captain of a cruise ship stop in his tracks and forget all about the steering wheel in the middle of a field of icebergs.

Irony has it that “A Song of You“ sounds most retro in its most contemporary moment, Irene's rendition of Sting's “Fragilidad“, which almost makes you feel confused about which of the two versions the original is exactly. On the remaining tracks, however, the album remains unperturbed by the kind of roots-oriented nostalgia, which may turn some New-Jazz albums into the hottest stuff in town for a few weeks but ultimately renders them dispensable as soon as another trend pops up. This is music that some may discard as “fluffy“ or “sugary“ but which ultimately comes across as honest and direct on closer inspection. Recommended if you like Michael Buble, her distributor says, but mimicking the production and techniques of successful blueprints is exactly what Irene does not want. Her second album is a no-frills effort which is about nothing but songs, voice and subtle craftsmanship - and that makes it a strangely compelling proposition for all those looking for a truly independent alternative to the mainstream canon.

2:10 AM 
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Saturday, June 06, 2009 

Category: Music
It's been a long time coming but here it is - the sequel to Irene Nachreiner's debut album, Summer Samba, A Song Of You. The new album continues in the same vein as before - a collection of fourteen convivial tracks, wonderfully sung and a sure-fired winning cure against the depression blues.

Thanks to the super smooth backing by her band, Irene's entrancing voice makes every track a holiday pill with a dollop of sunshine in the core. Irene also shows herself to be a decent songwriter as well, co-writing three of the songs herself [listen to Dance With Me for a prime example], while Jobim [Triste], Gershwin [S'Wonderful], Sting [Fragililidad], the Bergmans [Like A Lover], Cole Porter [It's Too Darn Hot] and Joao Gilberto [Bim Bom] supply some of the others.

The album's signature [title] track was written by Ken Morrison and Mark Reiman - they are a writing team who contacted Irene through My Space and she is the first artist to record this song. These sambas and rumbas are the ideal soundtrack for this summers' round of barbecues and garden parties, guaranteed to lift the gloomy mood set by the current recession.

The album has been excellently recorded, it has a glowing warm-hearted sound that will shine on any type of sound system - of course, you could be greedy and hog it all for yourself on your iPod, but that would be just plain rude. A Song Of You is an album to be savoured by all and enjoyed all year around.

Summer Samba was one of my albums of the year in 2008 and I think A Song Of You will replace it at the top of my list for 2009. You would really need to be a mean hearted curmudgeon to not like this album.

Extremely highly recommended.

2:07 AM 
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Saturday, June 06, 2009 

Category: Music
JUNE 2009

Latin Jazz Band Tackles Gershwin, Porter, Jobim, Sting And Eric Clapton

IRENE AND HER LATIN JAZZ BAND
A Song of You
 
Apparently Irene started out as a traditional jazz vocalist singing classic standards out of the Great American Songbook, but Latin music took over her repertoire a couple of years ago. She and the group debuted with the album Summer Samba. Now the band is back with their second CD, A Song of You, with special guest pianist Rique Pantoja from Brazil joining in this time around (if you Google him you will be amazed by his extensive credits). Music by Irene and Her Latin Jazz Band is available at irenesings.com, cdbaby.com and all the regular digital download locations from iTunes on down.

Irene still dips into the Great White Way standards songbook because here she covers George & Ira Gershwin’s “S’Wonderful” and Cole Porter’s “It’s Too Darn Hot,” but they are arranged in a Latin jazz style. More predictable are covers of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Triste” and “Quite Nights of Quiet Stars,” and Joao Gilberto’s somewhat simplistic “Bim Bom.”

Probably the most surprising aspects of this record are the covers of Eric Clapton’s “Change the World” and Sting’s “Fragililidad” (is that what that song was originally called?). Irene sings in English most of the time, but throws in a verse in Portuguese here, another in French there, a little Spanish over yonder. Very international and cosmopolitan.

Irene’s voice is not powerful or overbearing, but fairly soft and sweet. An aura of happiness comes through as if there is nothing should rather be doing than singing these songs. The band is fairly subdued behind her, but they get little moments to shine, and when their turns come, you can tell they have talent. This is very pleasant stuff. I recommend it for anyone who likes smooth jazz vocals with a little international flavor mixed with it.
2:05 AM 
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Saturday, May 23, 2009 

Category: Music
After a youth that featured Irene studying in Paris, taking dance lessons, scriptwriting and performing comedy, she began studying singing. Starting out with the Great American Songbook, she got hooked on Latin jazz. Now, with her partners in musical crime, she writes and sings a kind of Southern California-Brazilian, blending flavours of the Caribbean, Polynesia, France, Spain (and California, of course). This release is her second outing and she incorporates a wide variety of songs and genres from jazz to pop (managing to make Sting’s “Fragile” into “Fragililidad”), rendering them into a smooth blend of jazzy, easy-on-the-ears music.

Irene has a nice vocal style that goes down well with this kind of music. You’re not expecting to jump up and prance around; these tunes are intended as the perfect ending to a perfect day with friends or a special friend. It’s calm and relaxing without turning into acoustic wallpaper. You won’t hear any cutting edge stuff or audio surprises; the fact that everything is so smooth is a testament to the skill and professionalism of the musicians involved.

