ALEXIS COLE AND THE TAIPEI JAZZ ORCHESTRA

JAZZ REPUBLIC; TAIWAN, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE FREEDOM OF SWING

Tiger Turn Records

Alexis Cole, vocals; Gene Aitken, conductor; Cheng-Yu Jimmy Lee, director/woodwinds; Kaoru Uno & Teresa You, piano; Daniel Chen, guitar; Ikeda Kinya, bass; Yi Hsuan Kuo, drums; Jhih Yu Shih, percussion; WOODWINDS: Ruby Pan, Justin Liao, Chia-Chi Chang, & Sean Wang. TROMBONES: Ya-ying He, Michael Wang, Wang-Yih Cheng, & Jung-Hui Hsieh. TRUMPETS: Hawaii Liang, Hunagxian, Tsai Kai Lin, & Szu-Yu Shao.

Alexis Cole’s singing career began when she was a United States soldier performing with the Army Big Band at West Point. She returns to those big band roots on this production with the beautiful sound of the Taipei Jazz Orchestra.  Ms. Cole comes from a musical family where her maternal grandmother and her father were both pianists and singers.

On the opening tune titled “Common Ground” Alexis Cole shows her gymnastic vocal abilities as she scat-sings with the orchestra, letting her notes tumble freely and harmonically over each other during a spontaneous improvisation.  This presentation is followed by the ballad and old standard tune by Cole Porter, “Begin the Beguine.” Consistently, Cole establishes her perfect diction, no word left unheard.

The orchestra has chosen a number of familiar jazz songs for Alexis Cole to interpret like “Moon River” where featured artist, Tom Ranier makes a big statement on piano and clarinet. She also ‘covers’ “Here’s That Rainy Day,” “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Corcovado.”  I hear pure emotion when she sings “Bye Bye Blackbird,” with her jazzy vocal ability to add little twists and turns in the melody, reminiscent of Anita O’Day and Ella Fitzgerald.

The orchestra director and conductor also threw into the mix a few hit pop records like “Uptown Girl,” the Billy Joel feel-good anthem.  Conductor, Dr. Gene Aitken is a legendary jazz educator, Grammy Award Winner, and Fulbright Scholar who has been appointed by the US Department of State to serve as a cultural envoy to Nepal and Chile.  But Taiwan is where Aitken’s heart is at home and it beats to the rhythm of this orchestrated music.  He lives in Taiwan and has conducted several of its more renowned ensembles, including the Taipei Jazz Orchestra, directed by the brilliant Cheng-Yu Jimmy Lee. The orchestra musicians are dynamic and beautiful. This album is borne of friendship, talent and the unity that music always brings to the world. When we make music together, all our differences and politics melt away.  Alexis Cole holds the entire package together with her outstanding vocals.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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