Reviews

. . . and what audience participants have said.

Lorraina’s voice shines a light into the darkness, making the world a brighter place one song at a time. Love her single “Alone Together.” She has my vote.

Delia Jackson – CoffeeTalk Jazz Radio fan six years. Scottsdale, AZ

Lorraina Marro song “Alone Together” she sings with emotional depth.  

Olivia Montgomery – CoffeeTalk Jazz Radio fan five years.

Silver Springs, Maryland

A welcome ray of sunshine Lorraina’s voice is remarkable a great singer her tone is very soothing.

Timothy Snowden – CoffeeTalk Jazz Radio 8 year, Joliet, Illinois

Lorraina’s deep connection to her chosen material is part of her music calling. I loved her track “Alone Together.” Nice job!!!!

Gertrude Simon – CoffeeTalk Jazz Radio Manchester, England

Lorraina's vocal style is unique. Her passion for music is evident as soon as she belts out the first note. 

Levi Jasper - CoffeeTalk Jazz Radio fan 3 years and counting. 

Albany, New York 

Lovely lush Latin jazz vocals Lorraina Marro – LOVE IS FOR ALL TIME: Lorraina is in our review queue for the first time, and as I listen to her lovely lush Latin jazz vocals, I’m really impressed . . . 

Pianist Steve Rawlins, guitarist Grant Geissman, trumpeter Dr. Bobby Rodriguez, and tenor saxophonist Rickey Woodman give her performance of Joe Sample’s “When The World Turns Blue” . . . an excellent boost… of course, it’s her vocal that is going to make DJ’s across the globe choose this for their playlists frequently!

I thoroughly enjoyed the laid-back feel Lorraina creates on the beautiful “I’m Not Alone”, and have no doubt that you’ll be playing this tune over and over again.

Lorraina will tell you all about her “baby” on “My Baby Just Cares For Me”; the recording is flawless, and the players are all “spot-on” with high-energy… I absolutely LOVED the bass lines on this song!

It was (unquestionably) the upbeat playing and energy on “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” that made me choose it as my personal favorite of the ten tantalizing tunes Lorraina and her band offer up for your jazz journey.

I give Lorraina and all her players a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) score of 4.98 for this excellent jazz adventure.  Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews 

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Vocalist Lorraina Marro has gathered ten lovely and memorable songs for this, her third CD release. I became fascinated by her choice of repertoire. For example, she introduces me to “I’m Not Alone” by Ivan Guimaraes Lins, Victor Martins & Will Jennings. It’s a Latin tinged ballad that lyrically praises a strong relationship, both in person and in memory. It’s a poignantly beautiful song and features a lovely solo by Grant Geissman on guitar. Another gem is the Arthur Hamilton tune, “Rain Sometimes,” that I had never heard and thoroughly enjoyed, with lyrics like:

“…There’ll be Champagne sometime, Lobster flown from Maine sometime; we’ll ride the gravy train sometime, just you wait and see” are such great storytelling words.

Steve Rawlins is a sensitive and competent accompanist on this project and also arranges many of the songs. Ms. Marro has surrounded herself with some of the best players in Southern California like Rickey Woodard on tenor saxophone, Dr. Bobby Rodriguez on trumpet, Jennifer Jane Leitham on bass and Steve Pemberton manning the drums. The tracks are strong and compensate for this seasoned veteran’s uncontrollable tremolo that textures her voice. She compensates for that with an emotional delivery that allows her sincerity to shine though.  .  . She also reminds us how much we love the Great American Song Book with tunes like “Stairway to the Stars,” and “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.”    Dee Dee McNeil, Musicalmemoirs.wordpress.com

World-wise toned vocalist Lorraina Marro teams up with a core of Steve Rawlins/p, Grant Geissman/g, Jennifer Jane Leitham/b, Steve Pemberton/dr and guests Dr. Bobby Rodriguez/tp and Rickey Woodard/ts for some mature reads of standards and beyond. Her warm vibrato sways with Woodard on the classy “Stairway to the Stars” and is gloriously sensuous with the doctor on “Viajera Del Rio.” In a trio setting, she is cozy with Leitham on “My Baby Just Cares for Me’ while most luscious with Geissman on her most comfortable outing, a latin lover of “Esta Tarde Vi Loover”. If she did an entire album of that last song she’d woo the crowd!   George Harris, Jazz Weekly 

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A whimsical comment from a prominent jazz critic says it all about Lorraina Marro, a stylish and sophisticated jazz singer, standards interpreter and storyteller extraordinaire who was named one of Los Angeles’ Jazz & Blues Living Legend Honorees in 2015. 

