Round Midnight

Karrin Allyson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 3, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Concord Records
• ASIN: B004SC8WCY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,785 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2011 album from the Grammy nominated Jazz vocalist. The tracks on `Round Midnight come from a wide variety of sources, including Bill Evans, Paul Simon, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mandel, Thelonious Monk, Stephen Sondheim, even Charlie Chaplin. But regardless of who wrote the songs and when, Allyson ties them all together with the same melancholy thread with which they were originally spun. The three time Grammy nominated vocalist describes her new album best in her liner notes: imagine yourself, in the city, walking late at night, she writes, it's `Round Midnight. The wind is cold, but you hear some warm sounds and you follow your ear down into a small, dark club. There's a woman at the piano singing these intimate ballads one after the other. Maybe you've just recently suffered a heartache, or maybe the lyrics, melodies and harmonies evoke feelings you have somewhere deep down inside.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Performance May 8, 2011

By K. Schmidt

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of Karrin Allyson's finest recordings. It's quieter than some, with slower tempos, and I don't think there's any scatting. But there are heartfelt, nuanced interpretations of good songs that, with the exception of the title tune, are not heard too often. I'm especially glad that she included "There's No Such Thing As Love". Allyson plays the piano herself on this recording. Bob Sheppard on woodwinds and Rod Fleeman on guitar provide stellar instrumental support.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What a gorgeous voice May 15, 2011

By Jazz lover

Format:Audio CD

This CD has a very nice "late night" feel. Slow and medium tempo songs (although the first track has a pretty upbeat, swinging middle). Karrin's voice though the whole CD is just gorgeous. The instrumentation is quite varied, with different combinations of instruments on each song. Karrin plays all the piano parts herself. Also featured are electric guitar, acoustic guitar, tenor sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet, alto flute, and some really great harmonica solos! The emphasis is on vocals, but most of the songs have at least one instrumental solo, keeping a nice jazzy feel throughout. She does only a bit of scatting, at the end of one song. The songs are wonderful. The title track, Monk's "Round Midnight" is a hypnotic duet between voice and bass.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tempting,understated,quiet,nuanced and vital. May 11, 2011

By Azoic

Format:Audio CD

This I believe-Karrin Allyson is arguably the finest jazz/pop singer working today .There exists both an alluring world weariness and a childish naivete in her voice/product.Symbiotic arrangements and a classic delivery make for a five star effort.You will not be disappointed.There is a reason that Allyson has been a guest on A Prairie Home Companion so many times.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything, EVERYTHING needed for an outstanding CD June 4, 2011

By Gideon Reader

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I will try to smother my natural tendency towards overwordiness.
This CD has:
An excellent talent, with terrific backing.
Fine technical production.
A great list of music selections.
The three legs of the stool that any worthy CD rests on.
Karrin allyson has her best work by far in "Round Midnight".
If you cannot observe her in live performance; this recording will
soothe that loss.
It has recieved almost continual play since delovery.
You will never regret the purchase of this CD.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" March 15, 2012

By Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

"Each of these songs holds great meaning for me--as I hope they do or will for you." ~ Karrin Allyson ~

Before turning in last Saturday night, I adjusted my clocks and watches one hour forward for Daylight Saving Time. To me, it is a reminder that Spring is just around the corner. It is a favorite season for many, including myself, but sometimes...and yes, "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most." Karrin Allyson's impressive delivery of this 1955 standard by Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf is one of the best so far. This is one of the many tracks that she plays the ivories with the backing of her band mates Rod Fleeman (electric guitar), Ed Howard (bass) and Matt Wilson (drums).

"'Round Midnight," was nominated for "Best Vocal Jazz Album" in 2012 Grammy Awards. There's no doubt that this is one of the best jazz albums released in 2011. Apart from this one, I have three other albums of hers: Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane, From Paris to Rio and Imagina: Songs of Brasil. I have the same degree of appreciation for "'Round Midnight" and the amazing tribute album to John Coltrane.

How could a recording such as this with sparse instrumentation sound so beautiful?... All it takes are Karrin Allyson's fine vocals, remarkable technique in piano, arranging skills; Ron Fleeman's mastery in guitar; Matt Wilson's striking drums; Bob Sheppard's multi-talents in tenor/soprano saxophone, alto flute, bass clarinet plus Randy Weinstein's splendid harmonica to make this album stand out and worthy to any jazz lover's music collection. The instrumentations are exceptional particularly the soulful solos on "Sophisticated Lady" and "Smile"(harmonica), "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (soprano sax), "The Shadow Of Your Smile" (alto flute) and "Goodbye" (guitar).

If there's a lady-singer counterpart of Frank Sinatra when it comes to concept albums such as Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, Where Are You? and In the Wee Small Hours, it would certainly be Karrin Allyson in her most emotional renditions of the songs in this bluesy album. Like Frank Sinatra, she can pull it off effortlessly in a manner that listeners are moved and affected. She is an effective singer who can completely convey the melancholy message of each song through her expressive voice. And that to me is an acid test of a real singer--to be able to touch the musical sensitivity of the listeners like she does in her heartfelt readings of "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Sophisticated Lady," "Smile," "Goodbye" and the title track featuring the terrific bass work of Ed Howard. I can also attest that she's very good at live show having watched the DVD of Voices of Concord Jazz - Live at Montreux where she performed to perfection "Moanin'" and "Little Boat."

This is an album that is well-conceived, well-produced and well-rendered. Kudos to Karrin Allyson and her band of fine musicians. I'm looking forward to her next recording. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Every track is good. May 7, 2012

By Eileen M. Klees

Format:Audio CD

I own at least five Karrin Allyson CDs and there isn't one where I can listen to every song. I really love her voice, yet I find her arrangements occasionally lack something or just miss the mark. "Round Midnight" is an exception to this.

I expected to find the slow pace/ballad selection of songs to be the usual hit or miss collection similar to her other albums, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found I liked every song she sang. The arrangements suited Karrin's voice and style perfectly. Plus, (as usual) she chose songs very seldom recorded by other vocalists.

All in all, this may be Ms Allyson's best album for integrity of composition and arrangement.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a new concept album December 25, 2011

By Jim

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have long wanted a concept jazz album like some of Sinatra's. And I have grown really to dislike jazz albums that alternate sad, melancholy songs with uptempo ones. The sad songs send you to a sweet, blue mood, and then you get jolted back by something "jazzy." It is annoying. The songs on this album are consistent in character and mood, one following another beautifully. Karrin's smoky voice is aging wonderfully, and the band and arrangements are superb. This is one of the very best albums in years, on par with Shirley Horn's last two albums. If this doesn't win a Grammy, then that academy will have proven itself to be as insignificant as people claim.