The production values are first rate so there’s nothing for me to complain about. This is just about as perfect as you can hope for.

Summary: Excellent effort. A jewel in every sense of the word.

CD Baby, buy the CD now!
iTunes, available now!
12:51 AM 
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Sunday, May 17, 2009 
IRENE & Her Latin Jazz Band/A Song of You:

Nice little number that tips the hat to contemporary Brazil classics with a little of her own doings and own fixings scattered in along the way.  A tasty, little treat that cleanses the palette, this set is the kind of curve ball that sneaks up on you unexpectedly and won’t chase the classics from your mind but can settle in comfortably next to them.

MIDWEST RECORD
The voice of the entertainment retailer and broadcaster
Volume 32/Number 171

April 21, 2009
10:00 PM 
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Sunday, May 17, 2009 

Category: Music
Irene & Her Latin Jazz Band - A SONG OF YOU: 
Ah, visions of huge vats of grapes with ladies ankles stained from stomping them into pulp and juice come to mind for the fine wine this album represents. 

A genuine sonic pleasure trip, Irene's band will capture you in its floating and gently swaying Latin rhythms and tasty jazz shadings.  The title track represented the essence of the CD for me, and turned out to be my favorite on the album, especially when the keyboards by guest artist Rique Pantoja kicked in. 

Many of today's listeners will be unfamiliar with the tunes Irene picked for this outing... artists like Antonio Carlos Jobim ("Triste") and Joao Gilberto ("Bim Bom") were at the top of the charts back when I first became intrigued by jazz, but in an age of mp3s, some of those great songs have been somewhat "submerged." 

Irene's vocals are spirited and full of life on all 14 tracks and will provide enjoyable listening for many years to come.  I give this a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for any and all who love to listen to jazz that can transport you to another era instantly.  Get more information at www.irenesings.com   

ImproviJazzation Nation
May-June 2009
9:58 PM 
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Sunday, May 17, 2009 

Category: Music
At the end of 2007 I reviewed I the previous CD by Irene Nachreiner, who was discovered singing in a karaoke bar during a holiday at Club Med on Bora Bora.  Now here is her second album, and from where I stand, it conveys gentle Latin jazz and Brazilian rhythms, which are very appropriate in a cocktail party bar. 

Irene sings on this in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.  This time brings, beside well-known covers, also her own material on three tracks.  And those tracks are as wonderful as the rest, which proves that with Irene, the Latin feeling is the correct place for her to sit. 

Her own numbers are called “Dance With Me,” “The Waiting Song” and “South Seas Samba” in which she sings about her time in Bora Bora.  With regards to the covers I mentioned: “A Song of You,” “Triste” (Jobim), “Tintim Por Tintim” (she provides an English text), “Change The World” (originally covered by Eric Clapton), “S'Wonderful” (Gershwin), “Fragililidad (Fragile)” (Sting), “It’s Too Darn Hot” (Cole Porter), “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” (Jobim), “Bim Bom” (Gilberto) and “La Foule.” 

With this sensual music it’s like you are flying with the gulls of the sea.  Irene, who lives in California, calls her music SoCal-Brazilian Music.  She is accompanied by Rique Pantoja (one of the top pianists/keyboard-players from Brazil), acoustic guitarist Marco Tulio, drummer/percussionist Cristano Novelli, saxophonist/flutist Scott Martin, background singer Frank Zottoli, bass player Daniel Groisman, etc. 

Irene says, “My theory is that the world can never have too many love songs.  But what would be the point if we don't do them differently than they have been done before?  So each tune is in our own style featuring a Latin jazz arrangement with a Brazilian beat, but also filtered through a Southern California lifestyle.”  This music really impresses me, and sounds fresh and renewing.  Irene, you make me long for Brazil.  You sound terrific.  So I close my eyes and float away.

- Patrick Wiele
Keys and Chords
May 2009
9:56 PM 
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Sunday, May 17, 2009 

Category: Music
Irene and Her Latin Jazz Band's sophomore album titled A SONG OF YOU is an instant winner. What makes this album so appealing is the fusion of Irene's soft smoothing voice with the dynamics of the Latin rhythmic flavor of the rest of the band. Irene's voice blends nicely with the various instruments that can be heard throughout this album. What is also appealing about A SONG OF YOU is its ability to incorporate different genres of music into heavenly melodious tunes.

If you are looking for another jazz album, then this CD will not work for you. But, if you are looking for something new, fresh, and innovative, then A SONG OF YOU is going to be a special treat. This CD makes you feel warm and cozy, and that is a good thing.

I give A SONG OF YOU a harmonious A-.

Go out and buy this CD already. You will not be disappointed!

By: ISSAC DAVIS, JR. MBA
April 2009
Juniors Cave Online Magazine - New Music Review
9:55 PM 
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Monday, April 20, 2009 

Category: Music


That day has finally arrived!!!!  My new CD "A Song of You" is for sale at CD Baby!!!

I am so happy to have it done I can't express it in words.


IRENE AND HER LATIN JAZZ BAND: A Song of You





5:37 PM 
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