LA JAZZ SCENE - Scott Yanow
CHRIS BENNETT - BENNETT ON BROADWAY

Chris Bennett has had a wide-ranging career, from disco early on to "contemporary" jazz, pop, and cabaret. A talented singer-songwriter who is best known for performing her own material, she switches directions altogether on this CD, reviving 18 songs that were originally part of Broadway shows.

The emphasis throughout is on Chris Bennett's lovely and expressive voice, with most of the tunes taken at relaxed tempos with a few medium-tempo romps included for variety. She sings the lyrics bringing out the beauty of the words, and her improvising is very subtle while she swings lightly. The backup group, who includes sax altoist Armando Castagnoli, guitarists Kleber Jorge and Thom Rotella, and either Bill Augustine or Ms. Bennett on piano, play their parts wonderfully and keep the momentum flowing. Among the selections are Come Back to Me, Old Devil Moon, If Ever I Would Leave You, All Of You, and Get Out Of Town, plus an occasional obscurity. The numbers are arranged in two acts; there is no storyline and the project is really just a great excuse for Chris Bennett to sing gorgeous, classic material.

This is one of her finest recordings. You will absolutely love the delightful BENNETT ON BROADWAY (available from Rhombus-Records).

-- Scott Yanow

JAZZ REVIEW - Woodrow Wilkins Jr. -
LATIN JAZZ- UNTIL THE END OF TIME

Grammy-nominated jazz/pop song stylist, Chris Bennett, has taken a turn for bossa nova with the release of Until the End of Time, a Brazilian- and Latin-flavored labor of love that features an irresistible mix of exciting original material and unique arrangements of pop, jazz, and Brazilian standards.

While Bennett self-produced her three previous recordings, Chris Bennett (1993), Less Is More (1997), and Live in Berlin (1999), on the new project, she hands production reins over to veteran bassist/producer/recording artist, Alec Milstein. Alec has been a fixture in Bennett’s band for four years, and has played with Jeff Lorber and the late Art Porter, as well as The Manhattan Transfer, Michael Franks, and Better Midler.

On Until the End of Time, Bennett collaborates with an exciting roster of musicians, including saxmen Eric Marienthal (who has played with the Chick Corea Elektric Band and The Rippingtons), and Armando Castagnoli.

“In the time that he’s been working with me, Alex has turned me on to an amazing amount of Brazilian and Latin music, including a lot of salsa and Brazilian legends like Antonio Carlos Jobim and Ivan Lins,” Bennett said in a press release. “The vocal possibilities in these idioms are endless.”

The album begins with a cocky, brass-splashed tribute to Bill Withers’ Use Me. Other covers include the tropical-flavored samba Flamingo, a dreamy The Lamp Is Low (based on the classical piece Pavane by Ravel), and two Jobim tunes: Someone to Light Up My Life (featuring Marienthal) and the seductive I Once Loved.

Bennett’s sparkling originals are the peppy Hopeless Case, the mid-tempo Latin-tinged On a Summer Night, the soulful Latin-Brazilian hybrid title song, the zesty salsa of He’s Not Ready for Me, and the festive cha cha gem, Faster Than Expected.

On the opener, Chris does more than justice to the Withers’ classic. While keeping the flavor of the original intact, she makes Use Me her own with the Latin rhythms and powerful trombone solo by Velasco. Her own Hopeless Case is at once reflective of vocal magic delivered by such jazz divas as Basia, Cheryl Bentyne (of The Manhattan Transfer), and Barbara Long (Hiroshima).

The album continues with a succession of beautiful vocals and expert instrumentation. From the romantic On a Summer Night to the melodramatic Once I Loved, Bennett and friends deliver an exciting, passionate and, at times, playful repertoire of South American vibes.

Until the End of Time is highly recommended for anyone who likes jazz vocals – especially for the listener who enjoys the Latin beat.

Like Randy Crawford, CHRIS BENNETT is a multitalented jazz-oriented pop singer who plays to sold-out houses in Europe. Meanwhile, the average stateside adult-contemporary listener doesn't know her name. If that situation doesn't change with the release of UNTIL THE END OF TIME, (Rhombus Records), it won't be for the lack of creative energy and vocal excitement. While Bennett self-produced her three previous recordings, she hands the reins on this Brazilian- and Latin-flavored disc to veteran bassist/producer/recording artist, Alec Milstein, (well-known for his work with Eric Marienthal, Jeff Lorber, and others). He helps transform Bennett into a stylish Latin big-band singer, particularly on fiery cuts like Use Me. Here Bill Withers' soul chestnut receives a royal salsa treatment with Bennett's soothing voice gliding over a swirling hurricane of pitter-patter percussion and staccato brass gusts. Occasionally, Arturo Velasco's trombone leaps out and wraps around Bennett like an excited, jumpy lover.

On the Brazilian side, original tunes like Hopeless Case get the bossa thing going as Bennett gives it her sultry best. Fans of the singer's past romantic stylings will find a cozy familiarity on balmy tracks like On A Summer Night and the title tune. Wayne Johnson's buoyant guitar solo in the intro section of Faster Than Expected offers a moment of instrumental cool before the true Latin energy of the tune kicks in. And what would even a partially Brazilian-themed project be without a few Jobim tunes? The seductive Once I Loved and Someone To Light Up My Life feature Marienthal's smoky alto and more of Bennett's breezy vocals.

BIRD JAZZ MAGAZINE - REVIEW August/September 1998
CHRIS BENNETT LESS IS MORE

Chris Bennett's rise to stardom came by writing lyrics to the Academy Award-winning score for Midnight Express. This vocal endeavor includes six originals, two Rodgers and Hammerstein standards, and one Jobim classic. Yes, it's standards for lovers and the selections are superb. Bennett's voice is mindful of Morgana King's lushness on Dindi, Drifting, and Isn't It Romantic?. Bennett is joined by Eric Doney on piano (she accompanies herself on three songs), Cliff Hugo, bass, Bobbye Hall, percussion, Wayne Johnson, guitar, Armando Castagnoli, tenor sax, and violinist Haim Shtrum. A lot more, nonetheless, will be expected from Chris Bennett in the future. Platinum wings are bestowed on her for this CD flight.

-- Ed Hamilton

CADENCE - Jazz Magazine - 1998

CHRIS BENNETT is correct when she says LESS IS MORE! She goes on to demonstrate the point with a winningly warm and clear soprano that does not shy away from an intimate and sometimes sexy delivery. Her PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE is the very essence of ardent simplicity. She undresses the Rodgers and Hammerstein standard with nicely measured help from pianist Eric Doney and violinist Hyam Shtrum and she does the same sort of work with ISN'T IT ROMANTIC?, and SOME OTHER TIME.

-- Alan Bardebuher

L.A. JAZZ SCENE - L.A.'s Only Jazz Paper
CHRIS BENNETT "LESS IS MORE"

Chris Bennett is a versatile singer whose spine-tingling voice generates soft power. She gets her message across with quiet subtlety and always seems to fully understand the words she's interpreting. Although not really an improviser, Chris Bennett is quite effective throughout this ballad-filled album. Singing some older tunes (including Isn't It Romantic?, My Foolish Heart, and Some Other Time), and six of her melodic originals (generally pop-oriented), Bennett is featured in several different settings. There are some duets with pianist Eric Doney, a few of the other pieces also use guitarist Wayne Johnson, bassist Cliff Hugo, percussionist Bobbye Hall, flautist Gary Herbig, the tenor sax of Armando Castagnoli, and/or violinist Haim Shtrum (who has the prettiest tone). The singer plays piano herself on three of her songs. With a few exceptions (such as Make Me New For You), the emphasis is on slower tempos. Bennett's sensuous, long notes make the record most listenable. This CD is well worth checking out, as is Chris Bennett during her frequent club appearances.

-- Scott Yanow

L.A. JAZZ SCENE - L.A.'s Only Jazz Paper
CHRIS BENNETT LIVE IN BERLIN

(Renegade) Chris Bennett has spent her career straddling the jazz and pop worlds. The singer's voice is attractive and flexible although she generally sticks to soulful renditions of melodies without taking any really wild flights. On this live set, she backs her singing on piano and is joined by altoist Armando Castognoli, the synthesizer of Helmut Bruger, bassist Stephane Weeke, drummer Ernst Bier and percussinist Bobbye Hall. The music is at its best when the vocalist is interpreting standards including NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, SKYLARK, YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME, and ONE FOR MY BABY.

JAZZ TIMES - America's Jazz Magazine
Currents by Hilarie Grey - November 1998

Known for years as a songwriter - and particularly as a collaborator with Giorgio Moroder - vocalist CHRIS BENNETT proves that LESS IS MORE on a spare, meditative collection of romantic standards and wistful originals. Bennett has two lead voices here - her quietly cool, nearly vibrato-less alto, and her doodling, emotive piano work. The two combine nicely on playful reads of well-worn classics like Isn't It Romantic? as well as lithe self-penned gems like the Sade-recalling Drifting and thoughtful, loping Make Me New For You. Although the sparse arrangements sometimes reveal Bennett's wispier, high range, she transitions nicely to a smokier low range which keeps People Will Say We're In Love meditative rather than merely sentimental. A stellar supporting cast also keeps things moving - with inspired touches like Haim Shtrum's violin work on People Will Say... and Wayne Johnson's gorgeous fluttery guitar on Dindi, mirroring the beautiful lyric "wind that speaks to the leaves/telling stories no one believes."

PAC ATTACKS
"CHRIS BENNETT"
BEACHWOOD RECORDINGS 2506-2

You know the old saying "good things come in small packages"? Well, please allow me to paraphrase a bit: Good music comes from small labels. While Beachwood Recordings may not be known for the quantity of their releases, the quality of the projects they offer certainly stands out (i.e.: James Lee Stanley and Laurence Juber). This time around, the label introduces us to an outstanding female vocalist, CHRIS BENNETT. While this may be Bennett's solo album debut, she is certainly no stranger to the performance world, having sung background vocals for Donna Summer, Johnny Mathis, Rita Coolidge, and James Lee Stanley (most recently on Make It Tonight, from his current The Envoy CD). As a composer, Bennett has earned a Grammy nomination for the title song from the film MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, as well as having material recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Tina Turner, and Giorgio Moroder. On Chris Bennett she combines her writing and singing skills and the result is 45 minutes of pure joy. Shimmy Softly is a sensual caress that envelops the listener in its glimmering melody and lyrical union. Turning Into Love is a gorgeous duet between Bennett and one of the song's co-writers, Randy Hall. This vocal collaboration, and the addition of Glenn Burris' sax solo, exude romance and passion. Bennett puts her foot down and lays down the laws of love on Ain't No Game. Wayne Johnson's guitar work on this piece helps make it an instant winner. Johnson again excels on Roll, as Bennett's breathy, from-the-gut delivery once more draws the listeners' undivided attention. Imagine a deserted tropical beach - deserted, that is, with the exception of you, the one you love, a magnum of chilled Dom Perignon, and a big bowl of fresh strawberries. That is the scene Bennett must have envisioned when creating Besame Aqui. After a successful career as a background performer, it is a pleasure to welcome Chris Bennett to center stage.

-- BCL