The quote, which we can apply just as passionately in any discussion of Marro’s delightfully stylish and sophisticated new collection Love is For All Time, reads: “There's that moment of magic when the night and the day are precisely balanced on the horizon, and magic is in the gentle breeze. There's that moment of magic when the air is so still that you can actually hear inspiration call to you. And there's Lorraina Marro on stage.” 

The singer lives up to these words gracefully, purposefully and romantically/poignantly on a set featuring the backing and stunning soloing of some of L.A.’s best jazz cats – pianist Steve Rawlins (who also arranged or co-arranged every track), bassist Jennifer Leitham, guitarist Grant Geissman, drummer Steve Pemberton, saxophonist Rickey Woodard and trumpeter Dr. Bobby Rodriguez.  It’s a testament to her grace, emotional range and sultry vocal tone that she takes decades-old (mostly Songbook) songs long associated with jazz legends like Billie Holiday (“I Wished On The Moon”), Nina Simone (a witty rendition of “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” rife with contemporary references), Ella Fitzgerald (“Stairway to the Stars”) and Barbra Streisand (“People”) and comfortably and swingingly makes them her own.

 

Beyond the lush standards, Marro brings touches of exotica to the mix via two of the set’s most compelling tracks, the trumpet laced “Viajera Del Rio” (sung completely in Spanish) and “Yesterday I Heard the Rain,” an intimate duet with Geissman sung in both Spanish and English.   Jonathan Widran, The JW Vibe

LORRAINA MARRO.. is much more than just only a passionate and talented bilingual singer of romance, full of grace, beauty and charm. She has proven herself to be a conceptual innovator as well, a “think outside the box” impresario.

This afternoon, at Feinstein’s at Vitello’s, she presented a perfectly conceived showcase for herself and her two guests, Maryanne Reall and Mitchell Long. They beguiled us, made us laugh and dream as they took us on a fanciful confection of a musical international journey of the heart,a buoyant souffle, singing in French, Portugese and Spanish.. sweet and buoyant..at turns sad or joyful. From “La Vie en Rose” to Jobim’s “Agua De Bebir” to the rhythms of “Black Orpheus”.

The band was impressive with Matt Politano on the keyboards and playing an instrument called a “Mellodica” seeming to be part accordion-part keyboard. Max Kraus on bass and Aaron Serfaty on drums. The show was perfectly timed and worked out with each of the three singers on stage just the right amount of time, neither for too long or short a time period. They each contrasted each other to perfection, combining the romantic with the exotic.. the quietly understated to, unleashed at times, vocal power.

The gracious and classy Lorraina always leaves us the better for having been exposed to her, if even too brief, performances. She makes me smile as I feel maybe I need to strive to be a better person.. more loving and inclusive. “BRAVA” to a thoughtful-singer. Congratulations on a triumphant show. - Joel Rothberg (Artist/Retired Art Director Life Magazine) 

My dear Lorraina, it was so wonderful to celebrate your birthday with you! I feel your huge heart in everything you say and sing! - Judy Wexler

What a class act, Lorraina! You sang beautifully! Thanks for the invite. 

A great night, thanks to you and your talented friends... and, yes, a really excellent band! - Alan August

You are a star. What a fabulous show, Lorraina. Your band, led by Steve Rawlins, was sensational. I am partial to guitar because of my dad. Loved your song selections! And on top of it, you took time to make sure we had those great photos and sent us home w/your delish desserts. Dave and I and are friends had a lovely evening. - Cami Black

What a lovely gathering of songbirds last night. I was so honored to be a part of the celebration! Lorraina Marro was simply delightful in every way - full of heart, beautiful singing and silliness (the humor had everyone in full throated laughter. - Claudia Koval

Dos Divas performs at Upstairs at Vitello’s

In their return engagement to the trendy Studio City nightclub, Upstairs at Vitello’s, Dos Divas and special guest vocalists Isela Sotelo and Hugo Castillo, drew a near capacity devoted audience to hear superb renditions of Spanish classics and songs from film scores. Dos Divas – Lorraina Marro and Jackie Gibson – were accompanied by Jennifer Jane Leitham on acoustic bass, Steve Rawlins on piano, Dr. Bobby Rodriguez on trumpet, Mitchell Long on guitar and Steve Pemberton on drums.

The set featured outstanding musicality and interplay on such Spanish classics as “Besame Mucho” during a duet sung by Lorraina Marro and Hugo Castillo. Later a lovely interpretation of Ary Barroso’s “Aquarela do Brasil,” better known as “Brazil,” was sung by Lorraina Marro. The latter song was made famous when it was featured in the 1942 Disney film Saludos Amigos. Additional film music covered tonight included songs from the film “Coco” sung by Jackie Gibson. Isela Sotelo’s uptempo version of a Cuban bolero and her strong interpretation of Ivan Lins’ “The Island” was met with enthusiatic applause while Hugo Castillo’s version of “A Taste of Me” brought robust applause. Other memorable highlights included great trumpet solos performed by Dr. Bobby Rodriguez and the exceptional acoustic bass soloing of Jennifer Jane Leitham.

