Songs My Mother Loves

Songs My Mother Loves is an album by Chicago-based jazz vocalist Dee Alexander. It was recorded at Tone Zone Recording in Chicago, Illinois, and was released in 2014 by the Blujazz label. On the album, Alexander is accompanied by a core group consisting of pianist Miguel Delacerna, double bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Yuseff Ernie Adams, plus six guest artists: cellist Tomeka Reid, guitarist Scott Hesse, double bassist Junius Paul, saxophonists Ari Brown and Oliver Lake, and trumpeter Corey Wilkes.[1][2][3][4]

Songs My Mother Loves
Studio album by
Dee Alexander
Released2014
StudioTone Zone Recording, Chicago, Illinois
GenreJazz
Length59:35
LabelBlujazz
BJ3415
Dee Alexander chronology
Sketches of Light
(2013)		 Songs My Mother Loves
(2014)		 It's Too Hot For Words
(2019)

The album pays tribute to the music her mother played around the house when Alexander was young.[5] She reflected: "Every Sunday, my brothers and I would be awakened to the wonderful music my mother played while she did the ironing. I decided to do a tribute to her while I still have her."[6]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[7]
Gina Loves Jazz[8]

In a review for All About Jazz, Dan Bilawsky wrote: "Alexander puts her own spin on classics and infrequently-performed winners that her mother enjoys, giving every single number a new lease on life... In her band mates, Alexander finds kindred spirits... While Dee Alexander is rightly viewed as a musical treasure in her hometown of Chicago, albums like this... should go a long way in expanding her reach. Her voice and talents can't be bound by any city, style or subject."[7]

Christopher Loudon of JazzTimes called the album "nearly flawless," and described the players as "a stellar assortment of musicians." He commented: "Simply put, Songs My Mother Loves is a top contender for this year’s finest vocal release."[9]

Track listing
  1. "As Long as You're Living" (Julian Priester, Tommy Turrentine) – 6:18
  2. "Now or Never" (Billie Holiday, Curtis Reginald Lewis) – 6:41
  3. "Guess Who I Saw Today" (Murray Grand, Elisse Boyd) – 4:53
  4. "Perdido" (Juan Tizol, Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder) – 4:20
  5. "Lonesome Lover" (Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln) – 7:20
  6. "Nature Boy" (eden ahbez) – 6:30
  7. "Letter from Home" (Junior Mance, Orrin Keepnews) – 6:01
  8. "What a Difference a Day Makes" (María Grever, Stanley Adams) – 4:48
  9. "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" (Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 3:59
  10. "Soul Serenade" (Curtis Ousley, Luther Dixon) – 4:53
  11. "Perdido" (Juan Tizol, Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder) (alternate take) – 3:59

Personnel
  • Dee Alexander – vocals
  • Miguel Delacerna – piano
  • Harrison Bankhead – double bass
  • Yuseff Ernie Adams – drums, percussion
  • Tomeka Reid – cello (track 10)
  • Scott Hesse – guitar (tracks 8, 9)
  • Junius Paul – double bass (tracks 8, 10)
  • Ari Brown – tenor saxophone (tracks 2, 7)
  • Oliver Lake – alto saxophone (tracks 1, 5)
  • Corey Wilkes – trumpet (track 6)

References
  1. "Dee Alexander: Songs My Mother Loves". AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. "Dee Alexander - Songs My Mother Loves". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. "Releases & Promotions". Blujazz. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. "Songs My Mother Loves: Dee Alexander". Chicago Jazz. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  5. Whiteis, David (July 23, 2014). "Will Chicago's most daring and virtuosic jazz singer finally get the recognition she deserves?". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. Roach, Vicky (November 5, 2014). "Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival star Dee Alexander pays tribute to the women in her life". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  7. Bilawsky, Dan (August 25, 2014). "Dee Alexander: Songs My Mother Loves". All About Jazz. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. Kirsch, Matthias (July 7, 2015). "Dee Alexander – Songs My Mother Loves". Gina Loves Jazz. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  9. Loudon, Christopher (October 16, 2014). "Dee Alexander: Songs My Mother Loves". JazzTimes. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
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