Kisses In The Rain

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is a diverse set of standards and original tunes that aims at the intimacy and spontaneity of John Pizzarelli's live performance with a studio setting. The singer-guitarist's long-established trio with pianist Ray Kennedy and brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass just keeps getting better, working with an instrumentation that Nat "King" Cole first perfected in the '40s and which also served Oscar Peterson well in the '50s. The trio achieves a sound that's both smooth and complex when all the parts are working in perfect synch, and that's what happening here. Whether they're flying on uptempo numbers like "I Got Rhythm," with Pizzarelli scatting in unison with his guitar, or playing at a medium bounce on the Cole signature "When I Take My Sugar to Tea," the group swings magnificently. Pizzarelli's light but resilient voice can suggest Chet Baker at slower tempos, but his relaxed delivery and conversational ease contribute to this music's distinctive charm. He sounds particularly good on some great Jimmy Van Heusen songs, both the well-known "I Thought About You" and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and the rarely heard "I Could Have Told You So." Pizzarelli's ingrained familiarity with the great American songbook is such that his own songs--like the witty "I Wouldn't Trade You" and the effective title ballad--sound right at home beside the classics. Kennedy wrote the sole instrumental, "Oscar Night," a fittingly ebullient tribute to Peterson. --Adam Rains

From Jazziz
"It's one thing to say, 'Let's make a record that captures the feeling of a live concert,' but another to actually do it," according to guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli. But Pizzarelli and his trio, pianist Ray Kennedy and bassist brother Martin Pizzarelli, did their damnedest - recording without headphones and in close surroundings. "The atmosphere was one of a living-room jam session," says John. "I hope that everyone who has applauded and supported us in concert will feel that this record... read more

Kisses In The Rain

Kisses In The Rain, Music, John Pizzarelli, Jazz, Jazz Music, Pop, Swing

Average customer rating:

WOW !

Decent effort...

Wonderful CD!!!!!

Smooth Trumpet Sounds

Loved it!

Kisses in the Rain
Rick Braun
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000059LYW
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Tracks:

Car Wash 2000
Kisses In The Rain
Use Me
Grover's Groove
Your World
Middle Of The Night
One For The Girls
Song For You
Simplicity
Emma's Song

Amazon.com

Trumpeter Rick Braun's first recording for Warner Bros. is an agreeable, low-key affair, one perhaps more notable for its covers than its original material. Braun makes an especially sagacious choice in selecting Bill Withers's smoldering "Use Me" for this disc, creating a playfully seductive interpretation that makes the tune appear almost custom-crafted for Braun's trumpet and flugelhorn. He later embellishes Leon Russell's "Song for You" with modest hip-hop textures, employing Shai to lend a soulful touch to the vocals. Meanwhile, Braun's own material is stylish and urbane, though some might argue that his sound here is more competent than compelling. Guitarists Norman Brown ("Car Wash 2000") and Peter White (the title track) take guest spins but ignite few sparks. Braun's best moments come when he layers some imaginative lines over the languid melody of "Middle of the Night," then later gently closes the shades with the final piece, the tender "Emma's Song." Feel like discovering a little-known but hugely deserving talent on flugelhorn? Take a chance on Platypus by London-born musician Gerald Presencer. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews:

WOW !.......2005-03-23

Rick Braun is the best of the best EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!
i got all his CDs plus Casino Lights DVD .......that's just fantabulous !!!!!!!

Decent effort..........2003-10-21

There's nothing new here. A typical KKSF (San Francisco), KJZY (Santa Rosa,CA), WCDJ (Boston), KTWV (LA),WSJT( Tampa) type CD. Don't get me wrong. I love Smooth Jazz... for what it is. I was drawn to this CD after hearing the collabo' with Shai on one of my all-time favorite songs " A Song for You". Nice to hear Shai get some new work as their first CD back in 1992 is special to me harking back to the days when I was a freshman in college serenading their songs to the young ladies in Olivia Davidson Hall at Tuskegee University. You've no doubt heard "Car Wash 2000" on your local Clear Channel Smooth Jazz Station. Decent effort there. I also liked " Use Me". If you like Smooth Jazz, you'll like this CD... Nothing special... just another CD to add to the 300 disc player to add to your shuffle play during a BBQ party on the back deck.

Wonderful CD!!!!!.......2003-01-01

If you love great trumpet playing you will love this album.

Smooth Trumpet Sounds.......2002-04-27

Honey smooth and flowing, like warm rain trickling down the face, that's the refreshing sounds this jazz trumpeter provides on this collection.

Some are his embellishment of other's compositions, particularly good here are "Song for You" and "Use Me."

His compositions along with friends are mellow typically, and fit well into the Smooth Jazz format many of us have come to enjoy and gravitate to for FM enjoyment and our own CD collections. The backup instrumentalists here are nice, particularly the guitar work done by Peter White on acoustic guitar (love the work on title track).

Loved it!.......2002-02-08

Rick submitted 10 great track...although Kisses In The Rain is supreme! I see why he and Boney James gel so well!