Diana Panton - Red

Acclaim As a follow-up to her critically acclaimed "pink" album (2011 Silver Disc Award Winner in Japan) about first love, Diana Panton’s "red" album is a profound expression about deeper love. Diana leads a stellar group of Canada’s finest musicians from both the classical and jazz worlds in the creation of an album of rare beauty and emotional intensity. Don Thompson (Order of Canada) specially tailored string quartet arrangements, plus harp to compliment Panton’s ethereal voice. Phil Dwyer’s saxophone (2012 JUNO Award Winner) provides a wonderful counterpoint to Panton’s pure vocals and underscores the sensuality of much of the album. Don Thompson, Reg Schwager and Jim Vivian round out the ensemble with sensitive performances. There is also a delectable duet with bluesman Harrison Kennedy that has unbeatable chemistry! RED was also selected as a Top Vocal Album of the Year by Peter Hum (Ottawa Citizen) and Paul Pearce (Cool Jazz Set 90.1). It spent 10 weeks at Number 1 on the jazz sales chart in Taiwan and Hong Kong. It earned Diana a nomination for Best Jazz Vocalist at the 2014 and 2015 SiriusXM INDIES and took home the Hamilton Music Award for Jazz Album of the Year as well as the 2015 JUNO for Best Jazz Vocal Album. On her new album of love songs – Red – Diana Panton has further expanded and perfected her range of musical expression. The album showcases an impressive variety of sophisticated love songs. Once again she is backed by the exceptional guitarist Reg Schwager, Don Thompson on the piano and vibes with his colleagues Phil Dwyer on saxophone and Jim Vivian on bass. Thompson's' arrangements for a string quartet and harp give the jazz quartet a particularly powerful and elegant complexion. NU:ANCE, The Magazine for Digital Audiophiles, Germany Diana demonstrates the impressive ability to discover quality songs which have not been over-recorded.  She told me that she used to borrow many CDs and cassettes from the library and enjoyed listening to them whilst in high school - the track selection on this album is a testament to how well she did her homework on that repertoire.  In addition, this is her first recording with strings.  The superb string arrangements by Don Thompson are worthy of special mention. Keizo Takada, from the liner notes of the Japanese release Don Thompson's elegant musical arrangements remind me of the jazz albums produced by Claus Ogerman, and the guitar and saxophone sound so warm and tender.  This collection of love songs covers the excitement and anxiety of love and Diana's message in the liner notes "This album is best paired with someone you love" perfectly sums up her intention for this album. Toru Hashimoto from the liner notes of the Japanese release Diana Panton continues to captivate and enthral her fans with magical moments and swinging grooves.  Her latest recording, RED, is right at the top of our list of 2013's "Best Jazz Recordings." Paul Pearce, Cool Jazz Set, WDCE-FM Quand Diana chante, on se sent invité à partager des secrets. Si la chanteuse en est encore un pour beaucoup de gens, dépêchez-vous de le révéler à votre tour! Frédéric Cardin, Espace.mu [Read the full review] ... I am a big fan of this recording. It's a pleasure to experience a musical project that grew so surely and elegantly from concept to execution, and that brings together such talented artists as these. Katie Malloch (excerpt from the liner notes) Diana Panton's new release has a wonderfully nostalgic vibe offering up jazz standards with an acoustic sound, some tracks featuring strings and others saxophone. Included in the song list are two of Ivan Lins’ classics: The Island and Love Dance which are refreshing accents, providing colour and textural variety to the album. Diana has a special affinity for Brazilian music. Diana’s vocals express subtleties of feeling and her sweet tone compliments the elegant jazz sound very well. This album fills the listener with a gentle happiness. CD Journal, Japan Holly Cole, Diana Krall, Sophie Milman … Canada has introduced some big names into the world of female vocal jazz so far. Now Diana Panton is poised to be the next star there. Often compared to Blossom Dearie, Diana sings gently like a sweet whisper, but this doesn’t mean that she simply lures us in with the calming atmosphere she creates. I can assure you that her technique as a singer is more solid than many vocalists who may present themselves as technical gymnasts. For Diana, her technique is rather a vehicle for expression, so that her musical message reaches the listener. Her prior album, pink had a theme of “new love”, and the romance has moved to the next level in this new album RED. Diana’s expression doesn’t lose any of its grace in communicating these mature love songs and further reveals her purity. In addition, the elegant sounding arrangements by Don Thompson, who has supported Diana since her debut, are truly superb. Jazz Japan This Canadian singer, Diana Panton, is a rising star in Asia too where she has topped the Jazz music charts in Hong Kong and Taiwan over Norah Jones and Diana Krall. This album with 13 fabulous tracks starts with “Say It (Over and Over Again)” which is also the opening song of Coltrane’s “Ballads”. Diana sings in a mellow tone, gently offering up her heartfelt lyrics to listeners. The string backing is elegant and the recording quality too, is exemplary. Alto sax, guitar, piano and vibes contribute very well and the enchanting vocals are further enriched by them. My "favourite" is the relaxing duo track “Make Yourself Comfortable”. Jazz Life, Japan The disc makes a strong impression from the get-go with a sumptuous version of the classic ballad Say It (Over and Over Again), introduced by Dwyer and strings, before Panton and Thompson’s piano carry the tune. Much variety follows, from the classy bossa of That’s All to the Shearingesque, vibes-bolstered arrangement of You’re The Top, from Make Yourself Comfortable, a slow, slinky duet with Harrison Kennedy enlivened by Schwager’s bluesy guitar, to You’re My Thrill [...]. Who Cares and the romping 24 Hours A Day are deeply swinging. From the Ivan Lins songbook come string-enriched versions of The Island and Love Dance. Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen Amazing, wondrous and emotive. This latest album proves that Diana Panton is not just a singer with a beautiful voice, but a singer capable of creating dreamily elegant music with profound depth. AV Magazine, Hong Kong [This] three-time Juno-nominee’s smooth delivery conjures a unique atmosphere on her most recent album, Red. Especially during bilingual songs, there is an overall vibration from another time and place — calm and peaceful rather than busy and bold. Brian Gall, The Expositor I get the sense Diana Panton gets to know a song as intimately as you might know a lover; where nuance is why you fell in love and you didn't even know that was the why of it. Diana Panton's Artistry? It's in the nuances of love in music. John Devenish, JAZZ.FM With or without strings: no matter the number of accompanying instruments behind Diana Panton's voice, the whole album sounds as if it was recorded in the 1950s – perfectly from beginning to the end. […] In these surroundings, the Canadian singer whispers and sighs in a style reminiscent of Blossom Dearie on her best recordings. […] In “Make Yourself Comfortable", Panton purrs seductively as would have the great Eartha Kitt in former times […]. All of this suggests an eye-twinkling retro-charm, while the flawless sound of the drummer-less band is obviously from today. Werner Stiefele,  Rondo Magazine, Germany

Price: $49.98