The dawn of a
Pretty World: Anne Walsh’s Brazilian
jazz-pop confections turning heads A celestial voice with a
refreshing outlook arrives on the jazz-adult pop scene with today’s (June 16)
release of Pretty World by Anne Walsh from A To Zink Music. Her classically-trained voice gracefully
guides a dozen dreamy compositions brimful of hope, optimism and romance. Walsh’s classy collection of elegant
standards, sensual Brazilian jazz rhythms and dramatic ballads enchants with
warmly produced live instrumentation meticulously performed by noted
musicians.
For her debut jazz outing -
previous releases include concept albums of lullabies (the Parent’s Choice
award-winning Baby Mine) and sacred music (Be
Still My Soul) - Walsh made it a family affair by tapping husband Thomas Zink to produce and orchestrate
Pretty World. While the record consists entirely of
lovingly selected covers, Joe
DeRenzo composed original lyrics to instrumentals by Pat Metheny (“So May It Secretly
Begin”), Keith Jarrett (“My Song”)
and Don Grolnick (“Pools”), which
added a unique element. To maintain
authenticity, Zink, who played piano, keyboards and synths, recruited gifted
musicians who had performed together while backing Sergio Mendes, including guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, bassists Carlitos Del Puerto and Jerry Watts, percussionist Tiki Pasillas, and saxophonist-flautist
Gary Meek, in addition to
multidimensional bassist Brian
Bromberg.
The first track from Pretty World gaining radio spins across
the nation, “Chove Chuva” is a cool swinging version of the Mendes original,
perfect for frolicking by the beach in the summer sun. To mark the album release, Walsh
performed with her band Sunday night (June 14) in Sherman Oaks, California at
Spazio and will take the stage backed by a quartet consisting of Bromberg,
Pasillas, Zink and drummer Chris
Wabich on Wednesday night (June 17) at Spaghettini’s in Seal Beach,
California. Reviewers have been
lavishing praise upon Pretty
World. Below are some of the
highlights. Urban
Network: “With her latest release,
Pretty World, she (Walsh) has padded
pure and barefoot into a spellbinding universe of impeccably selected songs from
the realms of Brazilian-kissed jazz.
The result is the most impressive contemporary approach to balancing
compositions deserving of wider recognition with standards as has been rendered
in many a velvet moon. Most
outstanding are three originally instrumental songs that were lyricized by Joe
DeRenzo…Each song is impeccably arranged…This is simply the most refreshing
contemporary jazz vocal album of the year.” Smooth Jazz
Therapy: “…Anne Walsh has sublimely
captured the concept of this planet of ours as a beautiful place to be. Her voice is as clear as a bell and as
she joyously interprets a range of songs that span the decades; the entire
collection is blessed with a luscious string section and picture perfect
production from husband Thomas Zink…Walsh navigates this wonderful amalgam of
buoyant Brazilian jazz grooves and poignant heart tugging ballads with total
aplomb yet the fact that three memorable instrumentals have been given original
lyrics, written specially for Walsh by Joe DeRenzo, simply adds to the
creativity of this refreshing piece of work…Anne Walsh is on a fast-track to
stardom.” Sounds of
Timeless Jazz: “…the dynamic song
stylist gives these tracks her best shot and wows listeners with versatile
phrasing, poignant interpretive skills and multi-octave vocal prowess. Walsh is accompanied by some of the best
musicians on the jazz scene today… The Portuguese version of ‘My Favorite
Things’ is one of the best songs on this recording. Walsh sings with ease and emotion over
beautiful orchestration and accomplished saxophone accompaniment by the great
Gary Meek and brilliant bass work by Brian Bromberg. Overall, Pretty World surpasses the standards
Walsh set for herself on her previous recording(s) and should delight her new
and existing fans.” Jazz
Weekly: “Her voice is as sweet as
sugar cane, yet with enough huskiness to give some push to the lyrics. An impressive debut for a lady who’s got
excellent taste and knows how to flavor a tune.” O’s Place Jazz
Newsletter: “The music is
refreshing and engaging…Walsh has a voice that is as comforting as a good
pillow!” Additional information is
available at www.annewalsh.com.
# # # Become enchanted with Anne
Walsh’s Pretty World on June
16th Jazz-adult pop vocalist
will release a delightful collection of swoon-inducing,
love-themed songs with Latin grooves Perspective is
everything. While presently some
see the world as a chaotic mess, others glimpse wonder and beauty in abundance
and the infinite possibilities created when rooted in love. As demonstrated on her debut jazz-adult
pop album, Pretty World, vocalist Anne Walsh falls into the latter
category. The gorgeous collection
of idyllic songs that thematically chronicle the complexities of love spanning
happiness, yearning, suffering and hope will be released June 16th by
A To Zink Music. Walsh’s husband, Thomas Zink, produced and arranged the
dozen tracks that consist of buoyant Brazilian jazz grooves and poignant
heart-tugging ballads. While Pretty World is comprised of cover
versions of standards (Cole Porter,
Rogers & Hammerstein), Brazilian
jazz (Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobim) and adult pop (Suzanne Vega, Kevyn Lettau) cuts, compositions by Pat Metheny (“So May It Secretly
Begin”), Keith Jarrett (“My Song”)
and Don Grolnick (“Pools”) were
given original lyrics penned for Walsh by Joe DeRenzo. Zink, who played piano, keyboards and
synths, fostered a live sound during the recording process by utilizing live
musicians and granting the gifted players the freedom and ample space to
improvise and spontaneously interact while never obstructing the spotlight
brightly focused upon Walsh’s angelic vocals. The exquisite production leans
organically acoustic and is graced with warm embraces from a lush string section
that added a range of emotion.
Impressive is the fact that Zink successfully managed to orchestrate
intricately produced tracks that sound sparse and airy. To add authenticity, contributing their
talents to the record was an accomplished bunch that has played with Mendes
including noted guitarist Oscar
Castro-Neves (Jobim), bassists Carlitos Del Puerto and Jerry Watts, percussionist Tiki Pasillas, and saxophonist-flautist
Gary Meek in addition to
multidimensional bassist Brian
Bromberg. “Much of the music on Pretty World was written in the 1970’s
when there was an exciting fusion of so many great musical forces. There’s
something brave about these songs and I wanted to be a part of the music from
that era. There was a real musical
freedom to explore, and we set out to capture some of the crazy diversity that
resulted,” explained Walsh. “I’m
drawn to songs that feel good, groove, communicate a truth, express an emotion
or tell a story. As a performer of
songs written by others, Tom & I felt that we owed it to the music to add
something unique. We wanted that to
come through on both the vocals and the arrangements. I hope the album paints a picture of
beauty, love, joy, pain, heartbreak, blessings and the mystery of relationships
while celebrating and honoring the composers of some of my favorite music.”
Walsh was raised in
The songs contained on
Walsh’s Pretty World
are: “Pretty World”
“Pools” “So May It Secretly
Begin”
“Night And Day” “Caramel”
“My Favorite Things” “Waters of March”
“Winter” “Chove Chuva”
“He Loves You” “In The Still Of The
Night”
“My Song” # #
#