Customer Reviews

Daydream

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There isn't one track on this CD that I didn't like, but crank up Ain't Nothing But The Blues and listen to this woman wail. I haven't heard anyone like her in many a moon. She can scat with the best of them. I loaned this CD to my musician neighbor and he purchased five copies to give to buddies. Part of the reason this is such a good CD is due to her selection of sidemen. Selecting the likes of Randy Brecker, Kim Park and Todd Strait Paul Smith, Danny Embrey and others shows she knows her musicians. Listen to the selections on this CD and I know you'll go out and buy it.

I kept hearing the title track "Daydream" on my local jazz radio station. Even in traffic, it would focus my attention on the music instead of the frustrations of driving. It took me a while to finally catch the artist's name. Sadly, I hadn't come across her music before. I am transported when I listen to this music: it's the first warm, spring day after a cold snowy winter. The entire CD has style. It swings. It's all worthy of the title track that led me to it... Gary Burton along with Karrin Allyson what a combo! I just keep playing it.

Being fairly new to today's many female contemporary jazz singers, I've taken some time to try them all out. My favorites are Karrin Allyson, Tierney Sutton, Diana Krall, and Susannah McCorkle. Sadly, we lost Susannah a few years ago, yet, her music is very much alive and about the best there is. How fortunate we are to have Karrin Allyson -- she's incredible! So soft, sweet, and fun. Superb emotion, sensitivity, and beauty with great techincal skills. Karrin knows how to mix classic standards with modern tunes. Her musicians are top knotch. This is real jazz too. Music doesn't get any better than this.

Karryn Allyson is one of my favorite jazz singers, and this is by far her best album. It is also the very first album of hers I had the opportunity to listen to. I found it completely by accident. My wife's uncle, who was a professional jazz musician, had recently passed away, and some of his musician friends had played at his funeral. One of the numbers they did was a haunting ballad called "Everything Must Change." I asked the performers about the song, and wanted to know if the song had lyrics (I am a singer myself). I was told the song did have words, and they gave me several leads where I could find a recording. Scouring the record stores and the listings, I got nowhere. I had given up my search, when, browsing the jazz CD's, I turned over the first CD in the stack under "A," which was for "Allyson," and discovered this gem of a recording, which included the song I was looking for. It was as if the Holy Spirit had led me there.

And what a beautiful gift and experience this album is! Karryn is a wonderful singer -- expressive, nuanced, but with a simple, unadorned quality. While her vocal tone is "plain," her ability to use her voice is anything but. She's also a great scat singer too. The choice of material is refreshing, with songs in the "jazz standard" category, but not often heard (e.g. "Daydream," "Like Someone in Love"), interesting and innovative arrangements (I particuarly like the 5/4 treatement of "Show Me" from "My Fair Lady" and the "Back Home to Indiana/Donna Lee" combination"), and songs that are just beautiful ("Everything Must Change," "My Foolish Heart," "You Can't Rush Spring"). Plus, the backing musicians/sidemen are top notch, and like another of my favorite female jazzers, Rosemary Clooney, Ms. Allyson lets her sidemen play. And man, can these cats PLAY!!!

There are a lot of "new jazz" singers, and many of them get a lot of grief for falling short of the standards set by the greats of the past, be they Sinatra, Ella, Billie Holliday, Betty Carter etc. The quote is ususally, "this new singer can't hold a candle to [insert name of immortal singer here]." i want you to know, with "Daydream," Karryn Allyson can and DOES hold a candle to the greats of the past, and blazes a few new trails of her own. She proves to be a very capable disciple of the old masters.

I bought this CD after listening to MY Foolish Heart on a radio station.
That's still my favorite of the CD and I've played it hundreds of times.
Although I have a large collection of CD's and a large percentage of them are female jazz singers, none provide me with as consistent pleasure as does this one.
Unequivocal recommendation.

A great album for drinkin', dancin' or just sharing a nice evening alone with that special someone. Her take on 'Corcovado' is--hands down--the best ever done and is, alone, worth whatever price.

Karrin Allyson émerge dans les années '90 avec un répertoire très smooth mellant ballades, rythmes afro brésilien et jazz, servie par une voix très douce au timbre cuivré ; tous ses disques sont de vraies petites pépites. Mon préféré reste "From Paris to Rio". Peu connue en France, cette chanteuse jouit d'une excellente notoriété aux USA. Son CD compil est une réussite et illustre parfaitement sa diversité ; le bon choix pour se faire une idée et se familiariser.

Karrin Allyson first came into my consciousness when I was sitting in a bookstore. Over the PA came her haunting arrangement of "Everything Must Change." I immediately went to the music department and purchased Daydream. It remains one of my favorite albums, in heavy rotation on my mp3 player and my computers. There's much to appreciate here for lovers of jazz, including a few Latin numbers, for those who enjoy hearing a lovely, unique, and expressive voice, and for anyone who loves interesting and fresh arrangements of familiar tunes. At times playful and light, at times wistful and melancholy, there's a little something for everyone here.

I am a recent Karrin Allison groupie and junkie.
She is just killer.
If you like Jazz, buy any of her CD's it's a win, win decision.
Really! and I kid you not, you won't regret it.

I am thrilled to have her music,

My CD player holds 5 CD's so when I listen to her, I will play 5 of her CD's back to back. That means I get hours of fine Jazz listening....with no interruptions!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes when I want to really escape I use my head phones....now I am really locked into my own world with fine music and Karrin.
That is even better yet and my family knows I am fine and to be left alone.
She would be a 10 if amazon had that many stars as are many other fine Blues and Jazz Artists they represent.

Don't let this rather plain album cover mislead you, It's plain packaging covering a piece of gold.

I guess I would rate it 5 stars if it weren't for the really bad accent on Corcovado and So Danco Samba.
For me it ruined a otherwise perfectly good record.