Jean Mancini Gough & Friends
Paxton, Massachusetts, United States | SELF
Music
Press
With Friends, jazz vocalist Jean Mancini Gough’s latest release, is a collection of jazz standard covers that includes songs like Arthur Hamilton’s “Cry Me A River” and George Gershwin’s “I’ve Got A Crush On You.” Both were initially popularized by Ella Fitzgerald’s singing in the 1950s, and both remain standards today thanks to later versions by ’70s blues crooner Joe Cocker and contemporary jazz artist Steve Tyrell, respectively. Gough has some oceanic shoes to fill on With Friends, but she treads confidently: her pop-jazz vocal style adds lounge act sensibility to the standards’ mix. On Bob Dorough’s beatnik anthem “Small Day Today,” a horn section and vibes play in a structured chord pattern, which is a far cry from the sinewy, wandering bass line of Dorough’s classic version. And while Dorough’s granite vocals may be long gone, lines like “I’m a drop out who’d rather cop out than run with all the sheep” blend well with Gough’s sultry tone. There’s just no improving what are already classics, but Gough’s performance on With Friends lives up to expectations. jeanmancinigough.com. - Worcester Magazine
Jean Mancini Gough sang an array of jazz songs that struck a familiar chord, such as Summer Time,I've Got A Crush on You, and Slow Boat To China, well-loved favorites with themes of love, loss and longing.
For Gough, a classically trained singer who has performed jazz music for several years, being a jazz soloist still means being part of an ensemble.
That's the spirit of her new CD, Jean Mancini Gough with Friends, which includes many collaborators she met while performing at jazz jams in the Worcester area.
Gough travels from outside Worcester to The Java Room about once a month to perform at The Java Room. She teaches music at an elementary school, and is a soloist at the First Unitarian Church in Worcester.
"I'm a classically trained vocalist, and you can hear it my voice", said Gough, who said jazz offers a vocalist with her training exciting possibilities with a variety of sounds and temperaments.
Among her favorite jazz vocalists are those as diverse in style as Ella Fitzgerald, known for her smooth elegance, and Sarah Vaughn, who perfected a sultry, emotive sound.
She cites the value of the rapport she enjoys with the musicians she works with, and venues such as The Java Room, and owner Candy Liu, with whom she arranged to have a recent CD release party.
The CD represented a milestone. "I find it's like having a business card," she said.
Live music continues to be a draw at The Java Room, both for musicians such as Gough and lovers of live music. - Wicked Local Medway
Discography
"With Friends" Jean Mancini Gough & Friends released November, 2008
Photos
Bio
We are a seasoned, professional ensemble who believe that music, especially jazz, is a very special way of communicating. With backgrounds and experiences in genres ranging from jazz, classical, folk, rock, blues and gospel, our music presents influences of all of this in a cohesive, smooth sound. Meeting through various jazz venues, we began to work more and more together, finding that our similar temperaments, musical tastes and work habits made for a great mix. We quickly built a songlist of tunes from the jazz and American Songbook repertoire and was received enthusiastically in our performances. Through the love for the music, we have developed the ability to connect with our audiences and make them feel comfortable, invited, and a part of our experience.
Vocalist Jean Mancini Gough has performed and toured as a jazz stylist and classical vocalist in New England, Philadelphia, New York City, and England. A versatile performer, she has sung a vast range of genres from jazz, classical, a capella, sacred, and gospel to new age and folk. In the fall of 2008 she produced her debut jazz CD, With Friends, a collection of jazz standards and American Songbook selections. She has appeared as soloist on several CDs including the gospel CD, Feel the Spirit, with pianist Will Sherwood, Nightingale, with the a capella group Nothing But Treble, and Missa Gaia, with singer/songwriter Jim Scott. Jean holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance/Music Education, and has studied jazz with veteran singers Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton at the Vermont Jazz Center, and at Berklee College of Music. She is a sought after private teacher of voice and maintains an active private studio in the Worcester, MA area.
Bassist Thomas Grandprey has toured and performed internationally in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. A native of Minnesota, Tom has performed blues, rock, funk, jazz, and classical genres and has played on three independent label jazz CD's; Jazz Packed, with the Jazz Missionaries, Close Enough, with Emmy winning composer John Close, a spontaneously improvised mix of jazz, rock, and funk songs, and With Friends, a collection of jazz standards with vocalist Jean Mancini Gough. Holding a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies with an Emphasis in Pedagogy from the Boston Conservatory / Berklee College of Music Collaborative Jazz Masters Program, Tom is a talented, knowledgeable and much sought after jazz educator and freelance performer in the Boston and Metro West area of Massachusetts.
Pianist Ted Knowlton has extensive experience playing some of the most well-known Boston hotels including The Ritz-Carlton, Royal Sonesta, Copley Plaza, Meridian, and Hampshire House. Adept in both jazz and classical genres with studies at Yale Music School and the Vermont Jazz Center, he has taught jazz piano at Berklee College of Music and currently hosts the monthly jazz jam at the Amazing Arts Center in Framingham, MA. He has released two independent CD’s; Tedness, and Waltz for the Bonfires, both collections of solo piano pieces.
CURRENT AND PAST GIGS:
Java Room, Chelmsford, MA (monthly gig)
Harvest Cafe Hudson,MA (monthly gig)
Main Streets Market & Cafe, Concord, MA
Tribeca Restaurant, Worcester, MA (CD Release)
Jazz in July Series, Borders Bookstore, Boston
Ladies Sing the Blues Concert, Hopkinton Country Club
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