PRESS
Gould is blessed with a deep, effective voice; she realizes not only how to use space, but she also gives ample room for her musicians to solo.
Ken Dryden - All Music
Rachel Gould with the Renato D'Aiello Quartet
(Pizza Express Dean Street. January 19th 2012. Review by Sarah Ellen Hughes)
Rachel Gould is an American jazz singer, now resident in the UK having spent many years living in Holland. As such, the maturity and experience that she brings to her profession is considerable. A singer who has recorded with Chet Baker amongst others, proved at the Pizza Express Jazz Club, that she is up there amongst the best.
Gould was performing with an international quartet led by UK-based Italian saxophonist Renato D’Aiello, whom she met whilst singing in Europe. Their friendship has remained strong, and their rapport on stage showed the mutual respect they have for each other.
The quartet was fantastic: Enzo Zirilli, as always a force to be reckoned with at the drums; bassist Nicola Muresu with his nimble fingers. Renato D’Aiello was superb on tenor saxophone, his soloing terrific throughout. Boy, can he swing. And Bruno Montrone was a revelation at the piano, drawing lyrical horn-like phrasing out of the instrument, whether ballad or bebop. No wonder he’s hailed as one of Italy’s finest young players.
Gould, though, was the star of the show. Admittedly, I felt that she was not entirely comfortable at points – this may have been owing to her slight bashfulness and unassuming personality – but she certainly nailed the vocals. There was a touch of Carmen McRae about her, particularly in the swooping and soaring of phrases, the deeply resonant low notes and faultless diction. Gould's sprightly and sure-footed octave-hopping (I reckon the range is about three) in I want to be happy was particularly impressive.
Two tunes really grabbed me. A D’Aeillo original (instrumental) called Sea Goddess, was wonderful, and gave Muresu a chance to show off his fast fingerwork. Gould’s rendition of What is there to say, by Vernon Duke, was the highlight of the second set – a daringly slow arrangement impeccably delivered.
Now that she’s a resident here, I hope to be seeing Rachel Gould on our jazz stages much more.
London Jazz News - Pizza Express Dean Street. January 19th 2012. Review by Sarah Ellen Hughes
La Geco Records si sta affermando come una casa discografica orientata su un mainstream fatto con cura dei particolari, dalla copetina alla qualità dell´incisione alla musica. Un esempio è questo omaggio ad uno dei grandi della canzone americana: Hoagy Carmichael, autore di melodie che sono ormai storia e che sono state nel repertorio di praticamente tutti i jazzisti di nome.
Un´impresa non facile, se non altro per i possibili confronti, superata con bravura dal gruppo del chitarrista Luigi Tessarollo con la cantante americana (ma spesso in Europa, dove insegna) Rachel Gould. A parte la bella voce e la sicurezza interpretativa, ci sono arrangiamenti che rendono le composizioni dall´aspetto moderno, piacevoli, quasi uscite da una cura antiaging. Il chitarrista ci mette tutto l´impegno possibile, preciso ed attento a quelle che sono le atmosfere evocate dalle parole del testo.
"Two Sleepy People" lo vede accompagnare da solo la Gould, in un´esecuzione memorabile, che mette insieme tecnica esecutiva e la capacità di trasmettere emozioni. E lo "Skylark" che segue subito dopo, introdotto dall´assolo di contrabbasso di Riccardo Fioravanti è un altro dei momenti più interessanti di un disco variegato, che mostra con disinvoltura cambiamenti di formazione, come in "Baltimore Oriole" eseguito senza la partecipazione del batterista ed il finale "Blue Orchids," eseguito in duo dalla cantante e dal contrabbasso di Fioravanti.
Si tratta di un omaggio riuscito, fatto con mezzi "minimalisti," senza assoli ridondanti o sfoggi di capacità tecniche fuori contesto. C´è tanta passione per canzoni memorabili eseguite con sincerità, che rende il disco molto godibile.
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