Search - Earl Coleman :: Earl Coleman Returns

Discover Earl Coleman!

M. Allen Greenbaum | California | 08/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An often overlooked vocalist, some fans know Earl Coleman as one of the few (if not only) vocalists to perform with Charlie Parker. No Parker here, just Coleman's laid-back deep voice, expertly accompanied on ten standards. Coleman has a very rich baritone; the comparisons to Eckstine and Hartman are apt. These performances were recorded in 1955 and 1956 by the well-known Rudy Van Gelder; remastering was done in 1994 at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California. Coleman's voice is a treat, somewhat like Andy Bey's recent releases, but he varies the tempo a little more than does Bey. Musicians on the CD include such greats as Art Farmer (t), Hank Jones (d), Gigi Gryce (as), Oscar Pettiford (b), Shadow Wilson (d), and Gene Ammons (ts). A quartet plays the first three songs, expanding to a quintet on tracks #4-6, then a septet on tracks #7-10. While Farmer and Jones, in particular, are outstanding in the quartet, I found that the larger ensembles produced more layers, particularly in the middle range. Gigi Gryce is superb, and Pettiford plays a suitable restrained bass line. On the last 4 songs (with seven pieces comping), Coleman is even more expressive and looser, perhaps his big deep voice is best matched with larger bands. And, wow, do the saxophones ever tear into it on these cuts! (A minor disappointment was the beautiful 'Ghost of a Chance' -- did they add some echo-effects? Not as intimate or well-recorded as the other songs.) Still, this is worth a listen: 46 minutes of smoooooth, romantic vocals with some of the best instrumentalists of the period."

Rich warn jazz tinged baritone...

M. Allen Greenbaum | 10/01/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You can certianly hear the influences of Billy Eckstine, Johnny Hartman, and Dick Haymes in the rich warm jazz tinged bariton of the extremely talented Earl Coleman. This CD is a must buy, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to all jazz vocal fans and snobs alike."

Earl has an amazing melancholic droning Baritone voice

Paris1929 | Paris | 09/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I discovered Earl Coleman by chance, picking-up this LP in a used record store in London. Earl has an amazing melancholic droning Baritone voice, his vocals on this album are nicely complimented by the jazz band that backs him. If you're looking for laid back, melancholic jazz songs then this album is a very good pick, Earl Coleman is an original and in a class of his own with his own brand of singing. This album evokes it's own special feeling, I'm particularly fond of and highly recommend on this album: Say It Isn't So; Social Call; and It's You or No One."