Wait For Your Spring

About the Artist
Kelly Brightwell is a singer/songwriter who combines powerful vocals and evocative lyrics, with rhythmic guitar work and a signature melodic sensibility. The result is thoughtful acoustic pop music with a groove, exploring the overlap between everyday experiences and the sublime.

A self-taught pianist from the age of 9, Kelly was composing instrumental pieces and performing them in school talent shows by the age of 13. At 16, she had an extensive original repertoire and had learned works by George Winston and Rachmaninoff…by ear. She wrote her first song with guitar and lyrics at the age of 21 while living in Santa Fe, NM. She returned to her hometown in the suburbs of Chicago to front a folk/rock band (Prairie Smoke). A move to Madison, WI brought Kelly together with guitarist and drummer Jennifer "JJ" Jones and the two formed an acoustic duo (Jink). Playing Kelly’s original songs, they performed at some of the Midwest’s most respected venues (see below), and shared the stage with such notable performers as Barb Ryman, Ellis, Ann Reed and Paul Metsa.

on her influences Michelle Shocked taught her to play guitar. Shawn Colvin gave her a reason to want to. Indigo Girls were her crash course in harmony and fearless lyricism. REM woke her up. Nanci Griffith showed her how to be vulnerable. Sheryl Crow was her pop diva hero. Sarah McLachlan made it sound like her dreams. Dar Williams made her feel like she could do it too. Sara K taught her to use her upper registers and to sing like the land. Billie Holiday told her she could sing through anything. Jonatha Brooke was her divine revelation. Patty Larkin raised the guitar bar and turned her phrases. Patty Griffin broke her heart. Jeff Buckley put it together again.

on JJ Jennifer "JJ" Jones began playing guitar and drums at age 14 while attending a private high school for the arts in Seattle. During her career she has been the drummer for an instrumental jam/funk band (Telefunken), an alternative rock band (Shine), a Liz Phair-styled power-pop band (Letterbox), and the producer, guitarist and drummer for a studio project (Violet) with female vocalist/songwriter Viva (Penny Dreadfuls, Filthy Divine). While living in Madison, Wisconsin, JJ began playing lead guitar and working with Kelly Brightwell. Now based in Minneapolis, JJ continues to collaborate with Kelly, in addition to playing drums for Ellis, a nationally touring singer/songwriter. With Ellis, JJ has traveled the country, sharing the stage with such artists as Patrice Pike, Erika Luckett, Rachel Sage, Ember Swift, Girlyman, Anne Heaton, Natalia Zukerman, and Alix Olson.

Product Description:
Scheduled for release in November 2004, "wait for your spring" features seven songs that showcase the diversity of Kelly's songwriting, from alt-pop anthems and intimate acoustic tracks, to dance mixes and driving ballads--such as the song Knee Deep, which won Honorable Mention in this year’s Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter’s Showcase. Understated yet powerful arrangements using acoustic guitars, live percussion looping and digital programming emphasize the strength of the songs and highlight Kelly’s transcendent vocals. The EP was produced by longtime collaborator Jennifer "JJ" Jones, who added guitar and percussion. It was recorded in San Francisco at the studio of Jeff Steinmetz, a.k.a. DJ Kepi, a progressive-house music DJ and producer (Thump Radio, Red Eye Foundation). Kepi’s talents inspired a remix of Kelly's song Recover, which has been tapped by LA’s Thump Records for an upcoming dance-music compilation.

Wait For Your Spring,Kelly Brightwell,Kelandj Records,Kelly combines evocative lyrics and rhythmic guitar work with a signature melodic sensibility. The result is thoughtful acoustic pop music with a groove that explores the overlap between everyday experiences and the sublime.

