Genie Grant Love Me Like I Am CD

The doyenne of Dallas jazz singers, Genie Grant has now racked up her third album for Dave Zoller's DPZ Jazz label. It is a tasty sandwich of standards and traditional pop, all placed within a musical wrapping provided by Zoller's fine piano jazz combo. The singer, entering her seventh decade, sings with verve, élan, and technical capabilities that a vocalist 40 years younger would be happy to possess. Whether singing "I'm Hip" by Kings of Hip Dave Frishberg and Bob Dorough, where she never lets the tricky rhythms of this anthem to the modern style get control of her, or a languid and melancholy version of "What'll I Do" with Mike Drake's brushes providing just the right touch in the background, she stays right on the mark. This would be a perfect vehicle for a 3 o'clock in the morning slow dance in an offbeat lounge somewhere. Grant has mastered the trick of using her players to her best advantage. Bass player Kerby Stewart kicks off "Learnin' the Blues," while Joe Lee's guitar has the lead on "I'll Remember April." Grant is one of those singers who will never enter that high atmosphere of great vocalists. But everything she does has taste, elegance, a sense of humor, and flair. Possessing a Peggy Lee-like light touch, her approach to each song she selects for her albums remains fresh and surpassingly jaunty. Not every CD needs to be "great," groundbreaking, seminal, etc., to be enjoyable. This one is enjoyable and recommended. ~ Dave Nathan

Audio Mixer: Steve Browne.

Liner Note Authors: Genie Grant; Conell Johnson, Jr.

Recording information: Big Time Audio, Dallas, TX (03/11/2002-03/13/2002).

Arrangers: Dave Zoller; Genie Grant.

PERSONNEL: Genie Grant, vocals; Dave Zoller, piano;Kerby Stewart, bass; MikeDSrake, drums; Joe Lee, acoustic & electric guitars.------ABOUT GENIE GRANT:Transplanted St. Louis native Genie Grant is a popular and well-known vocalist in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area with a huge repertoire of classic jazz & standard songs, both familiar and obscure. She and her trio have been featured regularly in recent years at legendary Dallas jazz venues such as Maxine Kent's, 6051 Club, Strictlly Tabu, Terilli's and The Ocean Grill. Genie and her husband, pianist-arranger-composer Dave Zoller and their group have performed at Sambuca Jazz Cafes for nearly five years. Ms. Grant has played the last 22 seasons with Sazarac Jazz at the State Fair Of Texas and performs with her own group and with the Dave Zoller Sextet at Ft. Worth's Main Street Festival and the Denton Arts Fest. She is a regularly featured artist on the Jazz Concert Series at the Sammons Center For The Performing Arts and at the Dallas Museum Of Art's Summer Concerts Under The Stars and Summer Jazz Series. She has recently toured other U.S. cities as well, with appearances at the Sambuca Jazz Cafes in Atlanta and Houston and the Lavecchia's in Columbia, SC and Charlotte, NC.Grant and Zoller have toured together with the late, legendary Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Al Hirt , performing at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in Florida along with George Benson and Dizzy Gillespie. Grant was featured vocalist in shows with Hirt and clarinetist-bandleader Pete Fountain and in concert with various symphonies in the U.S. She's also done recording , jingle work, live TV and movie soundtracks, including the made-for-TV movie "Lucy & Desi - Before the Laughter". She's opened for many headline acts, among them Bob Hope, Diahann Carroll, Robert Guilliaume, Lynda Carter & Marilyn McCoo. She was also featured vocalist special performances for President Jimmy Carter and the 75th Birthday Celebration for Lady Bird Johnson.In 2001, Genie Grant was named "Jazz Artist Of The Year" by the Sammons Center For The Performing Arts in Dallas.

Personnel: Genie Grant (vocals); Randy Lee (saxophone); David Zoller (piano); Mike Drake (drums).

Personnel: Genie Grant (vocals); Joe Lee (guitar); Dave Zoller (piano).