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Angela DeNiro: Swingin' with Legends 2

By Jack Bowers
December 14, 2023
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On Swingin' with Legends 2, her fourth recorded collaboration with arranger (and husband)

Ron Aprea

arranger

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Aprea's big band, vocalist Angela DeNiro sings beautifully—and receives a lot of help from her friends, especially guests

Ken Peplowski

woodwinds
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Peplowski on clarinet,

Randy Brecker

trumpet
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Randy Brecker on trumpet and

" data-original-title="" title="">Lew Tabackin on tenor sax and flute. And what a band! Well-stocked with stars who are eager to fly whenever Aprea raises his baton.

Not that DeNiro needs much help. She is quite simply a marvelous singer with excellent range, splendid diction and obvious respect for a lyric. She also sings on key, and as for breath control, dig the final note on

Burt Bacharach

composer / conductor
1928 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Burt Bacharach's "A House Is Not a Home." And she scats respectably too (in sync with the band on Rodgers and Hammerstein's "It Might as Well Be Spring," on which Tabackin solos on tenor). Ballads pose no problem, as DeNiro readily nails "My One and Only Love" and

Henry Mancini

composer / conductor
1924 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Henry Mancini's "Two for the Road"—but it's clear that she and the band relish every opportunity to step on the gas and flat-out swing. For crystal-clear examples, look no further than "That Old Black Magic" or Cole Porter's "Easy to Love" (with Brecker on trumpet).

"On Green Dolphin Street" is another burner, encompassing one of alto

Todd Bashore

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Todd Bashore's heated solos (the others are on "Willow Weep for Me" and "For Phil," Aprea's clever tribute to the late alto giant—and close friend—

Phil Woods

saxophone, alto
1931 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Woods). "For Phil" leads to the tender-hearted finale, "The Curtain Falls," a closing theme often used by

Bobby Darin

vocals
1936 - 1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Darin. Aprea employs only one soloist on each number. Besides Bashore and the band's guests, they include trumpeter

Bryan Davis

piano
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Bryan Davis on the opening "New York Blues," "That Old Black Magic" and "Come in from the Rain"; trumpeter

Chris Persad

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Persad ("A House Is Not a Home"), bassist

Tim Givens

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Givens ("Don't Cha Go 'Way Mad") and trombonist

Wayne Goodman

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Goodman ("My One and Only Love").

If this isn't the best vocalist-with-big band album of the year, it is definitely a close second. And the other one would have to be downright spectacular. DeNiro and Aprea's partnership is awesome, and Swingin' with Legends 2 shines brightly from every angle. In other words, a definite keeper.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

New York City Blues: You'd Be So Easy to Love: Hello Young Lovers; A House Is Not a Home; Willow Weep for Me; It Might As Well Be Spring; Don't Cha Go Away Mad; Two for the Road; That Old Black Magic; Come In From the Rain; On Green Dolphin Street; My One and Only Love; For Phil; The Curtain Falls.

Personnel

Angela DeNiro

vocals

Ron Aprea

arranger

Todd Bashore

saxophone, alto

Elijah Schiffer

saxophone, alto

Nathan Childers

saxophone

Lee Greene

saxophone, tenor

Doug Dehays

saxophone, baritone

Bryan Davis

piano

Chris Persad

trumpet

Matthew Timm

trumpet

Shawn Edmonds

trumpet

Wayne Goodman

trombone

Matt Haviland

trombone

Brandon Moodie

trombone

Dale Turk

trombone

Cecilia Coleman

keyboards

Tim Givens

bass

Jonathan Mele

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Todd Bashore: flute; Elijah Schiffer: flute; Nathan Childers: flute, clarinet; Lee Greene: flute clarinet; Doug Dehays: clarinet, bass clarinet; Guest Artists: Lew Tabackin: tenor saxophone, flute (6, 9); Ken Peplowski.: clarinet (2); Randy Brecker: trumpet (3).

Album information

Title: Swingin' with Legends 2 | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Early Autumn Productions

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