Average customer rating: A Beautiful Re-Creation of Over-Exposed Legrand Material "one of the greatest film composers of the 20th Century ~ Michel Legrand"

The Essential Michel Legrand Film Music Collection Manufacturer: Silva America ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music France | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: Michel Legrand by Michel Legrand I Love Paris Michel Plays Legrand Summer of 42 Le Cinema de Michel Legrand ASIN: B000B5XSSA Release Date: 2005-10-04

Tracks:

1. Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
2. Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
3. Summer of 42
4. Never Say Never Again
5. How Do You Keep The Music Playing
6. The Thomas Crown Affair
7. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
8. Les Trois Mousquetaires
9. Wuthering Heights
10. Brian's Song
11. Dingo
12. Yentl
13. Le Messager - Variations 1-2-3-4-5-7

Customer Reviews:

A Beautiful Re-Creation of Over-Exposed Legrand Material.......2006-02-10

Michel Legrand is one the biggest artists of music entertainment, a sensitive composer and arranger.

Here you'll find a correct selection of Legrand's material with unnecessarily new arrangements though with an impeccable performance.

Many of the songs in the repertoire are still available in CDs you can find here @Amazon and the best Legrand is the original Legrand.

This album stands only for those who doesn't care about original takes and wishes just for a selection of the best Legrand.

"one of the greatest film composers of the 20th Century ~ Michel Legrand".......2005-10-26

Silva Screen has released a collection that will set you on your ear "The Essential Michel Legrand Film Music Collection"...Legrand's score sets the tone and mood you experience a sense of power and freedom, so exhilarating...Legrand's genius in composition and orchestration, puts the listener smack dab in the middle of each film he scores as it serves up a generous helping of heaven for all "film-score-buff" collectors

Michel Legrand was born in Paris on February 24th, 1932...attended the Paris Conservatory Progressing...worked in various jazz bands, later a staff arranger and composer...an orchestrator in the '50s...scored films in the early '60s with "THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG" (1964)..."THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR" (1968)..."THE GO-BETWEEN" (1970)..."SUMMER OF '42" (1971)..."THE THREE MUSKETEERS" (1973)...and three Oscars from the Academy Awards for "THE WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND" for best music and original song in 1969 , "SUMMER OF '42" for best original song and original dramatic score in 1972... "YENTL for best music and original song score in 1984...then in 2003 nominated for Broadway's Tony Awards for Best Original Music Score for the Musical "Amour", there's no letting up for this hard working composer.

The Flemish Radio Orchestra featuring conductor composer Michel Legrand on piano and harpsichord, Philippe Chayeb on bass, Thierry Chauvet on drums and Bruno Caviglia on guitar...all in all did a magnificent job in bringing the music of a composer who wrote for a multitude of films, receiving recognition from the industry and fans which is long over-due ~ his work is in constant demand.

This collection contains an overlay of each cue in Legrand's distinctive style of legendary scoring ~ the man who made this possible, a tremendous asset to every project he undertakes is Reynold da Silva [executive producer of the album] ~ symphonic suites with full orchestra fullfilling the "film-score-buffs" cravings for more of the same, just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 77:55 ~ Silva America 1185 ~ (10/04/2005)

Average customer rating: Michel Legrand Sunlight on his fingertips all the stars you've got Maestro Legrand , at last ! For Jazz piano purest... Only!

Michel Legrand by Michel Legrand Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Film Scores | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music France | Continental Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Michel Plays Legrand The Essential Michel Legrand Film Music Collection I Love Paris Legrand Jazz Summer of 42 ASIN: B00005YW0W Release Date: 2002-04-16

Tracks:

1. I Will Wait For You
2. The Windmills Of Your Mind
3. The Summer Knows
4. How Do You Keep The Music Playing?
5. Watch What Happens
6. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
7. His Eyes, Her Eyes
8. The Hands Of Time
9. Ordinary Man
10. Summer Me, Winter Me
11. You Must Believe In Spring
12. Once Upon A Summertime
13. L'Amour Fantome
14. Yentl Medley: Papa Can You Hear Me/The Way He Makes Me Feel/A Piece Of Sky

