CD of the Day - "Alexa Weber Morales: Jazzmérica"

CD of the Day
Alexa Weber Morales: "Jazzmérica" (Crazy Monkey) 2004
Featuring: Wayne Wallace, John Santos, Michael Spiro, Frank Martin, Ricardo Peixoto et al.
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I've listened to "Jazzmérica" twice and became instantly in love. It sounds even more exciting and more challenging than its follow-up "Vagabundeo" (released in 2007 and already reviewd here on an earlier post.)
"Vagabundeo" may be "better produced" and surely Alexa has improved as a singer between those 2 albums, but "Jazzmérica" possesses an incredible fire, a high energy level, sounds more "focused". Lovely cover pic too.
My favorite tracks, at least up to now, are Alexa's own "I Did It, I Live It", Miles Davis' "All Blues" (in a 6/8 afro-cuban groove and new lyrics by Alexa), Stevie Wonder's intoxicating "Smile Please" and Clare Fischer's "Morning", an old favorite of mine since my childhood. I was fortunate to meet Clare Fisher during the 1992 IAJE convention in Miami; I've attended his concert and HE attended MY clinic!!! It was awesome! We also had talked by phone many times one year earlier, when he was adding orchestrations to a Joao Gilberto album.
"I Did It, I Live It" is a great song, delightful and enchanting, rhythmically captivating and entrancing. It deserves to become a latin-jazz standard. Hope Alexa keep singing it on her live gigs. From now on, I definitively shall pay special attention to her work as a songwriter.
"Jazzmérica" can be ordered through:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/alexawm