| Praise for Alexa Weber Morales and Jazzmérica “Bay Area vocalist Alexa Weber Morales is an artist just waiting to happen. You can hear the enjoyment she derives from singing, as well as the chops that she's honed to get to this point on Jazzmérica, her debut outing. The SF Bay's Wayne Wallace, the extraordinary arranger and trombonist, co-produced the sessions with Alexa and created a patchwork of African-derived jazz fusion that is swinging. The hemispheric diversity is delightful. 'But I'm Weak' is an original by Morales that takes us to Brazil. 'I Did It, I Live It' is a 'samba caribe,' a gumbo with reggae, samba and Trinidadian flavors. 'All Blues' is done in a 6/8 Afro- Cuban style, with John Santos on percussion. My favorite is the lush Manhattan Transfer-style vocal rendering of Claire Fischer's 'Morning.' Overall, Morales shows on this album that she is a jazz singer at heart but with a soul that sees no borders within its musical perspective.” —Jesse “Chuy” Varela Latin Beat magazine “A captivating multilingual singer/songwriter… Alexa Weber Morales's debut recording, Jazzmérica, is an engaging collection of original pieces and standards set to various Brazilian and Caribbean grooves. From the hard-hitting salsa arrangement of Stevie Wonder's 'Smile Please' to her sensual bolero rendition of Caetano Veloso's 'Luz do Sol,' Morales delivers every song with a specific point of view, treating each piece like a carefully polished gem.” —Andrew Gilbert Contra Costa Times “Everyone knows about Stevie Wonder's penchant for Latin music. I think he would be really proud of this version of his tune 'Smile Please' that Alexa Weber Morales sings in English and Spanish. Her originals are good, but the things she covers--'All Blues,' Claire Fischer's 'Morning'--are just great.” —Mark Ruffin Artbeat Chicago, WTTW-TV, jazz editor for Chicago Magazine and co-host of Listen Here!, a jazz review radio program syndicated on 85 stations “Alexa Weber Morales' debut CD is produced by trombonist-composer Wayne Wallace, who also performs with other members of an all-star cast, among them Frank Martin, John Santos, Melecio Magdaluyo, Michael Spiro and others. With new lyric arrangements on classic Samba, Bossa Nova, Afro-Cuban, Reggae and jazz songs, Morales' Jazzmérica is a welcome addition to a body of work which is becoming more inclusive of a wider range of experiences and voices.” —Wanda Sabir San Francisco Bay View |
