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Put your hands on the remote! browse music »Some Small Dive by Mark Robinson
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fave it Jazz Vocals | Crooners/Vocals
14 tracks | 48 minutes
Released Jan 2006
on Breaking Even Records
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:21 East of the Sun lyrics BUY MP3 03:21 East of the Sun lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:21 East of the Sun
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:04 Days of Wine and Roses lyrics BUY MP3 03:04 Days of Wine and Roses lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:04 Days of Wine and Roses
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:32 My Foolish Heart lyrics BUY MP3 05:32 My Foolish Heart lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:32 My Foolish Heart
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:29 I've Got the World on a String lyrics BUY MP3 03:29 I've Got the World on a String lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:29 I've Got the World on a String
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:58 Close Your Eyes lyrics BUY MP3 01:58 Close Your Eyes lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:58 Close Your Eyes
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:37 A Ghost of a Chance lyrics BUY MP3 04:37 A Ghost of a Chance lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:37 A Ghost of a Chance
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:18 I Remember You lyrics BUY MP3 03:18 I Remember You lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:18 I Remember You
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:05 Lush Life lyrics BUY MP3 04:05 Lush Life lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:05 Lush Life
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:14 Embraceable You lyrics BUY MP3 02:14 Embraceable You lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:14 Embraceable You
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:04 I Keep Going Back to Joe's lyrics BUY MP3 04:04 I Keep Going Back to Joe's lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:04 I Keep Going Back to Joe's
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:58 Just Friends lyrics BUY MP3 01:58 Just Friends lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:58 Just Friends
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:36 I'm Thru With Love lyrics BUY MP3 04:36 I'm Thru With Love lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:36 I'm Thru With Love
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:33 Waters of March lyrics BUY MP3 03:33 Waters of March lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:33 Waters of March
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:05 Centerpiece lyrics BUY MP3 03:05 Centerpiece lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:05 Centerpiece
Jazzy Crooning from the Great American Songbook
Editorial review
Some Small Dive collects a number of old standards along with a handful of lost classics, and throws them together in a nice showcase for San Francisco crooner Mark Robinson. Robinson has some classical training and it comes through, intentionally or not. His enunciation is clearer than many crooners (sometimes a side effect of operatic training), and his projection is exceptionally strong. With the projection element combined with the register of his voice, the effect is often strikingly similar to some of the old Johnny Hartman recordings (spin Dizzy Gillespie's recording of You Go To My Head to compare). Some of the ballads have a slightly harder time standing up to Robinson's power and get a little sentiment lost under an extra-dramatic croon (I Keep Going Back to Joe's is a prime example of this end). However, the arrangements are done in such a way that this is minimized and he can play with the meanings a bit more. There's an affinity for the double entendre in the song choices, for the sly and playful seductions hidden in the old Gershwin or Young & Washington numbers. Current male crooners, much like female jazz singers, generally go to far to one extreme or the other -- either just trying to copy Sinatra without anything new (and thus failing in the shadow of the true greats) or disrespecting the great songbook classics with too much divergence. Robinson walks the line pretty well here -- the songs are given room to breathe, but the intended meaning is generally left intact. Absolutely worth a listen for fans of the male jazz singer. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Bio / Background
"Like the very best in this game--Sinatra or Tony Bennett--Robinson makes it all sound so effortless on this truly superb vocal jazz outing." -- Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
"The rich tone of Robinson is a delight as he takes us on an excursion into the land of legitimate jazz." -- John Gilbert, eJazzNews
Smooth. Emotionally direct. Musically sophisticated. Mark Robinson’s debut recording infuses the Great American Songbook with a sense of discovery and freshness. There’s no moribund reverence here. Just heartfelt renderings of 14 tunes, some familiar (“Embraceable You,” “I’ve Got the World on a String”) and some rescued from relative obscurity (“I Keep Going Back to Joe’s,” “Close Your Eyes”).This is music that’s great for hanging out but that also rewards close listening.
Robinson’s first musical love is jazz standards from Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart to Elvis Costello and Dave Frishberg.
↓ more ↓But he began his career at 16 as a classical singer, studying voice and music theory with a San Francisco Opera baritone. He went on to perform in London, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Boston. These days, he calls San Francisco home. “I always figured that in my next life, I’d be a crooner,” he says. “I’m glad I didn’t have to wait that long.”
*****
All About Jazz
Some Small Dive
Mark Robinson | Breaking Even Records
By Dan McClenaghan
published February 19, 2006
If you're going to go after the Great American Songbook -- that is, music by Gershwin, Strayhorn, Mancini, and the like -- you’d better bring some style and distinction to the table. San Francisco-based vocalist Mark Robinson does just that, indeed he does, with Some Small Dive, serving up his personal interpretations of a bunch of time-tested classics.
He's got it all: emotional depth, distinctive phrasing -- occasionally a tad off-kilter, but never distractingly so -- and a pure and unaffected straightforward zest of delivery. He's a vocalist obviously in love with the task he's taken on.
The disc's title is taken from a line in Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life": "I'll live a lush life, In some small dive..." You could call that tune the highlight, but the set is full of them: Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses," "A Ghost of a Chance," the Gershwins' "Embraceable You," the Henry "Sweets" Edison/Jon Hendricks gem "Centerpiece." For comparisons, Robinson's vocal style is similar to Hendricks', with a bit more buoyancy in the sound.
A beautiful surprise here is Antonio Carlos Jobim's gentle masterpiece "Waters of March." Most vocalists who cover this tune go with the Joao Gilberto hush, but Robinson puts some beef into his rendition, without losing the delicacy. Pianist David Austin works the keys with a tinkling fragility, making for a perfect accompanist/vocalist contrast.
Like the very best in this game -- Sinatra or Tony Bennett -- Robinson makes it all sound so effortless on this truly superb vocal jazz outing.
Track Listing: East of the Sun; Days of Wine and Roses; I've Got the World on a String; Close Your Eyes; A Ghost of a Chance; I'll Remember You; Lush Life; Embraceable You; I Keep Coming Back to Joe's; Just Friends; I'm Thru With Love; Waters of March; Centerpiece.
Personnel: Mark Robinson: vocals; David Austin: piano; Bob Blankenship: drums; Jeffrey Burr: guitar; Noel Jewkes: tenor saxophone; Mark Williams: bass.
*****
eJazzNews
published 2/21/06
By John Gilbert
It is a joy to receive an album of jazz standards instead of the usual moronic drivel. The rich tone of Robinson is a delight as he takes us on an excursion into the land of legitimate jazz.
"Days Of Wine And Roses" brings back memories of the great Earl Coleman (Bird's Favorite singer) And that's a accolade of the first order.
"My Foolish Heart" This song has a lyric that is the standard by which all love songs are judged. Mark Robinson pays this composition the respect it deserves.
"I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You" We used to call this tune "I don’t stand a chance with a ghost like you" bada boom...This is a great tune sung gracefully by Robinson.
"I Remember You" is one of my favorites. The melody and words will live forever and again Mark Robinson fills it out superbly.
"I Keep Going Back To Joe's" This piece will hit home to many, me included.
"Centerpiece" Mark Robinson's unique version is indeed unique and the piano of David Austin talks about the blues as he struts along like he's in a Mardi Gras parade....
Wonderful songs and solid interpretations on this fine recording will please the most discriminating ear.
5 Stars
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