'Use the Force' - New Album Release by the Julie O'Hara Sextet

The Julie O'Hara Sextet's new release, 'Use the force', features bebop, vocalese, standards, original compositions and some unique arrangements of contemporary tunes. The band formed in 2007 to present Julie O'Hara's vocalese project, featuring her original lyrics to instrumental compositions and solos by Jazz masters of the 30's, 40's and 50's, including Dizzie Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Randy Weston, Blue Mitchell, Lee Morgan and many more.

While waiting patiently for record companies to grant permission to record these vocalese versions, the band decided to release a CD featuring a taste of vocalese amongst other compositions that have been performed at gigs and festivals over the past few years.
The album was recorded on one fine day at Newmarket studios by engineer, Ben Hurt, who Julie worked with when recording Papermoon and Midnight Sun with Sydney violinist and vocalist, George Washingmachine.

There's a strong sense of freedom and trust within the arrangements and some interesting song choices, including Walking on the Moon by the Police, Janelle by Don Walker (as recorded by Cold Chisel) and Blackhole Sun by Chris Cornell from Soundgarden. Other more familiar and traditional standard choices include Beautiful Love, Angel Eyes and Come Rain or come shine. A prolific lyricists and composer, O'Hara includes several originals on the album which cover bebop, bossa and a Fats Waller style blues.

Julie O'Hara Sextet

Julie O'Hara on vocals ( photo by E.Coffey )	Ben Winkelman on piano	Leigh Barker on Bass ( photo by E.Coffey )
Edward York on drums ( photo by E.Coffey )	Eamon McNelis on trumpet	Carlo Barbaro on tenor Saxophone

 Julie O'Hara is a highly rhythmic singer who enjoys allowing the heart to guide her phrasing choices in the ways of old, never quite knowing how or where it will end up. There are moments on the album where you can hear her respond melodically and rhythmically to the ideas being played around her by the band, which gives the CD a very 'live' feel. Definitely not a vocalist who wants the CD to be just about the vocals, but rather regards the voice as another instrument, which in combination with the rest of the band, makes it's own contribution. This allows the very talented musicians within the ensemble the chance to express themselves and as a result, some of the soloing on this album is quite breathtaking in it's soulfulness, inventiveness and skill.

After listening to this album, certain tracks resonate within your heart and mind for some time after. Whether you are a jazz lover or not, you should enjoy this album, featuring a stellar group led by a very experienced jazz singer.

Judging by the cover art, with O'Hara in a red kimono weilding a light saber, this is a band leader who obviously takes music seriously but wants herself and her band to enjoy themselves in the process.  The Julie O'Hara Sextet have enjoyed being well received at music and jazz festivals around the country and have been regular performers at Melbourne's premier jazz venue, Bennett's Lane Jazz Club.


REVIEWS:
 

