Review: Vocals Aplenty

Review, From the Magazine, Tyreek McDole, Gabriela Martina, Maxim Lubarsky, Champian Fulton, Jeffrey Gimble, Ute Lemper, Roxana Amed

By j. poet I Aug. 26, 2025

Tyreek McDole follows up his Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition win with a collection of jazz classics.
(Photo: EBAR)

Tyreek McDole cements his place as a vocalist to watch with his debut, Open Up Your Senses (Artwork; ★★★★ 50:52). He’s only the second male to win the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and follows up his win with this collection of jazz classics. On most tracks McDole sings with the band, integrating his phrasing, melismas and asides into the arrangements, making his voice one more instrument. Standouts are his affectionate reading of “Under A Blanket Of Blue” and “The Umbrella Man.” On the more intimate side, he sings “Ugly Beauty” as a duet with pianist/arranger Caelan Cardello, impressively showing off his emotional and musical range.

Ordering info: tyreekmcdole.com

Explorations In Sound (Independent Release; ★★★★ 101:12), a collaboration between Gabriela Martina and Ukrainian pianist Maxim Lubarsky, lives up to its title with five improvised originals, one standard and a cover of Bette Midler’s “The Rose.” They’re performed as duets, with Martina singing and Lubarsky adding melodies and rhythmic flourishes. Together, they push the boundaries, with unexpected twists and turns. “One Note,” “In Momentum” and “Crazy” were improvised on the spot, with Martina scatting up and down the scale and Lubarsky adding bass notes and trills that follow her as she explores the limits of her voice, blending growls, trills and percussive syllables. “Gertrude” uses the words of Gertrude Stein’s poem “Rooms,” from her book Tender Buttons. The words don’t rhyme, but Martina makes them dance. Lubarsky’s piano weaves around Martina’s phrasing.

Ordering info: gabrielamartina.com

At Home (Turtle Bay; ★★★ 53:30), the latest offering by Champian Fulton, was recorded in the living room of her producer, Turtle Bay Records founder Scott Asen. With the help of Swedish saxophonist/clarinetist/composer Klas Lindquist, she revisits standards from the American Songbook, delivering them with intimate, impressive arrangements. There are several instrumentals, including a rendition of “Serenade In Blue,” that lets Lindquist show off his clarinet chops, but most of the album is devoted to songs of lost love, perfect vehicles for Fulton’s heartfelt style. “Tea For Two” includes the often excluded introductory verse that sets its bittersweet tone. Fulton emphases the ambivalent lyrics, letting listeners know this is all a daydream that won’t come true.

Ordering info: turtlebayrecords.com

On Brand New Key (Café Pacific; ★★★ 45:48), Jeffrey Gimble is backed by a quartet of L.A. regulars as he romps through 10 tracks, standards and more recent offerings. Pianist/composer Josh Nelson arranged the music and, for the most part, Gimble delivers with a relaxed approach. “Bye Bye Blackbird” is reinvented as an R&B jam, with Larry Koonse’s guitar and Nelson’s organ soloing between Gimble’s rhythmic phrases. They take a similar approach on the title track, with Dan Lutz laying down a popping bass line to accompany Gimble’s jovial approach. Gimble sings “A Rā,” by Sergio Mendes, in Portuguese, with drummer Dan Schnelle and bass player Dan Lutz laying down a mellow bossa nova beat.

Ordering info: jeffreygimble.bandcamp.com

Ute Lemper revisits the music of Kurt Weill on Pirate Jenny (Audiophile Society; ★★ 42:06). The set was produced and arranged with the help of composer and pianist David Chesky. They plot a unique course, creating minimal rhythmic soundscapes that focus your attention on Lemper’s delivery of the melody and her improvised fills. This approach works better on the sung/spoken numbers, like the title tune, than on sung standards like “Speak Low.”

Ordering info: utelemper.com

Originally from Argentina, Roxana Amed has lived, performed and taught in the U.S. since 2013. On Todos Los Fuegos (Sony Music Latin; ★★★ 56:46), she takes tunes by some of Argentina’s best-known rock performers and sings them in new settings created with the help of pianist Leo Genovese, another Argentinian expat. Most of the material doesn’t differ much from the originals, which already stretched boundaries with jazzy excursions and poetic lyrics. The Spinetta-Páez hit “Asilo en tu Corazón” gets a tranquil arrangement. Amed’s vocal downplays the drama in the original, shining a light on the desperate lyrics. “Corazón Delator,” another tale of unattainable love, is sung softly, Amed saving her anguished improvisations until the song’s closing moments. The set also includes “Diamonds,” an original by Amed and Genovese that holds up well against the older hits. DB

Ordering info: roxana-amed.com