Amazon.com

If the American pop culture profile of French composer-jazz pianist Michel Legrand doesn't seem what it once was, don't be misled: his European indie film scores continue six decades on, now numbering nearly 200. But Legrand's most beloved work remains the lovely, evocative themes he created in the '60s and '70s, including "I Will Wait for You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Thomas Crown Affair's "Windmills of Your Mind," the theme from Summer of '42, and his work on Barbra Streisand's Yentl. This collection marks Legrand's first solo piano recordings, presenting those and other film score highlights in spontaneously improvised performances that offer a glimpse of Legrand's musical soul. If, as in "Windmills," his enthusiasm gets the best of him and he occasionally lapses into flights of melodramatic pianistic self-parody, there are more than enough sublime moments here to compensate, especially on lesser-known songs like Best Friends' "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" from The Happy Ending, and Brian's Song's "Hands of Time." --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Michel Legrand.......2007-03-12

This is a great CD! Sound is awesome. I highly recommend it.

Sunlight on his fingertips.......2005-08-10

Sunlight on his fingertips

The very bright talent of Michele Legrand you can feel especially when Maestro is playing piano himself.

I heard some orchestra performance of Legrand before, that was good, but I was still thinking about him just like about pop music composer.

Now I think different - he is Genius!

all the stars you've got.......2005-01-29

Bill Evans once said that technique in jazz "is the ability to translate your ideas into sound through your instrument." If that's the case, Legrand possesses technique in spades.

Before commenting on this rewarding disc, a few words about Legrand himself:

Is there a better songwriter or a more versatile all-around musican alive today? I think you have to go back to people like Gershwin and Billy Strayhorn to find a rough parallel to Legrand's multifaceted, genre-crossing genius. A pupil of Nadia Boulanger (who studied with Faure and taught many important American composers, including Aaron Copland and Philip Glass), Legrand is an heir of the great French tradition of music--but one who has chosen to express himself through popular songs, film scores, and jazz. He possesses that rare combination of an absolutely rigorous theoretical knowledge of music and an intuitive, spontaneous instinct for both melody and improvisation. He combines exquisite refinement with a popular touch, a need to communicate directly with all who love music. To me, his work represents the most perfect expression of such typically French traits as lightness, insouciance, wit, melodic charm, and direct emotional expression since Poulenc.

Here you'll find many of Legrand's signature songs--"I Will Wait for You," "The Windmills of Your Mind," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?," "The Hands of Time," "You Must Believe in Spring," etc.--reharmonized and enriched in stunningly beautiful solo recreations. Those unfamiliar with Legrand's pianistic abilities will probably be surprised by what they hear, for he's no part-time piano tickler. He can easily hold his own in the company of the best modern jazz pianists. He has a wonderfully refined touch that is incapable of making a harsh sound and a profusive sense of fantasy that keeps you constantly guessing as to where the music will go next. Yet you always feel satisfied when you find out, because Legrand possesses a composer's comprehension of harmony and form. And his own style is in no way compromised by an occasional nod here and there toward Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, Rachmaninoff, and so on. (Please: disregard the Amazon reviewer's remark about "flights of melodramatic pianistic self-parody." It's called a stride chorus, and it's just one example of Legrand's surprising way of recasting these songs--and of his encyclopedic command of jazz styles.)

This disc represents the essence of Legrand. It really should have been recorded a long time ago, but the fact that it has captured his undiminished abilities as he enters his twilight years lends it an added poignance--a sense of "just in time!"--that makes it all the sweeter. If you're already a Legrand fan, it should be a self-recommending treasure, and if you're a fan of great piano playing or of sophisticated jazz treatments of great songs, odds are you'll find this a very rewarding disc indeed. For me, the highlight is this version of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" in which every note seems inevitable--not at all an easy thing to make happen in an improvisation.

Miles Davis once said of a Duke Ellington recording, "Give that one all the stars you've got." That's the way I feel about this disc, and I thought that phrase "all the stars you've got" was appropriate because it almost sounds like the title of a Legrand song.

