At the End of the Day

Rosana Eckert | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 11, 2003)
• Original Release Date: April 22, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: GEM Records
• ASIN: B0000C1HKR
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,566 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

With a smooth, expressive style and a repertoire all her own, Rosana Eckert is quickly gaining recognition as a dynamic jazz singer, composer, and arranger. Influenced by singers like Shirley Horn, Chet Baker, and Carmen McCrae as well as players like Stan Getz, John Coltrane, and Oscar Peterson, Rosana draws listeners in with a sincere approach to lyrics and an instrumentalist’s approach to scatting.

Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Rosana (Calderon) Eckert grew up in a musical family. Her parents, both singers of a cappella barbershop harmony, filled the home with music from groups like Brazil 66, The Four Freshman, The Glen Miller Orchestra, and Singers Unlimited. As a result, Rosana developed a solid repertoire of jazz standards long before she began singing jazz.

A four-year Texas All-State French Horn player, Rosana accepted band and orchestra scholarships to the University of North Texas in pursuit of a BM in music theory. She played in the UNT Symphony and Chamber Orchestras for three years in addition to playing principle horn in both the Opera Orchestra and the Wind Symphony. On a whim, Rosana auditioned for and was selected to the award winning UNT Jazz Singers during her junior year. She fell in love with the repertoire, musical freedom, and harmonic depth of jazz, reminded of the music her parents used to play at home. By the time she graduated with her first degree, Rosana was a section leader, soloist, and arranger in the ensemble.

Rosana went on to receive her Masters in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. She currently teaches vocal jazz at UNT where she does writing and arranging for the vocal jazz ensembles and teaches both privately and in the classroom. She is on the faculty of the UNT Vocal Jazz Summer Workshop working alongside renowned educators Paris Rutherford, Michele Weir, and Jennifer Barnes. She has also worked as a clinician and adjudicator at jazz festivals and participates as an arranger and demonstration vocalist each year at the IAJE Vocal Jazz New Music Reading session.

In 2000 Rosana was a selected participant of the IAJE Thelonious Monk Aspen Jazz Colony where she was mentored by such greats as Christian McBride, Russell Malone, Dianne Reeves, and Pancho Sanchez. She was also a member of the 1999 IAJE "Sisters in Jazz" Collegiate Sextet which performed around the country including at the IAJE Annual Convention in Anaheim, the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival.

In addition to her teaching and live performing, Rosana works regularly as a Dallas studio singer. She has sung back-up vocals for various recording artists including contemporary Christian singers Matthew Ward and Annie Herring, and she can be heard on hundreds of jingles and radio Ids around the country.

Rosana’s first solo CD, At the End of the Day, was released on April 22, 2003. Produced by her husband, singer/writer Gary Eckert, it features her original songs and arrangements and also includes arrangements by Paris Rutherford and Michele Weir.

Product Description

At the End of the Day is the debut album of Dallas-based jazz vocalist Rosana Eckert. It features her original songs and arrangements and an all-star ensemble of some of Dallas's best and favorite jazz musicians. Inspired by singers like Carmen McCrae and Shirley Horn, Rosana swings with the heart of a big band and delivers a lyric with simplicity and sincerity. Her songwriting covers a wide range of styles with influences from composers like Abbey Lincoln, Bill Evans, Dave Frishberg, and Ivan Lins. The title track, a powerful yet subtle song of love, showcases Rosana’s smooth sound and gentle delivery. That same voice becomes sassy and swingin’ on "Mr. Hooper’s Find it in a Minute Book," an original tune about a book which amazingly contains the answers to any and all questions. Rosana’s creative arrangement of "Something’s Gotta Give" breathes new life into this standard tune from the Rosemary Clooney songbook, and her treatment of Ray Charles’s "One Mint Julep" is clever and fresh. Also included on the CD are commissioned arrangements from renowned vocal jazz arrangers Paris Rutherford and Michele Weir. In Rutherford’s arrangement of Jobim’s "Ela E Carioca," flute and voice sing beautifully together to complete the breezy mood of this Brazilian gem. Weir slows "Rock Me To Sleep" to an ultra-swingin’ tempo, providing the perfect canvass for sultry vocals and an edgy trumpet solo. Produced by singer/composer Gary Eckert, this album of eleven tracks takes listeners on a ride far from ordinary. With her heartfelt phrasing, impressive scatting, original repertoire, and simple approach, Rosana Eckert is truly a new jazz artist worth noticing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD!, October 27, 2003

By 

Charles D. Ortega (McAllen, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the End of the Day (Audio CD)

I don't usually write reviews, but I had to write about Rosana Eckert's debut CD; It is fantastic!

From the opening notes of the string bass in the first track, "I've Seen This Thing Before" to the last sweet moments of the final track, "You Are There," the CD has a little bit of everything. She has some great well-known tunes and her original tunes are wondrous. Did I mention her oh-so-natural scat chops?

Some charts really swing on this CD, like the original tune, "Mr. Hooper's Find it in a Minute Book," and the great "One Mint Julep" by Rudolph Toombs. These are just great tunes with an up-beat feel. One tune that has stayed with me is the original "For Elizabeth" for the driving underlying groove, and the wonderful melody. There are some great musicians on this CD, and Chris McGuire plays a great flute solo on this track. I love the interplay between the flute and Aaron Kelley on guitar. This track is so fresh sounding, and the recurring lyric "this new day..." makes you feel like it IS the beginning of a great day. Listen to this track in the morning and it'll give you a positive outlook on the coming day. Not to be missed is the last tune on the CD. Do yourself a favor and close your eyes and listen to Ms. Eckert's sonorous voice sing "You are There." It is magical.

But for me, my favorite tunes are "Ela E Carioca," and the title track, "At The End of The Day." The first showcases Ms. Eckert's smooth command of the Portuguese language. One hears maturity in her turn of phrase and tone. "At The End Of The Day" is the kind of tune you want to sit and listen to with the lights off (of course, at the end of the day!) staring at the fire, getting lost in her sweet voice.

Buy this album and tell your friends to buy it. They will thank you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine Jazz Singer, January 5, 2006

By 

dennis allee "jazz DJ" (provincetown, ma United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At the End of the Day (Audio CD)

I am a radio jazz DJ and one of my specialties is "female jazz singers you may never have heard of". I have a large number of quality vocalists in my collection, and Ms.Eckert is one of the very best. A fine jazz voice and sensibility. I only wish she would get some recognition so we could have some more of her music.

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, June 28, 2007

By 

Patrick Dougherty (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At the End of the Day (Audio CD)

Rare talent for a young singer in today's music environment. She obviously draws from a knowledge of jazz and of the great vocalists.