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Denise Mangiardi
Denise Mangiardi: Brown Book
by Jerome Wilson
Denise Mangiardi dwells in two musical worlds, as both a jazz singer and an accomplished classical composer. She puts all her talents to good use on this CD, singing a collection of self-written ballads, folk songs and torch songs, over her own haunting arrangements. Mangiardi's moving string-writing appears on the two brief “Soundscape" instrumentals which bookend the album, as well as on the songs “The Exchange," “Waves," and “My Beauty"--which is really Thelonious Monk's “Ugly Beauty" with lyrics ...
read moreDenise Mangiardi: Fine Tuning
by Jack Bowers
This is an earlier release (recorded about three years ago) by vocalist Denise Mangiardi, whose more recent River of My Own we reviewed in November. Again, it consists primarily of her own compositions (eight of eleven) and again, Mangiardi’s lyrics are on the whole inscrutable (at least, to this listener; others may find them easily comprehensible). The melodies on which they rest are well–constructed but unremarkable. Same can be said of Mangiardi’s vocals. The voice is clear but generic, the ...
read moreDenise Mangiardi: River of My Own
by Jack Bowers
I’ve always had trouble with poetry. Too literal–minded, I suppose. Lyrics, which in their way are close to poetry, must have some purpose I can readily apprehend, else they fail to engage me. So it is that Denise Mangiardi’s River of My Own, while conceived no doubt with the best of intentions, leaves me perplexed and searching for the meaning she evidently had in mind. It’s my inadequacy, I know, but I’m simply unable to relate to lyrics such as ...
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