The Rose Colella Trio

"Any excuse to hear a tribute to one of jazz's most underrated, unpretentious vocalists we'll take. And to their credit, vocalist Colella and guitarist Dan Effland do a darn good job resurrecting Dearie's work, especially in the hands-off approach they take to the recently departed singer's unadorned arrangements." - Time Out Chicago

Chicago-based singer Rose Colella tackles an array of American Songbook chestnuts on this debut CD, released in mid-2009. She’s a veteran of quite of a few of the Windy City’s jazz clubs and bistros, and has a pleasant, enjoyable voice. My favorite tunes of the 11 tracks are “After You’ve Gone” and Blossom Dearie’s “Blossom’s Blues.” This project with guitarist Dan Effland and bassist Joe Policastro is a splendid showcase for Effland’s inventive playing and solo artistry. Colella comes by her love of song quite honestly. Her grandmother, and label namesake, Lola Bard was a 1930s singer who recorded with Bobby Hackett and The Original Dixieland Jazz Band. - Ken Franckling - Jazz Notes (CD's of Note)

An Evening of Academy Award Winning Songs, 3/9/2010, Katerina's

Colella applies her lyrical vocal style to songs from films such as “The Gay Divorcee,” Pinocchio,” “Cabin in the Sky” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
- Don Heckman - International Review of Music

Take a peek through any listings for artists appearing at venues around Chicago and you’re bound to see Rose Colella’s name come up. Not just once in a while, either. She’s out and about singing and charming her way through sets multiple times every week. So much so that it’s frankly shocking to think that she only recently put out her debut album, The Small Hours.

Once you’ve heard The Small Hours, you’ll realize that none of this is shocking at all, except for the fact that it took Ms. Colella this long to get around to making that first CD. On this disc she’s clearly got everything on her side: a charming voice, solid arrangements and a backing band that could make the Incredible Hulk swing––and hard. Every time I’ve heard Dan Effland, I’ve been nothing short of impressed. He sounds very much like a complete player, even at his still-young age. Bassist Joe Policastro is everything you want a bassist to be––clean, with great intonation, fantastic time and great ideas when they’re called for. Put that together with a singer who clearly loves the material that she’s singing and you’ve got the recipe for a slam dunk of an album.

From the first note that Colella sings, it’s obvious that she’s listened to her fair share of Blossom Dearie. Putting “Blossom’s Blues” on her debut album confirms that fact. While Colella is missing Dearie’s sass (this is a debut album after all), she definitely has a wee bit of Blossom’s voice.

And just as Dearie’s voice always seemed (to me anyway) to be at once charming, innocent and cute, there is more than a little of that throughout The Small Hours. Musically, there’s not much that can be done to “Blossom’s Blues” except to sing the words in tune and in time with the appropriate winks and nods where necessary. The problem is, plenty of musicians would (and could and have) driven a stake straight through the heart of a tune like that just by being bored, overplaying or just refusing to play it in the first place because it’s not “hip” enough. Luckily, that’s not the case here.

If there is proof of Effland’s and Policastro’s unwavering sympathy to Colella’s cause on this disc, it’s here, and it’s as good a tone-setter for the entire CD as you’ll find. After all, if the simplest and least interesting tune on an album is still charming, swinging and full of good cheer, then the rest of the disc is bound to be even better. And it is.

The disc opens with an absolutely beautiful version of “On the Street Where You Live.” Much like Jackie Allen’s version of “Lazy Afternoon” or Nancy Wilson’s take on “Taking A Chance on Love,” it’s a performance of a tune that made me appreciate a song all over again. It’s absolutely striking in its sparseness.

Dan Effland’s swinging guitar solo is also fantastic. Between Effland and Policastro, the lack of a percussionist isn’t missed in the slightest. There is a weight to Policastro’s playing that makes these tunes work.

The songs that showcase this trio in the best light, though, are the ballads. Where plenty of groups with this kind of lineup would simply play chords and let the singer steal the show, this is truly a band, splitting up the work beautifully.

On bass, Policastro roams, as opposed to giving us the usual one-three quarter notes, throwing in the ideal notes in the ideal spots. Effland plays beautiful lines that move these songs along, even at the slowest clicks of the metronome. “You Stepped Out of A Dream” and “The Very Thought Of You” are both gorgeous and much deserving of a tip of the cap.

All in all, this is a solid debut outing by this trio, and I look forward to hearing what else they have up their collective sleeve as they delve deeper into the Great American Songbook. Fans of standards done by newer folks will have quite a hard time finding a better collection than The Small Hours, both in song selection and performance. - Chicago Jazz Magazine

The Rose Colella Trio was featured as the full-page cover for the Alumni News section of the Roosevelt University Alumni Magazine's Spring 2010 Issue. Rose was also featured individually in the magazine as the owner of the Chicago-based booking agency, Lola Bard Productions. - Roosevelt Review

Rose Colella's voice is very much exposed throughout Small Hours for she is accompanied by just the tasteful guitarist Dan Effland and bassist Joe Policastro. But there is no reason to worry for she has a relaxed and thoughtful style (even on medium tempo tunes), sings perfectly in tune, and displays a quietly appealing voice. She also knows how to use space well as she shows throughout ten standards and Blossom Dearie's “Blossom's Blues.” Whether it is “After You've Gone,” “Come Fly With Me,” “Never Will I Marry” or “You Do Something To Me,” Rose Colella delivers a sincere and very musical message, paying tribute to the lyrics and the melody while putting a bit of her confident calmness into the music. - Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene

The Rose Colella Trio was recommended as the top pick for jazz wedding entertainment by Melissa Phillips of Simply Perfect by Melissa in the Fall/Winter 2010 issue of Brides Magazine! - Brides Magazine

The Rose Colella Trio was featured in the annual Women's Issue of JAZZIZ Magazine in March, 2010, along with an online feature of a track from the album "Small Hours." - JAZZIZ Magazine

"Rose Colella, on the other hand, is an unabashed Jazz singer. She does her standards on [Small Hours] in a coolly coquettish and swinging manner with a simple backing of featherlight, boppish guitar and heavy riding bass. Effland really comes to the fore with his slippery solo on “You Stepped Out A Dream” while Colella brings lowdown sass to “Blossom’s Blues” and shines on the bright bossa nova rhythm of “Never Will I Marry.” The songs and style are familiar but Colella does fine putting them across." - Cadence Magazine