Maestro Legrand , at last !.......2004-10-10

Legrand has recorded at last one of his more intimate renditions to himself with his most remarkable themes along his brilliant career .
From a summer of 42 , The windmills of your mind (The Thomas crown afair) , what are you doing the rest of your life or the romantic Umbrellas of Cherbourg ; all those unforgettable themes are played in this album for piano solo in the real intimacy between him and the listener .
Legrand is the golden master of soundtracks in France and one of the top in the world . He owns that inner vision to catch the spirit of every movie he accompains . He composes music as he was a real director movie . The psychological concerns , the romantic efluvies and the precise and lyrical atmosphere , with that touch of class, artistic elegance and sublime eloquency .
Think also in the important recordings with Miles Davis . That issue will give you the size of that artist and anothe point to remark . In 1954 , Legrand made a golden jewel : I lvoe Paris (See my review) that has become through the years in the most famous and the best album of instrumental music ever recorded .
What other background do you need to acquire this gem ?

For Jazz piano purest... Only!.......2002-09-07

I love the music of Michele Legrand! It is a rich mixture of
graceful tones and notes, that create memories of a certain
time and place in each of our own lives.
When accompaned with great orchestration Its wonderful. When done in a jazz piano style, its not as good. Not to take anyting away from the talents of Mr Legrand as a pianist. Its just that like hearing a lusher, grander version of his music. So if you like jazz piano music, and Michele Legrand.
Then this is the cd for you!

Average customer rating: Crystal clear and pleasing to the ear

Wait For Your Spring Kelly Brightwell Manufacturer: Kelandj Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B0006FTA28 Release Date: 2004-11-16

Tracks:

1. Knee Deep
2. Wait For Your Spring
3. Daffodils
4. Face in the Sun
5. Falling In
6. Rockets
7. Recover (Kepi's Remix)
8. Clear Blue (DJ Mix)

Album Description

Scheduled for release in November 2004, "wait for your spring" features seven songs that showcase the diversity of Kelly's songwriting, from alt-pop anthems and intimate acoustic tracks, to dance mixes and driving ballads--such as the song Knee Deep, which won Honorable Mention in this year's Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter's Showcase. Understated yet powerful arrangements using acoustic guitars, live percussion looping and digital programming emphasize the strength of the songs and highlight Kelly's transcendent vocals. The EP was produced by longtime collaborator Jennifer "JJ" Jones, who added guitar and percussion. It was recorded in San Francisco at the studio of Jeff Steinmetz, a.k.a. DJ Kepi, a progressive-house music DJ and producer (Thump Radio, Red Eye Foundation). Kepi's talents inspired a remix of Kelly's song Recover, which has been tapped by LA's Thump Records for an upcoming dance-music compilation.

Customer Reviews:

Crystal clear and pleasing to the ear.......2005-03-05

"Wait for your Spring" is a pleasure to listen to, and gets better each time you come back to it, sliding past the familiarity of the tunes and slipping deeper into the meanings. Brightwell is blessed with a naturally melodic vocal instrumentality, and JJ's backup guitar work complements it well. The cajun/country twang guitar on one of the songs brings an internal smile of surprise, and a bigger surprise is the final track, where hauntingly echoing refrains of Kelly's voice are perfectly blended with futuristic techno-dance thumping rhythms by DJ and producer Jeff "Kepi" Steinmetz of San Francisco. A very nice album

Average customer rating:

The Lesser Known Nielsen, Vol. 2 Manufacturer: Rondo Grammofon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Nielsen | Nielsen, Carl | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000009I8Z Release Date: 1995-03-23

Music Album:

1. We All Need Heroes
2. Wild Wind
3. Yellow Princess [Import]
4. Zumbach's Coat [Import]
5. 3D
6. A Midnight Clear
7. Acoustic Jeep
8. Ambiance
9. An Old-Fashioned Wingding
10. Anthology Road to Kingdom Come [Import]

Music Album