Album Review/ Jazz : Ella Fitzpatrick’s ‘Big Band Reflections’

Ella Fitzpatrick is a blues artist and vocalist. Her voice is lightness itself. Like buttery yellow light, it casts a buoyant glow. You can bask in it, feel its warmth and slow dance to its mood and get lost in the romance of it all. It’s a retro style, one that takes you back to the 60s. To artists like Bill Withers, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. That blues infused, jazz style, the smooth swing, and that smoky vintage voice. It’s all quite dreamy and transporting. Her latest release is the ‘Big Band Reflections’ album, a fifteen track collection. So vast and wonderful in its jazz and blues, it makes you happy and joyful. That sense of just being, floating and having a blissful time. That’s how it feels. 

Opening with ‘In The Mood Today’, the album immediately lifts you into a high. Ella’s vocals are playful, dreamy, and full of life. That husky goodness is a divine balance of raw and passionate. The curious melodies and chiming melodies of ‘Dancing in a Dream’, the cinematic, Latin touched blues in ‘Feel Good’, and the coarse and evocative flow of ‘Not Without You’. They’re all so unique, each song with a spirit and feeling of its own. They circle into themes of love, joy, and the complexities that ties these two feelings together. It’s a journey that you take through the worlds contained in the artist’s voice. 

‘Borrowed Time’ and ‘Face on the Moon’ have an ambient ebb and flow. The jazz slow-dances with the blues, lost to the rest of the world. They light up the scenes in the vocals, putting up a black and white film in the mind. In this modern jazz exploration, we also see R&B and soul influences. All remarkably held, weaved in with an artistic intention that makes it feel so good. In tracks like ‘What Do We Have to Loose’ and ‘Leaning In’, we see a deep and profound R&B spread. 

In ‘No Room’ and ‘Dance With My Soul’ are such fun tracks. The grooves, the spirit, and the instrumental orchestra are such a delight to immerse in. The show is just so good. It keeps you light on your feet and frees the heart with movement. So move, dance, sing along and open into the retro blue jazz grandeur of this album. Lean into Ella’s vocals and let it lean into you. Listen Now! 

The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music!

You can listen to ‘Big Band Reflections’ by Ella Fitzpatrick here -