Eden
will be coming to Los Angeles in December 2001 to record a new CD for GrooveNote Records. In August 2001, she will head to Thailand for two months of dates at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers (she spent considerable time in Singapore and Hong Kong last year). "I am singing better than ever and I am very happy," she told me.�
Publicist Ying Tan from GrooveNote Records updated me on Eden�s project for the label. Here is what she wrote:
Thanks for your e-mail and yes, Eden has kindly agreed to record an album for my label Groove Note records. The album will basically have a bossa nova concept, and Eden and I are doing research into possible songs right now. It will not be a "greatest hits" type of bossa nova album, as we're looking into some of the less well-known tunes, and Eden is hoping to perform some of the songs in the original Portugese.
The album is scheduled to be recorded in L.A. some time in early December with a probable street date in early 2002 (March/April?). Joe Harley (Audioquest, ECM, enja, Telarc) will produce and Mike Ross (a top L.A. engineer) will record the session. Hope that helps, and I'll keep you updated as we go along.
Get a taste of Eden Atwood's music on the compilation by Concord Special Products, "A Harold Arlen Songbook," which retails for only $7.99 and features Eden singing "For Every Man There's a Woman" (with music by Arlen and lyrics by Leo Robin). The track first appeared on Eden's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" album.
And for that same $7.99, you get to hear lots of other Concord artists, too. Buy "A Harold Arlen Songbook" wherever you can find it (it's cheap, c'mon already) or go to @tower for the disc.
Winter with Eden
Baby, it's cold outside (it's still cold in L.A., and it's April), and what better way to drive the point home than with Eden's rendition of "Let It Snow," which appears on "A Concord Jazz Christmas" (CCD-4613). So what if it's no longer Christmas? Get over it. Hear Eden stretch out on the Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne tune with Allen Farnham on piano, Frank Vignola on guitar, John Goldsby on bass and Joe Ascione on drums. There are 14 other tracks by Concord artists on the disc ... but don't get it confused with the 1997 Concord Christmas album (Vol. 2), which doesn't have any Eden tunes. Get the original "A Concord Jazz Christmas" from @tower, or order direct from Concord by calling (800) 551-5299.
Gold Star Sardine Bar closes
As of early November 1997, Chicago's Gold Star Sardine Bar is closed. The club was Eden Atwood's musical home for many years. In 2000, Eden returned to Chicago for a brief stint at a club called Pops for Champagne.
Singer Eden Atwood has released four albums on the Concord Jazz label that showcase her reverence, respect and love for the American popular song. Born in Memphis in 1970, raised in Montana and now living and working in Chicago, the tunes chosen by 27-year-old Eden -- and what she does with them -- highlight her status as a unique talent, one sure to grow in the coming years, whose enthusiasm is matched with an excellent set of pipes.
Her music shows the influence of many classic jazz singers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday.
Is the music of Eden Atwood for you?
While she's too jazzy to be considered a cabaret performer (a good thing, many would say), Eden does emphasize ballads (though each album has plenty of tunes that swing), and even her more jazz-oriented material maintains the integrity of the tune. Thankfully, she's doesn't do jazz versions of Beatles tunes and the like, though she has given a ballad treatment to the doo-wop classic "Only You" and the traditional "Auld Lang Syne," in both cases taking great pains to lend additional meaning to the lyrics.Eden's style is more akin to an early Ella Fitzgerald (some scat singing, but not on every tune) mixed with a torch singer's touch. And while singing a few straight blues tunes (including her own composition, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," from the album of the same name, and "Cow Cow Boogie" from "No One Ever Tells You") and injecting a blues singer's emotional resonance on many tracks from her most recent album, "A Night in the Life," she's firmly a singer of standards.
Eden
has really come into her own as an interpreter and singer with "A Night in the Life." Her voice is strong, and she shows her range well -- both in pitch and emotion -- on an album that doesn't have a weak track on it. Ballads, blowouts and even a little cabaret -- it's all here, and the support she gets from her working group (pianist Jeremy Kahn, bassist Larry Kohut and drummer Joel Spencer), who obviously know the material very well, gives Eden the space she needs to make every tune shine.If you can't find them at your local record store, try the Web. Concord offers a great catalog, or try Tower Records' excellent Web site, @Tower and search for Eden Atwood to find all of her albums. Order them online or just listen to the RealAudio clips of many songs. Tower's powerful search engine also allows visitors to search their entire database of albums for individual tunes, so if you're wondering who else has recorded some of the great jazz standards (or anything else, for that matter), this excellent site is ready to serve you (and sell to you, of course). I recently tried @tower, and was impressed with their service, if not their prices, which tend to be strictly retail. However, I ordered online on a Thursday and received my CD on Saturday via U.S. Mail. Now that's service!
I also recommend CDnow, which has lower prices than Tower. Service is quick, and customer service is excellent. I ordered something online on a Monday, received a confirmation via e-mail immediately, then another confirmation when the order was shipped. It all happend via U.S. Mail, and I got my order on Friday.
Go to the Eden page on CDnow
More stuff regarding Eden Atwood
Search for Eden Atwood on the Chicago Tribune database (Enter Eden's name at the prompt. Remember, downloading these articles will cost you some cash).
Check out Eden Atwood on the imusic site.
Last updated December 2001, this page was created by Steven Rosenberg. If you have found expired links, or have questions, comments or any additional Eden Atwood info, please e-mail me at [email protected]
