GEORGE'S BRIEFS

Wayne Alpern; Modern Music

I would suspect that pianist Wayne Alpern has an extensive background in classical music. His twenty solo creations are varied, life affirming, spirited, and simply delicious! Kudos to him for sharing his splendid pianistic flights of fancy. Recommended!

Self produced; 2025; times not indicated

Antonia Bennett; Expressions

Maybe you remember a singer named Joanie Sommers. Well, Antonia Bennett reminds me of her and to be clear, that's a compliment. She offers us a distinct array of standards, a French melody, and I suspect, a few originals. Antonia Bennett brings us a perky, youthful, optimistic approach. Why not give her a try!

Self produced; probably 2025; times not indicated

Lili Maljic; The Nearness Of You

 

There are still some folks out there who honor the great American Songbook, and singer Lili Maljic is obviously one of them. Working with a quartet that allows generous solo space for Jim Rotundi on trumpet and Oliver Kent on piano, Ms. Maljic winds her way through ten “forever” tunes including “Easy To Love”, “The Touch Of Your Lips”, “This Can't Be Love”, “The Song Is You”, and the really nice surprise of the set, “I Didn't Know About You”. Maljic is spot on key, and while she's not exactly a scat specialist, she comfortably adds some vocal decor to her presentation. This of course puts her emphatically in the jazz camp and that's a good place to be. So, if you hunger for the richest of premiere songwriting and you want those songs interpreted by a quality singer who certainly cares about her repertoire, you should check out Lili Maljic.

Pacific Coast Records; 2025; appx 50 min.