In early 2004, Barbara Paris released this 14-song retrospective on her Perea label. Swingballadsblues&bossanova draws on five different sessions from a seven-year period, and these '90s and early-2000s recordings underscore the subtle nature of her singing. No one will accuse Paris of being a forceful, aggressive belter; subtlety is one of

In early 2004, Barbara Paris released this 14-song retrospective on her Perea label. Swingballadsblues&bossanova draws on five different sessions from a seven-year period, and these '90s and early-2000s recordings underscore the subtle nature of her singing. No one will accuse Paris of being a forceful, aggressive belter; subtlety is one of her strong points, and she uses it effectively on familiar standards that range from "Star Eyes" to Luiz Bonfá's "The Gentle Rain" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcovado." That said, Paris has a lot going for her Swing ballads blues & bossanova paints an attractive picture of the Colorado-based jazz vocalist. At the pint when I put this cd together there wasn't digital downloads. I wanted to put together a cd that featured my singing in different compilations of musicians. So there are some selections as a duo with vocals and piano, some with vocals and guitarist, some with a quintet piano, bass drums, and saxophone and with a quartet , vocals, piano bass and drums. The purpose was to present different options for the venues that hired me and this also provided the option for me as artist to work in different configurations. In doing that I also wanted to be heard in different genres' of jazz. For each of these styles I have full books of the composers to fit each setting.