Andrea Mann
Jazz Vocalist
Debut album - out now!
Andrea’s self-produced debut CD Photograph was released in April 2009. It quickly reached number two in HMV Japan’s jazz chart, charting alongside the latest releases from Diana Krall and Melody Gardot. It also entered Rhapsody.com’s jazz chart at number 11 – while its original track Yosemite was chosen as ‘Download Of The Day’ on Allaboutjazz.com, and has been downloaded over 2,000 times to date.
A mixture of standards, bossa novas, reworked pop songs and one original number – all arranged and produced by Andrea – Photograph is a beautifully mellow, late-night album. It was recorded, engineered and co-produced at Clown’s Pocket Studios by Derek Nash, the producer of Jamie Cullum’s debut album Pointless Nostalgic.
The reviews…
“Photograph is a ballad set, and Andrea Mann’s straightforward, sometimes-minimalist approach is backed by a crackerjack quartet that can play midnight jazz and sunny bossa nova. Mann handles American standards such as Scotch And Soda, East Of The Sun and Travelin’ Light with ease, but she chooses her repertoire carefully. Macca’s Every Night should have been done in a jazz context decades ago, and the vocalist also brings out new elements in Coldplay’s Sparks. These are mostly covers, but – as with her fine original, Yosemite – Andrea Mann swings through an old profession in new and beguiling ways.”
– Nick Dedina, Jazz editor, Rhapsody.com (’Staff Pick’)
“The new jazz vocalist on the block’s debut set impresses - Andrea’s charming debut finds her relaxed and assured jazz vocals slide effortlessly above the smooth backing supplied by a crack team of London- and Oxford-based jazz musos. The choice of material certainly makes for an interesting menu, one which sees standards such as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Love, Look Away sitting alongside cool interpretations of mainstream pop/rock gems, with Coldplay’s Sparks and Stevie Wonder’s All I Do being the prime examples. With its waterfall-like piano and exquisite nylon-strung acoustic guitar, Andrea’s self-penned Yosemite reflects her talent for delivering early hours reminiscences, too. Class.”
– Musician magazine
“This is the fascinating debut from Andrea Mann, an outstanding talent with the kind of elegance and taste other singers lack… With this debut album, she instigates the second coming of singers such as Diana Krall and Julie London. From the Great American Songbook to the pop numbers of Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Coldplay, this goes beyond the norm to represent a new generation of jazz vocalists. With everything from 4/4 to bossa, her distinctive taste is well-expressed. The musicianship is simple and hard-edged, with skillful acoustic playing… Andrea has abundant talent. Her silky voice and sensitivity are brought out by the exquisite technique and production, and interwoven with tasteful performances from the most elegant of London’s musicians. As such, this is classic jazz, and many listeners who are into female singer-songwriters will also appreciate the high quality and charm of the music.”
– HMV Japan
“Maybe it’s fact that the soft, smokey, and cool jazz sound is such a departure from modern music, that it’s entertainingly refreshing. Or maybe I’m a little Michael Jackson’d-out from the overload of the latter part of this week. Or maybe it’s the simple familiarity of covers and standard songs. Whatever it is, Mann’s album (released 18-5-09) is a beautiful ‘Sunday morning’ record that gets better with each listen. The atmospheric jazz that she and the band present is simply wonderful music, and even though the songs are covers, she creates them all with her own flair magic. Sorry kids, there’s no auto-tune here. And no cameos. And no high end video or sound production – It’s just really, really good music.”
– Kevin Koski, DistrictCreatives.com
“A silky and romantic singing voice combined with an elegant, gorgeous ensemble of elite musicians… Andrea Mann represents the next generation of female vocalists… This is more than just a standard jazz vocal album.”
– Tower Records
The players…
Andrea Mann: vocals
Martin Pickett: piano (except tracks 2 & 9)
Paul Jefferies: bass
Ben Twyford: drums
Nigel Price: guitar
Barry Green: piano (tracks 2 & 9)
The tracks…
- Every Night (Paul McCartney)
- Travelin’ Light (Jimmy Trundy/Trummy Young/Johnny Mercer)
- East Of The Sun (Brooks Bowman)
- Scotch And Soda (Dave Guard)
- Love, Look Away (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II)
- All I Do (Stevie Wonder/Clarence Paul/Morris Broadnax)
- Sparks (Guy Berryman/Jon Buckland/Will Champion/Chris Martin)
- Yosemite (Andrea Mann)
- All The Way / Come Rain Or Come Shine
(James Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn; Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer) - Photograph (Antonio Carlos Jobim/Ray Gilbert)