Looking around for jazz divas? Ann Hampton Callaway may be singing the Blues in the Night (Telarc), but her backers include the Diva Jazz Orchestra as well as Ted Rosenthal, Christian McBride, and Lewis Nash.We're talkin' "Stormy Wea- ther" blues, but we're also talkin' (in one of her originals) "The I'm-Too-White-to-Sing-the-Blues Blues." And we're listenin' in surround, because the set is available on multichannel SACD.
Meanwhile, on stereo CD, try Jackie Allen's Tangled (Blue Note), Geri Allen's Timeless Portraits and Dreams (Telarc), Nancy Wilson's Turned to Blue (MCG Jazz), and discs from two French stars: Laïka Fatien's Look at Me Now! (Body & Soul) and, due in October, Arielle Dombasle's C'est Si Bon (Sony BMG France).
Of course, the jazz diva with the most je ne sais quoi is Diana Krall, but she does divulge that From This Moment On (Verve) "reflects the joy in my marriage and family." She's referring to Elvis Costello and their baby-to-be, due in December. Okay, everybody, check out her glow below and sing along with me: "We are watching the expectant!"
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