Stages

by William RuhlmannJazz singer/songwriter Halie Loren provides a well-rounded sense of her musical style on her first live album and third album overall, Stages. Although she does not play an instrument, she fronts a piano-dominated quartet featuring keyboard player Matt Treder (who also chimes in on vocals occasionally), bassist Mark Schneider, drummer Brian West, and trumpeter Tim McLaughlin. The combination of the prominent piano and Loren's supple alto voice inevitably suggests Diana Krall. But Loren has a somewhat lighter, less mannered sense of phrasing, and less of a hardcore jazz sensibility. Call her singing style » Read more