Yale University's Oldest co-ed a cappella singing group performs original arrangements of jazz standards. From Billie Holiday to Dave Brubeck to If I Only Had a Brain.

17 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Jazz Vocals, JAZZ: Jazz-Pop



Details:
Amid a Crowd of Stars is Redhot and Blue's 11th CD, and was released in March of 2007 by the self-owned SonicBOOM Records.

Redhot and Blue is Yale University's oldest co-ed a cappella singing group, and has sung all over the world, winning practically every major a capella award in the process.

Noted for its distinctive musical style (innovative arrangements of old standards), and its distinctive look (black tie unless otherwise requested), Redhot and Blue has been dazzling audiences across the globe for decades. Winners of the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America's Best Arrangement, Best Soloist, Best Song and Best Album awards, included in Best of Collegiate a Cappella, and critically acclaimed from the Collegiate a Cappella Recordings Review to the New York Daily News, Redhot and Blue has sung everywhere from the Queen Elizabeth 2 to the White House. Redhot and Blue is now consenting to do concerts at private parties, a treat that should not be missed given the group's much-deserved reputation as the best a cappella group on Earth.


Extensive past awards, etc. as follows

From Contemporary a Cappella Society of America
Best Album: "Full of shimmering complex harmonies and smooth solos. Redhot & Blue has a reputation for being one of the nation's most consistently excellent Mixed Collegiate a cappella groups, and this year proves no exception. Excellent arrangements of jazz standards are given sensitive treatment, and the result is an Album of great clarity. It also has a cohesive sound and mood, perfect for candlelight dinners and cocktail parties. If you like vocal jazz, this is a great album to have."

Best Song (Calling You): "Occasionally a song choice, group, arrangement, and Soloist align, melding into a perfect collegiate a cappella song [...] The arrangement is full and perfectly balanced, the performance by the group is stellar, and the solo is sensational. You'll find yourself rewinding this track over and over, not wanting to leave the mood in which it so completely immerses you."

Best Soloist (Marya Grandy): "Marya can really sing. She uses every piece of her voice - from timid to fearless, from cautious to careless, from classical control to soulful stylings. She grabs a hold of the melodic line with the beginning of her breath and doesn't let go until her lungs collapse. It's rare for a Collegiate vocalist to give so much in one song, and it's rewarding to be able to hear how successful such persistence can be."

Best Arrangement (Sesame Street): "Usually Collegiate arrangers stay within the general feel of the original version of a song, but that's too easy for the talented, educated, vocal jazz-savvy arrangers in Redhot & Blue. "Sesame Street" sounds nothing like you think it will. Or could. It's a little like a smooth, strolling version of Gershwin's "Summertime" with periodic chord changes. This very ambitious arrangement succeeds because it creates a mood different from the original, but still true to the flavor of the song. It's very cool, relaxed, and effective."

Critically Acclaimed and included in compilations from: Best of Collegiate a Cappella, Collegiate a Cappella Recordings Review, and A Cappella Party: The Best of Ivy League Singing Groups, among countless others