I loved every mile of ROUND TRIP.
- Ken Dryden, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Marilyn Harris, one of the last of the true practitioners of
hipness, has
blessed us with another quality
CD. Backed by the wonderful L.A. Jazz All-Stars Big Band
this CD always
rocks, swings and knocks it out
of the park . . . This CD belongs in the library of anyone who
loves great
writing and singing talent.
- Peter La Barbera, Jazz Zine
No question about it, ROUND TRIP is an entertaining and
compelling
recording that showcases a
superb performance by one of the best jazz vocalists in the
business
today...A disc that will appeal to
anyone who likes music.
- Edward Blanco, eJazzNews.com
Vocalist Marilyn Harris' latest release features a healthy
supply of good time
swing and blues.
Featuring some of Los Angeles' finest musicians, ROUND
TRIP finds Harris in
excellent form. Her
cheerful voice is perfectly suited for large band ensemble
work...mainstream
vocals are taken on an
excellent journey on Harris' ROUND TRIP. You should take
the ride, too.
- George Harris, All About Jazz - L. A.
Marilyn Harris knows how to write songs - clever songs,
knowing songs,
novel songs, heartfelt songs
(ten of which appear here) - but some of you already know
this from her
previous discs. What you may
NOT know is that Mark Wolfram, her onstage-offstage
partner, writes big,
colorful arrangements: he
mines the jazz orchestra for the range of colors and textures
that Harris'
songs inhabit so well. Blend in
the all-star big band you hear here, alloyed by the hand-
picked guest
soloists, and how can you lose?
- Neil Tesser, Co-host Listen Here!
In addition to Marilyn Harris' non-forced, no nonsense, all
grown up voice,
this album shines due to
some great, new, swinging tunes. These are songs the way
songs used to be
written, with clever,
intelligent lyrics and actual strong melody lines that go right
where they
should . . . This is a very well
conceived album of excellent tunes by a voice who, it should
be said, gets
it.
- Jazz Society of Oregon
There is a strain of jazz singer that focuses on jazz's urbane
tendencies,
alternating between a well-
honed cynicism and raucous playfulness in much the same
way that Irving
Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael
did. Singer Marilyn Harris runs in this fast crowd, often writing
her own clever
wordplay and sometimes
the music as well. Here, joined by a studio big band and even
guest singer
Bob Dorough, Harris creates
a skilled program where her wit is matched by tight
arrangements that
emphasize each punch line.
Highlights include an ode to bebop entitled Bebop High, her
cutting They're
Gonna Love Me (which
mocks jazz's tendency to embrace dead legends), and the
altogether upbeat
Round Trip. While Harris
easily won over the JazzWeek attendees with her solo
performance, couching
crisp clean voice in these
big band arrangements adds an undeniable punch that should
win over the
rest of the radio panel.
- Tad Hendrickson, JazzWeek
ROUND TRIP would be worth the price for the L.A. Jazz All-
Stars alone. As a
bonus, we get a terrific
singer/songwriter, Marilyn Harris, who wrote or co-wrote ten
of the album's
dozen selections and uses
her pleasing mid-range voice and effervescent personality to
amply enliven
every one of them . . .Harris
writes clever lyrics that call to mind Dave Frishberg, Mose
Allison, Jon
Hendricks, Dave Lambert,
Blossom Dearie, Giacomo Gates and Bob Dorough (with
whom she duets on
one of her compositions,
Cool) . . her voice is crystal clear, her intonation solid and
her diction
flawless . . . Dorough, by the
way, nestles in so snugly on Cool that one could believe he
had written it
himself. There's one more
engaging duet, with producer/arranger Mark Wolfram on Way
Out Here in
the Country. Elsewhere,
Harris is on her own, and throws herself eagerly into every
song . . .it's a
great band, showcasing
seasoned pros in every section, precise ensemble work, nice
charts and brief
but crackling solos by the
likes of tenor Pete Christlieb, altos Dan Higgins and Don
Shelton, trombonists
Andy Martin and Bill
Watrous, trumpeter Warren Luening, guitarist Jim Fox and
bassist Chuck
Berghofer. The songs are
consistently clever and refreshing, from the opening Round
Trip to The
Cards Keep Comin', I Don't
Gamble, Bebop High, The Wisdom of Sam Kinison and
They're Gonna
Love Me, Marian McPartland/
Johnny Mercer's tender Twilight World and the others
already noted . . . this
is a splendid album by a
wonderful singer and band, one that is easily recommended.
- Jack Bowers, All About Jazz.com
I'm playing ROUND TRIP for a second time with no pause in
between plays.
It's REALLY good! The
tunes are crisp and engaging, and the musicians and
arrangements add a real
level of class to the
production.
- Steve Emerine, President - Tucson Jazz Society
Your new CD (ROUND TRIP) is wonderful! I absolutely love
it! On every level;
performance, production,
composing, arranging, choice of material....EVERYTHING!
It's GREAT!
- John Nasshan, Jazz DJ at KUNV 91.5FM Las Vegas
The Marilyn Harris experience continues its giddy, inexorable
rise towards
unchartered peaks. This
road show is warm, funny, riotous and crispier than the
perfect French Fry. In
a perfect world,
everybody would know her songs by heart. This world's
lucky to have her.
- Gene Seymour, NY Newsday
The amazing thing about FUTURE STREET is not only the
remarkable writing
and singing abilities of
Marilyn Harris. It goes beyond fine arrangements and solos.
The lyrics to
these songs are hip and they
swing like mad. This music goes beyond the boundaries of
music alone.
There are stories here to make
you smile, make you feel good and to even shock you. I hope
this is just the
start of more to come
from this gifted artist interpreting it all from humor to pathos
through the
magic of her song.
- Peter La Barbera, Jazz Zine
Marilyn Harris, a very talented lyricist-composer, has a
highly appealing
voice, is a fine pianist and
shows both sensitivity and great wit in her lyrics. FUTURE
STREET has 11 of
her best songs including
several (including 'Dorothy Parker,' 'Future Street,'
'Insomniac' and the very
funny 'My Dissipation') that
should become future standards.
- Scott Yanow, Author of Jazz On Record 1917-76
The songs!!! They're smart, funny and lyrical with great
heart. All the things
I wish I could be when I
grow up! Keep on doing what you're doing! Sounds to me as
if you're doing
it right.
- Gene Seymour, NY Newsday
FUTURE STREET is superb! The singing and playing, the
arrangements and
the band, all were just
great! And from you, I would have expected nothing less.
Congratulations to
everyone who had a part
in making this the terrific musical document it is!
- Marvin Stamm, Jazz Trumpet Legend
A significant songwriter and performer whose career has
often stretched far
beyond jazz, Marilyn Harris is a witty writer and an enjoyable
singer-pianist.
ROUND TRIP (Wrightwood 1569), which matches her with
some of the top
musicians in Los Angeles, is her most jazz-oriented recording
so far.
- Scott Yanow, from his book THE JAZZ SINGERS: The
Ultimate Guide
Show less