Two vocalists - Nicolas Bearde and Ed Reed

[GA Russell]

I have recently received promos of a couple of new vocal albums which are worth recommending.

The Nicolas Bearde is called Live At Yoshi's/A Salute to Lou.

Recorded last October 16, it was party time at Yoshi's. You can tell that everyone in the audience had a smile on his face the whole time.

Bearde is more of an adult pop singer than a jazz singer. The band was a sax/piano/bass/drums quartet with a little soloing by the sax. The songs are standards, including a medley of Lou Rawls' hits.

Bearde has a very good voice. I like this one a lot.

*****

Ed Reed has issued his second album on his own Blue Shorts label called The Song is You.

You may recall our discussion of his first album from a year ago, Sings Love Songs, here:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...994&hl=Reed

Reed is an old man who can still sing, and that's just what he sounds like. He reminds me of Uncle Remus in Song of the South singing Zippa Dee Doo Dah.

This too is an album of standards, albeit recorded in a studio.

I noticed that Doug Ramsey featured this on his Rifftides blog.