Take My Breath Away Denise Donatelli

• 1 Go 05:04
• 2 You and I Again 05:04
• 3 (How Little It Matters) How Little We Know 04:47
• 4 Summer's Gone Again 05:08
• 5 As If You Read My Mind 04:50
• 6 This Happy Madness 04:25
• 7 Brazilian Love Affair 05:28
• 8 Time Alone 06:09
• 9 Take My Breath Away 05:37
• 10 How Deep Is the Ocean 04:44
• Total Runtime 51:16

Info for Take My Breath Away

Denise Donatelli returns to Savant Records with Take My Breath Away, a celebratory new recording that finds the multi-GRAMMY® nominated vocalist bringing together contemporary songcraft, Brazilian music, her acclaimed jazz stylings and intimate balladry in a program as deeply personal as it is musically expansive. Long admired for her warm, expressive tone and interpretive depth, Donatelli once again joins forces with longtime collaborator, pianist and arranger Geoffrey Keezer, whose imaginative settings provide an ideal framework for her artistry. Recorded in New York with a stellar ensemble including Ron Blake, Donny McCaslin, Chien Chien Lu, Yotam Silberstein, and background vocals from Arnold McCuller, Take My Breath Away moves effortlessly from the sophisticated swing of "How Little We Know" to the luminous string quintet textures of James Taylor's "You and I Again," Antonio Jobim's "This Happy Madness" and the reflective beauty of Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is the Ocean." Donatelli and Keezer's collaborative approach unifies these varied musical landscapes into a recording of remarkable warmth and emotional clarity. At once adventurous, intimate and quietly triumphant, Take My Breath Away celebrates resilience, artistry and the enduring power of great songs beautifully sung.

Denise Donatelli

Produced by Geoffrey Keezer
Executive Producer: Robbie Davis and Denise Donatelli
Recorded at Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY and Tritone Recording Studio, Glendale, CA
Recording engineers: Aaron Nevezie, Talley Sherwood, Harriet Tam
Assistant engineers: Joel Ruben-Meyer, Kalev Methot
Mixed by Aaron Nevezie
Mastered by Alex DeTurk

Denise Donatelli
the Grammy® nominated and critically acclaimed award winning Savant recording artist, has become one of today’s premiere jazz vocalists.

With her silky voice, rhythmically supple phrasing and emotionally incisive interpretation of familiar lyrics, Denise Donatelli would stand out on any city’s jazz scene. But she’s built a national reputation as one of the jazz’s most lustrous new voices while living in Los Angeles, a city not known for nurturing rising jazz singers.

While many of jazz’s greatest divas ended up in L.A. — Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Anita O’Day all spent their latter years in the Southland — in recent decades the Los Angeles scene has been strangely lacking in world-class female jazz vocal talent. Fortunately for South Bay jazz fans, Donatelli’s proximity has provided ample opportunities to watch her come into her own. Her latest album, 2010’s gorgeous collaboration with piano master Geoffrey Keezer “When Lights Are Low” (Savant), earned her a Grammy nomination.

Donatelli makes her third San Jose Jazz appearance on Saturday, kicking off the organization’s Winter Fest concert series at Trinity Church in downtown San Jose with pianist Joe Gilman, veteran bassist John Wiitala, guitarist Randy Vincent and drummer Akira Tana, a brilliant accompanist who has toured and recorded with a parade of legends, including Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson and Sonny Stitt.

“San Jose has been very generous to me,” says Donatelli from her home in Studio City. “I’ve done the jazz festival twice and now this winter jazz festival. I’ve also played Pete Douglas’ Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, which has to rank among my all-time favorite venues.”

It’s all too easy for Bay Area music fans to take the region’s vocal riches for granted. Even a casual fan can rattle off a dozen women who can hold their own in any locale (for starters, Paula West, Madeline Eastman, Claudia Villela, Faye Carol, Jackie Ryan, Kim Nalley, Kitty Margolis, Denise Perrier, Mary Stallings, Laurie Antonioli, Bobbe Norris and Kat Parra, and I’m not even trying hard).

Long based in Atlanta, Donatelli was drawn to Los Angeles about 11 years ago by television industry connections forged via her day job with Turner Broadcasting. In an auspicious encounter, the first person she met upon arriving in L.A. was legendary arranger/composer Neal Hefti, who became a friend and strong supporter, providing her with contacts for clubs and musicians.

Much like René Marie, another late-blooming vocalist, Donatelli didn’t devote herself to jazz until after raising two sons. But she grew up in a highly musical family, and studied classical piano through high school.

“I cannot remember when I was not interested in the music,” Donatelli says. “Coming out of an Italian household, Sinatra was playing all the time. Whether you classify him as jazz or not, his phrasing on ballads is always sublime.”

While listening to the pop and soul of the day, she also immersed herself in the music of Ahmad Jamal, Charlie Parker, Freddie Hubbard, and Thelonious Monk. She cites Mark Murphy and Carmen McRae as essential influences when it comes to ballads, and Nancy Wilson as a constant source of inspiration (particularly her classic album with Cannonball Adderley).

“Today my favorites are Kurt Elling and Kenny Washington, Madeline Eastman, Dianne Reeves and Roberta Gambarini, who’s brilliant in terms of scatting.” Donatelli says. “I’m not partial to scatting, unless you can do it really well, and Roberta can.”

Donatelli didn’t set out with any great ambition. A friend felt she needed a break from her routine and brought her to an Atlanta jam session that attracted the region’s top players (guitarist Russell Malone was a regular). Coaxed up on the bandstand, she sang one tune, and then several more, making such a powerful impression that she ended up with a gig.

Her big break came when veteran blues singer Francine Reed joined Lyle Lovett’s band, and Donatelli landed the three-nights-a-week engagement at the Ritz-Carlton, a steady job that allowed her to hone her jazz chops and refine a repertoire drawn largely on her close listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

These days, an aspiring singer could learn a lot by paying attention to Donatelli.

Booklet for Take My Breath Away