Black Coffee

Nancy Coletti's passion for Jazz and Blues is clearly evident on her debut CD Black Coffee. Her rich, pure approach to standards drawn from The Great American Songbook is manifested in her arrangements of Cole Porter's 'Night and Day', Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke's 'Imagination' and in Nat King Cole's 'Straighten Up and Fly Right'. Her interpretation of Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's 'Come Rain or Come Shine' is filled with energy as an opening track. Backed by a three piece rhythm section featuring Judy Palma on piano, Paul Rostock on bass, and Bill Goodwin on drums, Nancy's signature scat on 'Route 66', 'Angel Eyes', and 'How High the Moon' is proof of her creative ability and improvisational skill as a solo jazz vocalist. Taking on blues standards 'Willow Weep for Me' by Ann Ronell and Mel Torme's 'Born to Be Blue' with guitarist Jimmy Leahey gives these arrangements soul and depth in duo form. Her poignant and atmospheric singing on 'My Funny Valentine' sets up this classic standard leaving plenty of room for saxophonist Nelson Hill to solo and soar through this arrangement. With her flawless pitch and sultry Jazz vocal choosing Sonny Burke and Francis Webster's 'Black Coffee' as the title song for this CD demonstrates Nancy's enthusiasm for mixing Jazz and Blues. 'After singing many different genres of music over the years, my heart and soul told me that it was time to revisit the music from the Great American Songbook. Those marvelous melodies, sublime lyrics and infectious rhythms have been the inspiration for all of the great jazz singers. As I recorded these classic songs from this seminal era of popular music, my love for this art form and my respect for it's richness and history swept me up in a kind of joyful magic carpet ride of inspiration and creativity. So kick off your shoes, sit back, have another cup of java and enjoy some of the sweetest, swinginest and simply irresistible tunes ever written'.