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AllAboutJazz.com

Denise Donatelli brings the rich texture of her voice and the subtle rhythmic stride of her phrasing to the forum through a program of familiar jazz standards on In the Company of Friends. Working with an all-star ensemble of Los Angeles veterans, she's comfortable with a balance of heartfelt interpretation and sparkling musical persuasion.

“You Don't Know What Love Is” proves sultry and exotic as the singer cools her delivery with whispered sighs and then builds the aura with powerful vocal punctuation. Sparkling with syncopated clusters, the music reinforces a lyric message that attempts to describe the way we feel when driven by emotion. Anxious chords and furious phrases strengthen the song's intentions.

“Send in the Clowns” brings a relaxed accompaniment into play in order to focus on Donatelli's hauntingly questioning lyric interpretation. The song represents a search. She prefers to maintain a mellow pace, bringing the song to its fruition without muss or fuss.

She's at her best with a fast romp like “This is New” or a sultry blues like Tom Garvin's ”Roarin' Borin' Alice.” Donatelli, convincing in her interpretation of lyrics and musically refreshing in her partnership with this all-star ensemble, gives her audience an affair to remember and comes recommended for her loyalty to the jazz backbone.
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- Jim Santella

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Jersey Jazz

Until a couple of weeks ago, I had never heard of Denise Donatelli. Then I received a CD in the mail from Jazzed Media by a vocalist with that handle.

So I popped it into my CD player, and I was instantly pleased that I had suddenly become aware of her. In the Company of Friends (Jazzed Media – 1008) is one hell of a fine debut album. Having the hip arrangements of pianist Tom Garvin; the musical support of bassist Tom Warrington, drummer Steve Houghton; and a fine cast of guests like guitarist Peter Woodford, trumpeter Clay Jenkins, trombonist Andy Martin, reedmen Bob Sheppard, Tom Peterson and Brian Scanlon, and percussionist Brian Kilgore gives Donatelli a comfortable musical environment in which to flourish and flourish she does. The temptation with a set like this is to give a song by song rundown, but space and energy limit me, so lets touch on a few highlights.

“’Round Midnight” includes a rarely heard verse and sets her rendition with acuity. The romp through “This Is New,” a gem from Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson that has been mostly ignored for too long, is exhilarating. Tom Garvin supplied the tune, and Pat Cooper the lyrics for the playfully titled “A Roarin’ Borin’ Alice,” a song with some of the hippest lyrics this side of Oscar Brown Jr. The rhythm of “A Sleepin’ Bee” is one that is in synch with the kind of rocking motion that would put even the most ornery stinger at ease. Donatelli has a sound that would have fit perfectly in the fertile world of classic 50’s pop/jazz female singers. She is not simply a throwback, however, as Garvin’s arrangements keep her very much in today’s non-rock mainstream. In the Company of Friends should garner wide audience for the vocal talent of Denise Donatelli.

  - Joe Lang

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Euroclubdejazz.com

It was a pleasure to receive the finished album from one of our EuroClubde Jazz Featured Artists, Denise Donatelli.

Denise has been working on this project for a few years with some of the finest musicians who include pianist and album arranger Tom Garvin, bassist Tom Warrington, drummer Steve Houghton and an equally impressive array of reedmen.

The CD liner notes were written by another fan of hers, Phil Woods and Tom Scott and Mark Murphy both echo the sentiments of Woods when they hail her as an 'exceptional' jazz vocal talent.

In my opinion the recipe for any successful album is to get great songs, hire great musicians and give them great arrangements which let them expand and improvise as jazz musicians should do. Denise has done just that with this new set scheduled for a June 2005 release.

Tom Garvin's arrangements take Denise on some wonderful excursions, which add a new dimension to classics like the opening 'On Green Dolphin Street', Monk's iconic 'Round Midnight' and Judy Collin's hit 'Send In the Clowns'.

I particularly like her ability to 'Tell A Tale' on the original Garvin cut 'A Roarin' Borin' Alice' which is a tongue-in-cheek affair with a lady of the night, on this Denise is toying with tonality and the storytelling gift of Carmen McRae or Diane Schuur.

She offers a splendid raw jazz edge on 'The Thrill Is Gone' which reminds me of the great live tracks from Billie Holiday. The sax solo from Tom Peterson adds that touch of authenticity which takes the listener back to another era of candlelit, linen covered tables standing on and around a 30’s or 40's dance floor.

The Garvin arrangements on the album differentiate the set from many of the albums which cross my desk, so often artists take a song from the American Songbook and sing it with more than a thread of similarity to the original recording, for me if you can't add anything to the original, leave it alone. Denise certainly adds her chemistry and musical embrace to songs like 'You Don't Know What Love Is', 'A Sleepin' Bee' and the melodic Dave Gruisin / Alan Bergman track 'When Summer Turns To Snow.'

The instrumentation on the set is outstanding and although always adding creativity behind the scenes, the musicians are never overpowering and the core piano trio, soft horns, flute and guitar are like adding seasoning to a good sauce or smelling the aroma of a fine wine which has just been opened.

Denise Donatelli is a 'jazz singer' in the true sense of the word, unlike many of today's protagonists who call themselves jazz singers, she has nirvana which is true to the 'core of jazz', entertaining, sincere, succinct and full of improvisation.

The whole package has a pristine feel to it with all the 'i' dotted and the 't's' crossed, it is a 'classy' affair which encapsulates the 'sense of discovery' which jazz is all about.

A must for all vocal jazz fans who enjoy Carmen McRae, Dianne Reeves, Diane Schuur, Sarah Vaughan or Dee Dee Bridgewater, Denise Donatelli may be a new name to many but not for long.

Released June 2005.

EuroClubdeJazz Rating - 10/10

 - Wes Gillespie, Editor

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- Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene