Cabaret Scenes CD Review - Krisanthi Pappas

Boston-based jazz singer Krisanthi Pappas bears just a slight resemblance to the late, legendary big band singer Anita O’Day when she was young—in looks and singing style on certain songs. That’s quite a compliment. In her prime, Ms. O’Day was revered by her peers as one of the best swing singers, with few in her league. Like O’Day, Pappas’s voice is bright, colorful, sweet and she can swing with the best of them. Her new album, Broadway Favorites... and All That Jazz!, is a versatile mix of mostly show tunes set to a strong jazz beat that proves to be an exciting disc. This is evident on the album’s rip-roaring opener, “Lullaby of Broadway.” A bouncy, swing style, big band treatment lends comparisons to O’Day. Pappas pulls out the stops and tears the roof off the place repeatedly on this live recording. Same can be said when she rips into “Oh! Lady, Be Good.” Again, recalling O’Day, she dabbles into a sizzling reading which is one of the album’s finer cuts, replete with more scat and her band in top form on assorted riffs that make for one hot cut.
Yet, swinging jazz tunes is far from what this thrush is all about. The CD is full of interesting surprises, such as the plaintive ”On My Own” from Les Misérables. This heart-breaker love ballad is likely the last thing one might expect to hear from a jazz lady. Pappas pulls it off with real flair, using only piano. She follows this with Peggy Lee’s smoky staple “Fever” (not a Broadway tuner). A non-jazzy, heartfelt and (blessedly) unadorned reading of “For Good” from Wicked places her in a vocal class that matches some of the best on the Great White Way.

Truth is, Krisanthi Pappas is not a household name. She could be. With this potent album, she could break through. Showing her skilled vocal diversity, she soars through some hot show tune standards that show she has what it takes to get noticed in a crowded field.

Production values frequently suffer on a live recording. This is surely no exception. At times, the band sounds tinny and coarse. And Pappas’s vocals suffer more than once due to a lack of higher-tech recording equipment. That said, Krisanthi Pappas serves each song very well and has the stuff to get a lot more attention in a wacky music world. She’s got all that jazz… and more.

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
December 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org

Krisanthi Pappas

Broadway Favorites...And All That Jazz
Live in Concert!

Music Box Records



	Krisanthi Pappas Broadway Favorites...And All That Jazz Live in Concert! Music Box Records
Boston-based jazz singer Krisanthi Pappas bears just a slight resemblance to the late, legendary big band singer Anita O’Day when she was young—in looks and singing style on certain songs. That’s quite a compliment. In her prime, Ms. O’Day was revered by her peers as one of the best swing singers, with few in her league. Like O’Day, Pappas’s voice is bright, colorful, sweet and she can swing with the best of them. Her new album, Broadway Favorites... and All That Jazz!, is a versatile mix of mostly show tunes set to a strong jazz beat that proves to be an exciting disc. This is evident on the album’s rip-roaring opener, “Lullaby of Broadway.” A bouncy, swing style, big band treatment lends comparisons to O’Day. Pappas pulls out the stops and tears the roof off the place repeatedly on this live recording. Same can be said when she rips into “Oh! Lady, Be Good.” Again, recalling O’Day, she dabbles into a sizzling reading which is one of the album’s finer cuts, replete with more scat and her band in top form on assorted riffs that make for one hot cut. Yet, swinging jazz tunes is far from what this thrush is all about. The CD is full of interesting surprises, such as the plaintive ”On My Own” from Les Misérables. This heart-breaker love ballad is likely the last thing one might expect to hear from a jazz lady. Pappas pulls it off with real flair, using only piano. She follows this with Peggy Lee’s smoky staple “Fever” (not a Broadway tuner). A non-jazzy, heartfelt and (blessedly) unadorned reading of “For Good” from Wicked places her in a vocal class that matches some of the best on the Great White Way. Truth is, Krisanthi Pappas is not a household name. She could be. With this potent album, she could break through. Showing her skilled vocal diversity, she soars through some hot show tune standards that show she has what it takes to get noticed in a crowded field. Production values frequently suffer on a live recording. This is surely no exception. At times, the band sounds tinny and coarse. And Pappas’s vocals suffer more than once due to a lack of higher-tech recording equipment. That said, Krisanthi Pappas serves each song very well and has the stuff to get a lot more attention in a wacky music world. She’s got all that jazz… and more. John Hoglund Cabaret Scenes December 2011 www.cabaretscenes.org

Krisanthi Pappas

Broadway Favorites...And All That Jazz Live in Concert!

Music Box Records

Broadway Favorites...And All That Jazz
Live in Concert!