#LEGENDS Brings Old Sound To New Audience

September 8, 2015 | Filed under: Entertainment,Life | Posted by:

New Album #LEGENDS by Christian Josi brings Big Band Jazz back to the forefront for a new audience looking for the Sinatra sound.

It’s Tuesday, September 8, and that means the world of Big Band Jazz has a new addition – at long last, “#LEGENDS” is on sale.

Who says Big Band Jazz is a dying genre? Not Christian Josi, whose voice has been compared to that of a young Sinatra for more than two decades.

Not Jim Czak, the legendary studio wizard who’s produced, recorded and engineered albums featuring Glenn Miller, Lena Horne, Harry Allen, Dick Hyman, Michael Feinstein and others, just to name a few, for half a century.

Not Marion Evans, the multiple Grammy winner who wrote the closing theme for Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show,” and has 65 gold records adorning his walls.

Not Freddy Cole (brother of Nat King Cole) or Antonia Bennett (daughter of Tony Bennett), both of whom join Josi for featured duets on the record.

Not Bill Pascoe or Jeff Davis, who love that type of music so much they established a new record label just so they could create a new album full of it.

“Everyone involved in this project – from the vocalists to the arrangers to the musicians to the producer and recording engineer and even the photographer – is a legend in this business,” said Pascoe, “so coming up with a name for the album was a no-brainer. The songs are classics, the arrangements are classics, the band kicks ass, and Christian knows just how to sing each song – soft and sweet, or playful, or swingin’, as the song demands. It’s a great record, and we couldn’t be more proud.”

“When you put this many world-class artists in a room together for a few days, there’s no telling what will happen,” added Davis. “We knew it was going to be good, but even we didn’t realize just how good until we listened to the playback. We’ve captured magic here.”

The album – available for purchase as a CD or digital download – opens with the Josi/Cole duet on the Johnny Mercer/Bobby Darin classic, “Two of a Kind,” then moves to Lerner and Loewe’s “Follow Me.” Next up is the Antonio Carlos Jobim bossa nova classic, “Corcovado,” followed by Bennett and Josi together on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “I Have Dreamed,” from “The King and I.”

Side two opens with a reprise of the classic Sinatra/Crosby duet, “Well, Did You Evah?” featuring Josi playing against pianist Mike Renzi, then swings with the Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen-penned “How Are Ya Fixed for Love?”

To close out the side, Josi goes with a small combo for a version of “Witchcraft” unlike any you’ve heard before, and then finishes tenderly with Paul McCartney’s “My Valentine.”

The album can be purchased as a CD or a digital download at Amazon.com and the iTunes store.

Justin Shimko

Justin Shimko is an award-winning writer and political analyst. He began as a reporter in his college days at the University of Oklahoma, writing for The Oklahoma Daily (rated as one of the best collegiate newspapers in the nation) and The Oklahoman, the statewide newspaper, winning awards from the CSPA and the Society of Professional Journalists. He later moved on to research and writing work for a number of political campaigns. His email is [email protected]

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