Loves Got Me in a Lazy Mood Darden Purcell

• 1Willow Weep for Me06:37
• 2Love's Got Me in a Lazy Mood06:24
• 3Come Back to Me05:41
• 4It's a Most Unusual Day05:48
• 5I Concentrate on You04:57
• 6A Cottage for Sale05:35
• 7Estrada Branca (This Happy Madness)05:55
• 8Chatterbox07:24
• 9Estate07:09
• 10Taking a Chance on Love06:32
• 11You've Changed05:21
• Total Runtime01:07:23

Info for Loves Got Me in a Lazy Mood

With Nancy Wilson & George Shearing's The Swingin's Mutual as a model, Washington, DC-based vocalist Darden Purcell and co-producer, arranger, guitarist and husband Shawn envisioned a modern take on that quintessential 1960s sound for her third recording as a leader. Enlisting the dynamic New York vibraphonist Joe Locke, along with pianist Todd Simon, Jeff Reed on bass and drummer Todd Harrison, her sextet tackles the virtuosic soli passages of Shawn's arrangement of "Willow Weep for Me," captures the intimacy of Johnny Mercer's title track, and swings hard behind Darden's Annie Ross-inspired lyrics on "Chatterbox."

"Whether deftly delivering lyrics, or joining the ensemble in intricate musical lines, Darden is completely at ease and in control...this is music making at the highest level." (Alan Baylock)

"Darden Purcell is a vocalist who has performed with the Airmen Of Note, as well as several other artists. She put out her first album, Easy Living, in 2009, and followed it in 2016 with Where The Blue Begins. She opens her new album with a seriously cool, bluesy rendition of "Willow Weep For Me," which features a strong vocal performance. ..." (Michael Doherty's Music Blog (Michael Doherty)

"Darden Purcell has an effortless swing to her voice, teamed with all star vibist Joe Locke as well as her own team of Shawn Purcell/g, Todd Simon/p Jeff Reed/b and Todd Harrison/dr. She displays her clarity on an intimate and emotive meeting with and Locke Simon on "You've Changed", making one wish for an entire album as such. ..." (Jazz Weekly, George W Harris)

"4-Stars Darden Purcell's album Love's Got Me In A Lazy Mood (OA2 Records, 2023) shows her keen ear for the subtleties and nuances which define the West Coast cool jazz vocal sound. Purcell's album comprises eleven tracks which blend the laid-back, sophisticated rhythms and melodic inventiveness that characterize the style with beautiful singing a ..." (All About Jazz, Geannine Reid)

Darden Purcell, vocals
Joe Locke, vibraphone
Shawn Purcell, electric and nylon string guitars
Todd Simon, piano
Jeff Reed, acoustic bass
Todd Harrison, drums, cymbals

Recorded March 16-18, 2023 by Charlie Pilzer at Tonal Park, Takoma Park, MD
Edited by Rich Sigler/Sigler Music Productions, March 2023
Mixed & mastered by Dave Darlington at Bass Hit Recording, New York, NY
Produced by Darden Purcell and Shawn Purcell

Darden Purcell
a Washington D.C. based jazz vocalist, is an active featured soloist with symphony orchestras, big bands and small ensembles, band leader and vocal instructor. Ms. Purcell has shared the stage with many top jazz artists including Maria Schneider, Eric Alexander, Terell Stafford, Eddie Daniels, Jim Pugh, Chip McNeill, Chuchito Valdes, Dana Hall, Alan Baylock, Don Heitler, Glenn Wilson, Stockton Helbing, Byron Stripling, Bobby Floyd, Joel Spencer, Darmon Meader, Lisanne Lyons, Jim Carroll, Charlie Young, Chris Vadala, Shawn Purcell, Matt Niess, Joe McCarthy, the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, US Navy Commodores, Naval Academy Big Band Next Wave, The Airmen of Note, US Army Blues, Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra and the American Festival Pops Orchestra (Tony Maiello) to name a few. Dr. Purcell is the Director of Jazz Studies, Jazz Voice instructor and Director of the Downbeat award-winning Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble at George Mason University.

She has performed at concert halls and clubs nationally and internationally, including Club Bonafide (NYC), Blues Alley (Washington DC), Pops for Champagne (Chicago), The Jazz Kitchen (Indianapolis), The Blue Wisp (Cincinnati, The Kitchen Cafe (Dallas), The Bop Stop (Cleveland), Con Alma (Pittsburgh), JazzB (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Sandler Center (VA Beach Symphony, back-up vocals for Ben Folds) Meyerhoff Center (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), Wolf Trap for the Performing Arts (National Symphony Orchestra) and The Kennedy Center (back-up vocals for Mr. George Benson, Sara Bareilles and Caroline Shaw).

Ms. Purcell is a former Washington DC Air Force Band vocalist, with the groups High Flight and the Airmen of Note, performing nationally and internationally, including Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Purcell performed back-up vocals for nationally renowned recording artists, Chaka Khan, BeBe Winans, Bryan White, Lari White, Janie Frickie, Freda Payne, Sherrie Payne, Gloria Loring, Melba Moore and Rita Coolidge as well as a televised performance behind Darlene Love on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

In addition to her active performing schedule, Dr. Purcell is a sought-after jazz educator. She has been a guest artist/clinician/conductor at Capital University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Southern Nazarene University, Tiffin University, Indiana State School Music Association, Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA), ACDA Southern Region conference and Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Jazz festivals. Her students have won "Outstanding soloist" and "Outstanding Musicianship" awards at collegiate festivals as well as Downbeat Student Music Awards. The Mason Jazz Vocal Ensemble has shared the stage with the Manhattan Transfer, the New York Voices, and ACCENT. They were awarded "Outstanding Ensemble" at the Kansas City Jazz Summit, were a featured collegiate ensemble at the 2018 JEN conference and in 2023, won a DownBeat Student Music Award for "Outstanding Performance - Undergraduate College Large Vocal Jazz Ensemble."

Darden has presented internationally at the Institute for Jazz Research "Jazz Voices" conference in Graz, Austria and through a George Mason University Global Education grant, performed at Projeto GURI and JazzB in Sao Paulo Brazil. Purcell received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Vocal Jazz Performance at Virginia Tech, a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This album contains no booklet.