Love Lost and Found Again

by LaVerne Butler

Overview

LaVerne Butler has recorded only sporadically since her 1992 debut, but it isn't due to a lack of talent. Steeped in jazz with an appreciation for R&B, she tackles a mix of Broadway tunes and pop, backed by her frequent collaborator, the gifted pianist Bruce Barth, who also penned the arrangements, along with bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Rudy Royston, with tenor saxophonist Houston Person added on seven tracks. Butler makes it all sound effortless with her expressive alto, gliding through the arrangements as if they've long been part of her repertoire instead of being created just before the sessions. She makes the most of the variety of music, excelling in standards like "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star" and a forgotten gem like Rodgers & Hammerstein's "In My Own Little Corner," but really delivers with a memorable rendition of Charlie Chaplin's decades-old tearful ballad "Smile." Person's presence is welcome, reminiscent of his many appearances in support of the late singer Etta Jones, adding a soulful touch that complements Butler on "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home," "Travelin' Light," and "Be Anything (But Be Mine)." ~ Ken Dryden

Product Details

Release Date:	10/09/2012
Label:	Highnote Records
UPC:	0632375723927
Rank:	128880

Tracks

1. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
2. Be a Sweet Pumpkin
3. I've Told Ev'ry Little Star
4. Everybody's Somebody's Fool
5. The Bluest Blues
6. Travelin' Light
7. That's All
8. Be Anything (But Be Mine)
9. In My Own Little Corner
10. I'll Never Be Free
11. Smile

Album Credits

Performance Credits

LaVerne Butler   Primary Artist,Vocals
Ugonna Okegwo   Bass
Bruce Barth   Piano,Music Direction
Houston Person   Sax (Tenor),Guest Artist
Rudy Royston   Drums

Technical Credits

Geoffrey Parsons   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
B. Haymes   Composer
Joe Fields   Executive Producer
Charlie Chaplin   Composer
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Bruce Barth   Arranger
H. Greenfield   Composer
George David Weiss   Composer
Sidney Clare   Composer
Oscar Hammerstein II   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Wayne Winborne   Producer
Katsuhiko Naito   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering
Leroy Henderson   Photography
I. Gordon   Composer
Keiji Obata   Design
Marcia Hillman   Liner Notes
Jerome Kern   Composer
B. Benjamin   Composer