Album Notes

The long-awaited third CD by Colleen Pratt, the most in demand Jazz vocalist in the upstate New York Capitol District for over 20 years, proves immediately from the dynamic first track, to be more than worth the wait.

Her extraordinary vocal combination of clarity, power and taste is magnificently supported by the distinguished Empire Jazz Orchestra, the preeminent large Jazz ensemble in the area – guided by a set of superb arrangements to eleven gems from the Great American Songbook. This outstanding CD fulfills the wish of many in the region for her enormous talent being displayed to a national audience.

REVIEWS

• “Close the windows, put out the dog, and pump up the volume for Colleen Pratt’s I Thought About You, because this music absolutely demands to be heard wide open. There’s a “take no prisoners”-element in these finely crafted arrangements and in the execution of this swinging big band. When a singer such as Colleen Pratt gets this kind of imaginative musical support and incentive, the sky’s the limit - and she just about reaches it. I Thought About You is a winner, an impressive showcase for an excellent band, some superb arrangements, and an outstanding vocalist”

- Hal Miller, Jazz Historian and Lecturer


• “A Jazz vocalist, whose effective breadth of genres and material is every bit as impressive as the passionate feeling with which she imbues every song”

- The Jazz Observer, A Place For Jazz


• “She represents what is best in the tradition of Great American Songbook performers: musicality, taste and swing!”

- William Meckley, Ph D Music Director/Conductor
Empire Jazz Orchestra


• "From the sound of I Thought About You Colleen Pratt must feel exceedingly blessed...Pratt shines from the start, belting out the opener, You Stepped Out of a Dream as the EJO swings hard, the horns comping as one... She sounds like she does have the world on a string, no matter what the rhyme or rhythm she performs. This style is made for her, and if Big Band music from back in the day is your cup of tea, I Thought About You was made for you."

- J Hunter, www.albanyjazz.com