First Instrument (CD) ~ Rachelle Ferrell (Artist) Cover Art

Bookmark for this productThis link will open in a new window

First Instrument (CD)

By: Rachelle Ferrell (Artist)
More About this Product
List Price: $11.98
Tower Price: $8.29
You Save: $3.69 (31%)
Add to BagAdd to Bag Click to go directly to the checkout.
This item qualifies for FREE Shop N' Save Shipping for orders over $25. Check individual shipping price.
Availability: On Sale - Ships in 12 Hours

Product Description
Track Listing

Your browser doesn't seem to have Flash enabled.
In order to access the album preview center, please ensure that the Flash player is installed. You can download it here.

DISC 1 for First Instrument (CD) Album By Rachelle Ferrell (Artist)
1   You Send Me
2   You Don't Know What Love Is
3   Bye Bye Blackbird
4   Prayer Dance
5   Inchworm
6   With Every Breath I Take
7   What Is This Thing Called Love
8   My Funny Valentine
9   Don't Waste Your Time
10   Extensions
11   Autumn Leaves
 
 [ Run a Quick Search on "First Instrument" by Rachelle Ferrell to Browse Related Products:  ]
Browse more products related to "First Instrument"
Browse more products related to "Rachelle Ferrell"
Review

Jazziz (9/95, p.36) - "...an impressive all-star band....[a] dynamic voice..."
Mojo (Publisher) (7/95, p.119) - "...Ferrell wails her six octave range with hysterical virtuosity over her superb trio to...impressive...effects."

Title Note

Personnel: Rachelle Ferrell (vocals, piano); Eddie Green (piano); Kenny Davis (bass); Tyrone Brown (stick bass); Doug Nally (drums); Terence Blanchard, Alex Foster, Gil Goldstein, Wayne Shorter, Michel Petrucciani, Pete Livin, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White.

Recorded at Kajem Victory, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania; Broadway Productions, Englewood, New Jersey; Sound On Sound and Chelsea Studios, New York, New York between December 1989 and February 1990.

FIRST INSTRUMENT is Rachelle Ferrell's first album. It was released in Japan in 1990, but not made available in the U.S. until 1995.

Only once every generation or two does a talent like Rachelle Ferrell's emerge, and after a listen or two to FIRST INSTRUMENT, you'll find it hard to believe that these tapes have been bouncing around since 1990. One can only wonder why, because Ferrell's instrument and her ear for interpretation are utterly unique. And while one can easily point to influences and antecedents, when all is said and done, Rachelle Ferrell is an original.

To get an idea of how original, flip directly to cut number nine, "Don't Waste Your Time." Beginning with cuica-like percussive accents over a shifting Afro-Cuban/swing pulse, Ferrell descends into her rich lower register to distance herself from a suitor's scheming and dreaming. She returns after the piano solo with elaborate horn-like arpeggios, first descending then ascending, shading her notes with expressive colorations and Coltraneish harmonic modulations, before leaping into an unearthly altissimo register for a clear whistling tone that must have Lassie doing cartwheels.

Ferrell's extraordinary stylings might suggest Sarah Vaughan's limitless top-to-bottom range ("Expressions") and Ella Fitzgerald's swinging rhythmic virtuosity ("Bye Bye Blackbird") to some well-travelled listeners. And like those two great stylists, Ferrell is often less concerned with the song's theatrical attributes than with its melodic contour and harmonic possibilities--as a jumping off point for her phenomenal variations. On "You Send Me" and a remarkable "My Funny Valentine," she fuses her dramatic and melodic approaches in the service of the song, while a traditional set of blowing changes--such as Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?"--is treated to an exploratory slam-dunking.

Customer Reviews for "First Instrument (CD)" by Rachelle Ferrell (Artist)

There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!

Submit your Review

What's New and Exciting Around Tower
  • Sales & Promotion
  • Tower Great Gift Ideas
    Tower has Great Gifts for everyone on your list!
  • Tower Essentials Sale
    Visit the Essentials Sale for a wide selection and huge savings on your favorite entertainment.
  • DVD Classic Multipacks Sale
    Big Savings on your favorite classic Multi-pack DVD collections - including 20, 50 and 100 film box sets!
  • Lionsgate Movie Specials
    Browse the Boutique and enjoy Savings of up to 50% on selected DVD & Blu-Ray titles from Lionsgate Home Entertainment!
  • Paramount Movie Specials
    Grow your DVD collection with these classic and newly released movies from Paramount Home Entertainment, featuring your favorite Comedy, Action & Adventure and Classic films at great low prices!
  • FOX/MGM Movie Specials
    Take home your most cherished classics from Fox & MGM's iconic film library today when you browse our Classics Super Specials boutique.
  • Special Features
  • The Best CDs of 2007
    Amy Winehouse, hip hop legend Kanye West and popular favorite Paul Potts to lesser known gems Justice, Lupe Fiasco ...
  • The Best DVDs of 2007
    Tower Video presents the very best DVDs released in 2007, from our guru's picks to top selling and long-awaited releases.
  • Andy Palacio World Music Special Tribute Page
    The Tower.com family pay our humble respects to the life and career of one of the world's greatest musicians and social activists, Andy Palacio.
  • Browse Our New Blu-Ray Section
    With over 700 titles & new items added each week, Tower’s new Blu-Ray section offers recent releases, Blu-Ray bestsellers and great deals on your favorite high-def titles!
Explore More Great Tower Sales & Specials