(Review by Ann Alex)
Patrick Barnitt grew up among his
musical family in New Jersey USA where he played sax, bass, piano and also
sang. He became an actor and then began singing in jazz clubs around LA. He has
sung at the Dresden Hollywood night club for the last 25 years, whilst also
playing many roles as an actor in films and TV, including appearances in Star
Trek. Barnitt had always wanted to do a big band CD, and this is it.
And this is a very enjoyable CD,
especially for those who like singers doing their stuff with a big band of
stellar musicians. We get mostly jazz standards and Latin numbers and also
interpretations of 3 pop songs, sung in a warm tenor voice. Standout tracks
include Please Be Kind (new to me) with interesting lyrics such as 'Well
this is my first affair, handle my heart with care'; Sway, which is done
as a bolero-mambo, with Latin percussion; Ace Blues, which is a happy
sort of blues with a rocky guitar solo; The Truth is a duet with Laura
Pursell, each singer taking alternate lines, and a bluesy piano solo.
The best track on my reckoning is the last
one, a heartfelt rendition of One For My Baby, a sad atmospheric ballad
with strings and piano accompaniment. Touch Me (originally by the Doors)
is the least successful track and doesn't quite come off, but that may be
because I don't believe that anyone can do Doors songs as well as they did. The
other tracks are The More I See You; I've Got You Under My Skin: Cascade;
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?; Quando Quando Quando; Won't You Come
Home Bill Bailey?; Just In Time.
Patrick Barnitt – Sway is currently available in
stores and online.
Patrick Barnitt (vocals); Paul McDonald (piano); Ricky Z (guitar); Cooper Appelt (bass);Jake Reed (drums); Rusty Higgins, Mike Nelson (alto sax); Eric Morones, Brian Clancey (tenor sax); Ken Fisher (baritone sax); Bijon Watson, Walter Simonson, Jeff Jarvis, Barbara Loronga (trumpet); Paul Young, Duane Benjamin, Nick DePinna, Rich Bullock (trombone) + guests on various tracks: Stephen Oberhoff (piano, Hammond B3, keyboards, guitar, percussion, strings); Kendall Kay (drums); Celso Alberti (percussion, drums); Robert Kyle (flute, tenor sax); Everette Harp (sax); Laura Pursell (vocals); Meloney Collins, Kenna Ramsey, Laura Dickinson (backing singers)
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