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Roz Corral

Combining a natural feel for jazz with an evocative interpretation of a lyric, Roz Corral offers a fresh approach to a song. This New York City-based singer makes her recording debut with Telling Tales, a combination of standards and lesser known entries beautifully arranged and sung, accompanied by a group of some of the finest young musicians in jazz. Corral is an excellent story teller and Telling Tales aptly describes the essence of her singing style. As the great jazz vocalist Mark Murphy puts it: "...Roz always goes to the heart of a song." In his liner notes, Chicago broadcaster/writer Neil Tesser has this to say: "She finds the heart of a song's message, as contained in the lyrics, then she finds the best way to convey that message musically, in a timbre adult, throaty, and knowing. Telling Tales may be her first album, but his is no ingenue; her command of phrasing proves that."

Another important aspect of Roz Corral's singing is her freedom with rhythm, which allows for the hard swing feel in the tradition of some of our great jazz vocalists. This combination of attention to lyric and musical ease is evident in her swinging opener, "Too Close For Comfort," her hard-hitting version of "I'll Never Be The Same," the Brazilian feel of Frishberg's "Wheelers and Dealers," or her poignant versions of the rarely heard "I've Got No Strings" and "Say It Isn't So."

Clearly in her element, Roz Corral is known for her live performances, where her sense of joy is palpable. In celebration of her CD release, she will perform with her sextet at New York's Jazz Standard. She has performed as part of the JVC Jazz Festival's club participation at Sweet Rhythm, the 55 Bar, Flushing Town Hall and holds forth at a regular Sunday jazz brunch with notable guitar/bass backing at North Square, in the Washington Square Hotel.

Her band lends invaluable support to this first project. Reedman Steve Wilson has performed as a member of two of the finest working bands in jazz, those led by Dave Holland and Chick Corea. In the latter he played with trombonist Steve Davis and versatile drummer Jeff Ballard. Ballard and the extraordinary bassist Larry Grenadier currently anchor the Brad Mehldau Trio. Both guitarist/arranger John Hart and co-producer, pianist/arranger Bruce Barth have a series of well-received recordings as leaders. Barth, who gained recognition as part of Terence Blanchard's group, is also known for his work with such notables as Nancy Wilson and Toots Thielman, as well as the highly regarded newcomers Luciana Sousa and Carla Cook.

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Remembering Roz Corral: Doyenne Of The New York Jazz Vocal Scene

Read "Remembering Roz Corral: Doyenne Of The New York Jazz Vocal Scene" reviewed by AAJ Staff


The New York jazz community lost a beloved member with the passing of vocalist Roz Corral, who died Tuesday, September 27, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Originally from Marin County, CA, Roz moved to New York as a young adult, with plans to be a professional dancer. Instead, she found herself singing at open mic nights, dabbling in cabaret, and eventually growing more serious about singing jazz, studying at Barry Harris's Jazz Cultural Theater. ...

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Multiple Reviews

Roz Corral: Telling Tales; Rene Marie: Serene Renegade

Read "Roz Corral: Telling Tales; Rene Marie: Serene Renegade" reviewed by Donald Elfman


Sure there have been more discs from female jazz singers now than at almost any other time, but they've enabled us to find women whom we might not have had the good fortune to find before -women who understand the tradition, choose their material carefully and care about telling a story. Roz Corral Telling Tales Blujazz 2005 Roz Corral started her musical life as a cabaret singer but ...

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Album Review

Roz Corral: Telling Tales

Read "Telling Tales" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


Originally from the Bay Area but now a longtime New York singer, Roz Corral makes her recording debut on Telling Tales, which does a fine job of showcasing her ability to swing, emote effectively on ballads, and provide a well-mixed set list. She also gets by with a lot of help from her musician friends. Each band member has superior credentials and most have multiple albums available under their own names.

Pianist and arranger Bruce Barth contributes some ...

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Album Review

Roz Corral: Telling Tales

Read "Telling Tales" reviewed by Paul Lewis


Post-bop and vocal fans both have a reason to check out Roz Corral's debut album, Telling Tales, an impeccable presentation of a seasoned, confident voice singing well-written, enjoyable tunes with a swingin', modernist combo.

Arranger, singer, and musicians alike rarely give such attention to lyrics. This is the beauty of Telling Tales. The album tells a sort of musical story that is richly illustrated and comes full-circle emotionally--up, down, around, and finishing upbeat again. The icing on the ...

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