Allaboutjazz magazine, New York . Melbourne International Jazz Festival - 15-June-2009 by: Laurence Donahue Green Copyright: AllAboutJazz 2007 Of the plethora of vocalists (from McNulty to Aussies Elana Stone and Janet Seidel), Julie O'Hara was undoubtedly the stand-out. At Bennett's, listeners waited with baited breath for each turn the vocalist spontaneously took in lyric and scat. Unlike many contemporary jazz vocalists, her scatting is an essential not novel ingredient to her style, as much as her lyrical and highly rhythmic sensibilities. An outstanding singer who brings to mind the glory days of the late Anita O'Day, her approach is as if she were an instrument herself (much like another one of today's most promising vocal stars Roberta Gambarini), frequently inserting herself into the horn section, doubling up to blow backing choruses with instrumental prowess. Not surprisingly her vocalese project's repertoire was filled with hornplayer tunes, from Dizzy Gillespie's Birk's Works? and Groovin High? to Hank Mobley's, 'Soul Station'," Gigi Gryce's, Minority," Teddy Edwards, 'Nothin' But The Truth," Sonny Rollins, 'Why Don't I?," and Cannonball Adderley's, "Spontaneous Combustion." Her original lyrics to Jimmy Giuffres, "Four Brothers", were hysterical (basically about falling in love with four brothers!) and of course musical as ever, speeding up the tempo in the second set of lyrics and culminating with a trading of fours with drummer Edward York before culminating with an a la beyond Brady Bunch lyric:One, Two, Three, Four? Why not make make it Five?!? Given lyrics to an original instrumental composition commonly compromise the originals tempo and flow, but O'Hara's word selection and horn-like delivery easily communicates and flows a musicality so convincingly and thoroughly that it became easy to forget many of these numbers either never had lyrics or previously had others. The set closer, an of course blazing rendition of Cherokee," featured the entire band: Ben Winkelman (piano), Leigh Barker (bass), Carlo Barbaro (tenor sax) and Eamon McNalis (trumpet) as well as the demanding tempo maintenance provided by York. Everyone on and off stage had a blast that evening, with those offstage clapping and hollering for more encores deep into the night.   For the entire article by Laurence-Donahue Green, please follow this link: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26209

Review of Julie O'Hara sextet - vocalese project Castlemaine State Festival - 25-April-2009 "Jazz worth every penny" Review of The Vocalese Project by Ken Turnbull. April 2009 How many jazz fans does it take to make a memorable Maldon moment? Easy a Penny School full. Last Sunday a capacity audience jumped, bopped and swung to The Vocalese Project presented by the Julie O Hara Sextet. With her perfect pitch, skilful improvising and ego-free style, O Hara has carved out a reputation on the Australian and international music scene for high-quality performances that are accessible to everyone. Her specialty is vocalese , a technique of putting lyrics to well-known compositions and instrumental solos so that they capitalise on the rhythmic and tonal subtlety that emerged in a golden period for jazz particularly after the Second World War.O Hara draws on compositions by jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery and many others. Vocalese was developed by the American trio of Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross in the 1950s and 1960s. On Sunday O Hara was lifted and transported by her band: Leigh Barker (bass), Edward York (drums), Eamon McNelis (trumpet), Carlo Barbaro (tenor sax) and Chris Sommervelle (piano). She swapped improvisations with the horn players, teasing them into following her lines. At other times they used harmony or counterpoint in a way that in jazz lingo really cooked. Barbaro is a big man with a big, swinging sound and an innate feel for the emotional power of the saxophone. McNelis on trumpet well it must be quite something to have so much talent and musical maturity at his relatively young age. York s drumming was complex, subtle and swinging, in sync with Barker s groovy bass lines. Sommervelle laid down staccato bebop chords then took the lead with flowing and melodic right-hand inventions, occasionally employing exciting octave phrases. The musicians were thrilled by the turnout. There s nothing like a full house to get the creative juices flowing and encourage a bit of risk-taking, which in this case paid off handsomely. This event was part of the Castlemaine State Festival, and the Penny School proved to be an excellent venue for jazz of this quality. The enthusiastic audience response certainly indicated a desire for more

'Use the force', Julie O'Hara Sextet CD    1.  SOLID  2.  COME RAIN OR COME SHINE  3.  BEAUTIFUL LOVE  4.  WALKING ON THE MOON  5.  JANELLE  6.  HI FLY  7.  DULZURA  8.  ANGEL EYES  9.  ICE COLD  10. WHERE DID ALL THE MUSIC GO?  11. I FALL IN LOVE TOO FAST  12. BLACKHOLE SUN  13. DOON IT SOLE $AUD 10.00  Order Digital Version of CD   $AUD 23.50 Order Hard Copy of CD from anywhere within Australia inc. Postage & Handling $AUD 26.50 Order Hard Copy of CD  from anywhere outside of Australia inc. Postage & Handling Cheques or Money Orders Att: Julie O'Hara PO Box 3036, Newport, Vic 3016

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