albums & reviews
Penelope Sai Sings 007
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Barry O'Sullivan-A Jazz Hour
As seen on the ABC's "The Mix"
ABC's "the Mix"
New Album - Penelope Sai Sings 007
For lovers of the greatest James Bond themes - Penelope Sai Sings 007 is this singers 4th new CD album release, and what a sizzling offering it is! Sexy, dramatic & seductive, this collection delivers big time. ‘Goldfinger’, ‘From Russia with Love’, ‘A View To a Kill’, ‘For Your Eyes Only’ are just some of the 14 tracks that have been reimagined with an accomplished trio of Australian musicians including Sean Mackenzie (piano), Brett Hirst (double bass) and Nic Cecire (drums). These guys bring their distinctive vibe to the project with a jazz club feel and a super-slick Latin spin. Guest soloists include the sublime French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood, and virtuoso American trumpeter and leader of the Count Basie Orchestra, Scotty Barnhart. These extraordinary musicians bring impeccable flair and take the recording to the next level of cool. Blogger Press Services |
Weekend Australia - John McBeth. Penelope Sai - MGM/Planet
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Some Kind of Dream
 Penelope - Some Kind of Dream
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Some Kind of Dream released in December 2014 is a further collaboration with Sean Mackenzie, Jonathan Zwartz and Nic Cecire and is once again a mix of jazz standards and some rather beautiful original songs. Penelope was thrilled to have American virtuoso trumpeter and bandleader Scotty Barnhart add his magic to the recording. Blogger Press Services |
2015 Bells Jazz Awards
Some Kind of Dream nominated for "Best Jazz Song of the Year" Australian Jazz Bell Awards 2015!
Penelope Sai SomeKind of Dream John McBeath
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Penelope - Some Kind of Dream nominated Best Jazz Song of the Year
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Siana
Close your eyes and picture smoky light and purple skies, as the scent of jasmine drifts down to enclose you on a warm spring night. Here is the second CD from jazz singer and composer Penelope Sai- a gorgeous offering recorded with Sean Mackenzie (piano), Jonathan Zwartz (bass), Nic Cecire (drums) and special guest, French violinist Didier Lockwood. SIANA is irresistible with a collection of songs that is sensual and elegant, displaying the continuing evolution of Sai as a song writer and soloist with class and sparkle. The album is a fitting follow up to Evening Falls, combining jazz classics in wonderful, fresh versions of When in Rome, I'm Glad There is You and Once I Loved mixed with stunning original tunes, ranging from the spare beauty of the title track Siana to the evocative and lonely D-Special and London West. The sounds are lush and the band cooks as Sai’s vocals glide in, out and over some dreamy places. It’s immersive and sweetly seductive music - and perfect to float away with for a while.
John McBeath - The Australian.
Penelope - Siana
Siana, released in 2012, was recorded with Sean Mackenzie (piano), Jonathan Zwartz (Bass) and Nic Cecire (drums). Renowned French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood played on 3 of the original songs.
rating 4 stars
"SINGER and composer Penelope Sai, originally from Sydney but based in the Blue Mountains since 2008, spent nine years working and studying jazz vocals in Paris.
Her previous album, Evening Falls, recorded in Paris, showcased her abilities as a composer and ballad singer and this new one continues to display her abundant talent in those capacities. Her voice is crystalline clear, wide-ranging with a high top end capable of holding long notes, and she uses expressive, jazz-inflected phrasing.
Five of the songs are well-selected standards and six are compositions for which she wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the melodies. The trio backing makes a perfect vocal backdrop, from the swinging version of I'm Glad There is You, with its rolling, coursing piano solo by Sean Mackenzie, to the deeply emotional lament He was Too Good to Me, which flows seamlessly into the gossamer vocal vulnerability of My Foolish Heart.
Opening with Jonathan Zwartz's bowed bass setting an introspective mood, Siana, a melody by Pierre Goudard with Sai's added lyrics, features guest violinist Didier Lockwood supplying a heightened, piano-accompanied responsive tension to an out-of-tempo, anguished vocal tour de force. Drummer Nic Cecire supplies a subtle Latin rhythm to another original, Scent of Jasmine, as Sai soars through the impressive melody with perhaps just the faintest touch of over-emphasis.
Green Skies is in a bossa tempo with piano, bass and drums working ideally together, providing a quiet but flawlessly appropriate backing for the controlled power of Sai's luxuriant vocal. This is a satisfying album by a vocalist-composer of unusual ability, with outstanding arranging and backing.
John McBeath - The Australian.
rating 4 stars
"SINGER and composer Penelope Sai, originally from Sydney but based in the Blue Mountains since 2008, spent nine years working and studying jazz vocals in Paris.
Her previous album, Evening Falls, recorded in Paris, showcased her abilities as a composer and ballad singer and this new one continues to display her abundant talent in those capacities. Her voice is crystalline clear, wide-ranging with a high top end capable of holding long notes, and she uses expressive, jazz-inflected phrasing.
Five of the songs are well-selected standards and six are compositions for which she wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the melodies. The trio backing makes a perfect vocal backdrop, from the swinging version of I'm Glad There is You, with its rolling, coursing piano solo by Sean Mackenzie, to the deeply emotional lament He was Too Good to Me, which flows seamlessly into the gossamer vocal vulnerability of My Foolish Heart.
Opening with Jonathan Zwartz's bowed bass setting an introspective mood, Siana, a melody by Pierre Goudard with Sai's added lyrics, features guest violinist Didier Lockwood supplying a heightened, piano-accompanied responsive tension to an out-of-tempo, anguished vocal tour de force. Drummer Nic Cecire supplies a subtle Latin rhythm to another original, Scent of Jasmine, as Sai soars through the impressive melody with perhaps just the faintest touch of over-emphasis.
Green Skies is in a bossa tempo with piano, bass and drums working ideally together, providing a quiet but flawlessly appropriate backing for the controlled power of Sai's luxuriant vocal. This is a satisfying album by a vocalist-composer of unusual ability, with outstanding arranging and backing.
John McBeath - The Australian.
Barry O'Sullivan-A Jazz Hour
"The smokey voiced Penelope Sai’s new atmospheric recording “Siana” is filled with emotion and passion and beautifully backed by her trio led by pianist Sean Mackenzie, Jonathan Zwartz on bass and Nic Cecire on drums and with special guest the French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood on several tracks. The music and vocals flow pleasantly with feeling on the five standards and are performed with expressive taste on the remaining original compositions co-wriiten by the vocalist."
Barry O'Sullivan-A Jazz Hour
Barry O'Sullivan-A Jazz Hour
Evening Falls
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Evening Falls was recorded in Paris with guitar trio Nico Strazzullo (guitar), Gilles Nicolas (bass) and Michel Julian (drums). The recording is an unabashed tribute to love and includes timeless standards and 5 standout original compositions. "Finally somebody who knows what it takes to be a star. Engaging presence & able to carry their story with style & clarity". Nico Strazzullo (guitar), Gilles Nicolas (bass) and Michel Julian. Blogger Press Services |