This Could Be The Start Of Something Big - CD

Anne Burnell and Mark Burnell have been staples on the Chicago scene for years. On their new album This Could Be The Start Of Something Big, the Burnells are joined by bassist Joshua Ramos, drummer Jim Widlowski, saxophonist Pat Mallinger and guitarist Fareed Haque. They perform music from a wide variety of sources, making each song sound as if they were written for them and putting a fresh spin on the tunes that they interpret.

The set begins with an exciting version of “This Could Be The Start Of Something Big” that has the co-leaders trading off the lead and harmonizing together. Anne Burnell is showcased on an Afro-Cuban flavored “I Could Have Danced All Night.” The Burnells swing hard on “Joy Spring” which has guitar and alto solos while Anne is in the spotlight during much of the happy waltz “Song Sung Blue,” the fetching “Give Me One More Song,” and an uptempo samba “Sweet Dream Of Love” which really displays her wide range. Mark is the star of “Fiets Don’t Fail Me Now.”

Some of the most memorable moments on This Could Be The Start Of Something Big are when the two vocalists sing together, particularly on the latter part of “The Lusty Month Of May” (which is given a New Orleans second line arrangement) celebrating the LGBTQ community, and “Isn’t This A Lovely Day” when Mark sings harmony to Anne’s lead. Other selections include a relaxed version of Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” (Mark added vocalese to the horn line that consists of Ellington song titles) “Two,” a bluesy “A Sunday Kind Of Love,” and Dave Frishberg’s joyful closer “Let’s Eat Home.”

Mark Burnell has worked with such notables as Dave Frishberg, Richie Cole, Louie Bellson, Ward Swingle, Laurel Masse, and Seth Meyers. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Carnegie Mellon University where he taught singers for ten years. He has toured Europe, leads a jazz trio on Saturdays at Chicago’s Tortoise Supper Club, and has several solo recordings: Christmas Piano, Aquacadence and Gospel Piano. Burnell is also the minister of music for Gorham United Methodist Church.

Anne Burnell, who has long been considered one of Chicago’s finest singers, has performed at jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals throughout Chicago, the Midwest, Paris and New York City. She and her husband are featured as a duo on Little Things We Do Together and Two For The Road. Her solo album Blues In The Night is a tribute to composer Harold Arlen while Summer Days & Dreamy Nights has her original material and standards.

This Will Be The Start of Something Big is the duo’s follow up to their 2022 critically acclaimed CD Two For The Road, which became a jazz radio favorite, garnering airplay at over 100 jazz and NPR stations including WRUW/Cleveland, KPBX/Spokane, WWUH/Hartford, WWNO/New Orleans, WPPB/Long Island, WAER/Syracuse, WDCB/Chicago, and KCSB/Santa Barbara. The album’s second single, Peppermint Tea (original) was named one of the "Top 40s Blues + Singles” of 2022 by UK's Blues Blues.

The All-star band includes bassist Joshua Ramos who has opened for Stevie Wonder and Spyro Gyra, shared the bill with Jason Moran and Ramsey Lewis, and performed at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Montreal and Toronto Jazz Festivals; Drummer Jim Widlowski most recently on Broadway in The Who’s Tommy and many of Chicago’s touring musicals Rent, Wicked and The Lion King; Guitarist Fareed Haque has toured and recorded with Sting and is the recipient of “Best World Guitarist”, Guitar Player Magazine 2009, 2004 Acoustic Album of the Year, 2007 Independent Music Award, and Best New World Music Group in Chicago Reader Poll 2020; and Saxophonist Pat Mallinger is co-leader of Sabertooth, which was the mainstay band at the Green Mill Lounge for over 25 years. He is also the Lead Mentor and coordinator of the Ravinia Jazz Mentor Program founded by Ramsey Lewis, since 1994.

Anne Burnell - vocals, Mark Burnell - piano, keyboards, vocals, Joshua Ramos - bass, Jim Widlowski - drums & percussion, Pat Mallinger - sax, Fareed Haque - guitar Recorded at Chicago's Soundmine Studio, Dennis Tousana, recording engineer, Mixing and ATMOS Mastering by Erik J. Martin, @soundanswer, Stereo Mastering by Bob Katz, Digital Domain.