Chris McNulty - Whispers the Heart
On her 6th release, Whispers the Heart, McNulty has once again hand picked a veritable who's who from the contemporary jazz scene, along with an appearance by tenor sax great Frank Wess, who contributes an exquisite solo on the Bacharach/David tune "Make It Easy On Yourself". From the opening tune to the very last you will be reminded over and over again of just how much passion, heart and musical savvy this vocalist-composer infuses into everything she sings.

Along with her co-producing partner Paul Bollenback, who shares the stage with Chris on several stunning ballads as well as contributing several arrangements, this recording also features the work of Ingrid Jensen, Dave Pietro, Tineke Postma (Holland), Ed Howard, Matt Wilson, Rogerio Boccato, Gary Versace and Montez Coleman.

The recording kicks off with Bollenback?s hard swinging arrangement of Michel Legrand?s "Summer Me, Winter Me", and melts into a stunning rendition of McNulty's arrangement of "Make It Easy On Yourself." "Come Rain or Shine" follows in a similar hard grooving fashion to the opening track, ending as a shuffle romp with McNulty?s voice wailing over the top. "Springosphere", one of several McNulty originals, features her string quartet arrangement and is just as the title suggests, an exuberant, uplifting and powerful statement both compositionally and lyrically. Both renditions of "If You Never Come" and "How Deep Is the Ocean" shine, attesting to why McNulty is so highly regarded for her ballad singing. "Quiet Your Thoughts" opens with an ethereal quality featuring horns and voice exchanging simple melodic variations and works its way into a shifting Latin groove. The album ends with the magnificent Thad Jones composition, "When Love Was You And Me (Summary)" performed as a duet in the most intimate of settings, highlighting the exquisite chemistry between McNulty and Bollenback. As passionate and stirring as it is ground breaking in style and originality, Whispers the Heart is scheduled for release September 12th, 2006 on the Elefant Dreams label.
Photos from the recording session >>

Paul Bollenback - Brightness of Being
Bollenback's long awaited 6th release featuring three diverse sides of this amazing musician - five original compositions, two pieces adapted from classical works by Giacomo Puccini and Garcia De Leon, a couple of Ray Charles tunes featuring David "Fathead" Newman, along with a Stevie Wonder tune - all encompassing the inimitable Bollenback stamp of masterful re-harmonizations, visionary improvisational ideas, and explosive groove. The album also features: Gary Thomas, Tim Garland, James Genus, Terri Lynn Carrington, Ari Honig and Chris McNulty Releases February 2006, maybe some artwork from the CD.

Photos from the recording session >>

As jazz critic Bill Milkowski says of this CD: “A soulful vocalist with a soaring, sensuous quality, a sly, seasoned delivery and natural sense of swing, Chris McNulty imparts her own unique magic interpreting jazz standards, as she showcased so confidently on last year‘s I Remember You. On Dance Delicioso, the Australian-born singer showcases more of her own considerable songwriting prowess… McNulty distinguishes herself as one of the elite jazz singers on the scene...” The CD features an all-star cast of players including Gary Bartz on alto sax, Gary Thomas on tenor sax, Billy Hart on drums, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Paul Bollenback on guitars, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, David Budway on piano, Dave Pietro on soprano/also sax, John Di Martino on piano, Sonny Barbato on accordion, Eric Friedlander on cello, and Café da Silva on percussion, as well as a vocal group.
More here: Dance Delicioso >>
Photos from the recording session >>

Trio Delux is a concept that vocalist/composer Chris McNulty and guitarist/composer Paul Bollenback have developed in recent years to showcase their music in an intimate, and affordable setting.

Trio Delux was formed when a Paul Bollenback Quartet performance (featuring McNulty and bassist Ugonna Okegwo) was forcibly changed to a trio performance when the drummer missed his connecting flight! The resulting music was so magically powerful, energetic and intimate that the audience (and the musicians!) were completely enthralled. Since then the trio of guitar, voice and bass has had several successful gigs, most recently at the Blue Note, in New York. McNulty, Bollenback and Okegwo are the original TRIO DELUX.

In many cases, McNulty and Bollenback appear as a duo, featuring a third musician, a special guest musician from the local region in which they are performing. This has been extremely successful with pianist Andrei Kondakov in his native Russia, with bassist Anthony Cox in Minneapolis, and with a variety of guests in the New York City area, which the duo calls home.

The music itself is a combination of original works in a variety of styles, interesting and soulful arrangements of standards, and jazz arrangements of contemporary music, from movie themes to Stevie Wonder tunes. Bollenback uses several different guitars for contrast, and McNulty sings lyrics and sounds. Add a guest and the possibilities are endless…..