New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Multiple national placements have greeted the joyful, witty debut album by Vancouver-based singer
Angela Verbrugge. With two Exclusive Song Premieres in Jazziz Magazine, an Exclusive Premiere in JazzTimes (along with an upcoming print edition review) and a collection of short-lead interviews and album write-ups, Verbrugge is seeing enthusiasm build for her dream of a music career. In fact, in a remarkable bit of news, her album 'The Night We Couldn't Say Good Night' debuted at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart in her native Canada. Veteran critic
George Harris highlighted Verbrugge's original tracks and described the collection as "quirky with a swing." Look for Harris' review in JazzWeekly soon. Other articles have described the music as "beautifully patient and timeless"…"Angela lets her stunning vocals soar."
Verbrugge has survived three near-death experiences, and they have provided the inspiraton for her burgeoning music career: "I was in a head-on collision, almost drowned, and then, when I had three kids under five, I got a very serious kind of cancer that had spread. I decided that if I could get through the treatments and survive it, and get my life back together, I would pursue my dream." That dream is music, and Verbrugge's sound finds its home somewhere between vocal jazz, traditional pop and American Songbook/Broadway/Cabaret. See recent coverage, below.
Jazziz Exclusive Song Premieres:
https://www.jazziz.com/new-music-monday-snarky-puppy-christian-li-mike-bono-and-more/
https://www.jazziz.com/new-music-monday-joris-teepe-wadada-leo-smith-and-more/
JazzTimes Exclusive Song Premiere:
https://jazztimes.com/departments/songpreviews/how-did-i-know-this-was-the-end-by-angela-verbrugge/
An expansive interview and Exclusive Song Premieres ran via Eponymous Review:
By Laurie Fanelli, 1/19
Angela Verbrugge is an ambitious and resilient vocalist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Incorporating elements of jazz, traditional pop and American Songbook, the singer engages listeners with witty lyrics and an irresistible playfulness, oftentimes evoking memories of love and loss.
https://www.eponymousreview.com/4604/interview-angela-verbrugge-debut-lp-night-we-couldnt-say-good-night/
A lengthy Q&A interview with VENTS Magazine:
https://ventsmagazine.com/2018/11/22/interview-angela-verbrugge/
The Record-Journal - Rave CD Review (Meriden, CT)
By Jim Pasinski 1/19
"Angela lets her stunning vocals soar" "...she takes on Duke Ellington's "All Too Soon" with flying colors as her voice is the perfect match for these classic jazz numbers"
https://www.jpsmusicblog.com/2019/01/singer-angela-verbrugge-swings-on-her.html
'The Night We Couldn't Say Good Night' (Gut String Records) combines original tracks with inspired covers. It's a remarkably strong collection, and the pedigree shines through as well. Verbrugge comments on her fine collaborators, and the genesis of the project: "Pursuit of my dream took me to Vermont Jazz Center to work with legendary jazz vocalist
Sheila Jordan. I met Cameron Brown, Sheila's longtime bass-voice duo partner, a former Jazz Messenger known for his work with the
George Adams Quartet and Artie Shepp. Cameron offered that if I came to New York, he would play on and help co-produce my debut record.
Sheila also introduced me to the wonderful jazz pianist and mainstay on the New York jazz scene who she has worked with over the years, Ray Gallon, who she told me is like a son to her. Ray has played with many instrumental and vocal jazz greats. Cameron brought aboard Anthony Pinciotti, who he had met touring together in Russia with
Sheila many years earlier. Ray invited us to rehearse in the land of jazz history, near Sugar Hill in Harlem, and we recorded at Trading8s with Grammy-award winning engineer Chris Sulit."
Highlights abound: on 'I'm Running Late', Verbrugge's super-fast-paced vocals match the rushed theme of her witty lyrics…it's a delightfully smart track with modern references listeners can instantly relate to. 'Speak Softly Love' is elegant...a reverent reimagining of the beloved 'Godfather' melody. The original 'You're
Almost Perfect' is another centerpiece, where intelligence and humor come together, with clever lyrics such as "you're almost perfect, I want to change you!" In addition to the standout songwriting, Verbrugge at times incorporates her background as an actress into her vocal performances, elevating the songs and bringing her characters to life. In all, the album contains four originals alongside reinterpretations of Gershwin, Ellington,
Dizzy Gillespie and more. Veteran journalist Will Friedwald provides the liner notes: https://angelasjazz.com/music#album-info
Verbrugge's bio is here, https://angelasjazz.com/detailed-bio , and she shares some additional context regarding her music and background:
"I have always played piano: old sheet music, vintage songbooks, scores from the great movie-musicals of yesteryear. I fell in love with the
Ella Fitzgerald songbook albums and the great sentimental ladies and gents of song, and never listened to contemporary music. When I found jazz, I realized many of my favorites from the Great American Songbook had become jazz standards, but that many had been overlooked. I realized that there are so many talented artists doing such wonderful things, I wondered what did I have to say that was unique? I realized that I knew some great songs that not everyone has heard. I realized that I had internalized the lyrical meter, rhyme scheme of favorite standards and could apply it to my own stories of love and longing, and to my humorous observations and create original material, and that I had ideas for new arrangements of favorites. I connected with expert musicians who could help me bridge the gap from my vision to fruition. People told me that when they heard me sing, it helped them to recall the thrills and heights of love and process love and loss in their own lives, and I felt so grateful to be able to make a difference."
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