Overall, the intimate setting of Upstairs at Vitello’s provided a warm and friendly setting for the vocalists and band who also shared intimate stories of their families and the inspirations for several of the songs heard tonight. Don’t miss Dos Divas when they come your way. Keep in touch with them at https://www.lorrainamarro.com/.     By Paula Edelstein - Sounds of Timeless Jazz

Wonderful show! You sounded great and your warm heart came through. Had me in tears a couple of times! Made me laugh!

Lorraina Marro & Jackie Gibson, my romantic heart stirred so many times tonight. Old melodies & daydreams. Incredibly sexy rhythms tooooooo. Steve Rawlins & everyone was great. PS. Bring it back!!!!

 I loved it! So heartfelt. Plus you really made me laugh, Lorraina. I needed this show! 

Such a beautiful show Lorraina! I enjoyed all the great musicians, your guest singers, your stories, the humor, when you shared the deep love you had for your mother and how special she was to you. Heartfelt and touching. You and Jackie were wonderful. Thank you for a lovely evening.

"Tres Divas" at Vitello’s: A very enjoyable show with 3 very good singers and a great group of musicians supporting them Each vocalist, Lorraina Marro, Jackie Gibson, and Mayita Dinos had wonderful stories about their backgrounds and heritage. An endearing video was shown at the beginning of the night’s performance showing off each diva’s lineage in photos. The songs, some familiar, some not, were all sung in Spanish, some with English occasionally thrown in. Each of the diva’s are so charming and communicative, that even if one didn’t understand Spanish, one had the feeling of knowing the story of it. “Tres Divas” is a recommended and unusual treat! 

An amazing show from beginning to end. Mayita, Jackie and Lorraina are Tres Divas each telling the stories of their life, childhood and Family. Not only are they Great Singers but you get to see their acting ability in the final number from West Side Story --- America. I would definitely go to another Tres Divas show. Great Job you three.

Last evening, we were at Vitello's Upstairs to see the show "Tres Divas." The creative concept of Lorraina Marro. Jackie Gibson soon joined her and finally Mayita Dinos.. all superb vocalists and charming performers. This latest version of their show really showed all the love and care and just hard work that helped it to evolve, musically and especially emotionally into this gratifying and totally enjoyable work. We truly appreciated the serious glimpses into the backgrounds of the three divas, adding a resonance into the joy and the passion. Thank you for sharing. 

The evening was a marvelous blend of songs that were old favorites as well as ones that were new to me. Each Diva told a story with her selection of songs that flowed seamlessly from one to another. But the highlight of the evening would have to be when their combined voices made the audience feel part of their musical, Latina heritage. A wonderful show that will sway on in memory for a long, long time!

Three lovely and talented ladies definitely in their element last night at Upstairs at Vitello's as they retraced their Latin heritage, and spoke very touching and often humorous stories of love, pride and advancement through the glory of song. Jackie Gibson, Lorraina Marro and Mayita Dinos all had their moment in the sun. Warm and winning throughout. They deserve a return engagement. Part Dos! 

You keep that Glow going for as long as possible! What a fabulous show! So moving! So enlightening! Tres Divas was Enchanting! Keep it going, Girlfriend! Congratulations! 

Three Divas are awesome. I cant believe you beautiful ladies connected the songs to a strong life event. Definitely moved my emotions. Best show ever. Thank you for sharing your gifted talents.

Lorraina, a big congratulations to you..a great concept masterfully put together and rendered. a superb musical but also thoughtful evening filled with a bittersweet resonance.. with poignancy, remembrances, rhythms, sensuality and passion.

Congratulations to you and your divas!  What a perfect night, perfect show, and perfect chemistry.

Take a bow, Lorraina 

Lorraina Marro is always fun to see perform. At the E-Spot, the singer was joined by pianist Bradley Young’s trio with bassist Adrian Rosen and drummer Jon Stuart plus an occasional tenor-saxophonist whose name I unfortunately missed. After the band played an instrumental version of “Perdido” (with Young sounding a bit like Oscar Peterson), the appealing vocalist commanded the stage during a set ranging from obscure love ballads and a grooving “Feel Like Making Love” to a swinging “Time After Time,” “Day In Day, Out” and even “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.” She closed the night with a beautiful version of “Tea For Two,” starting with the lesser-known verse. Sticking mostly to optimistic songs that fell between jazz, soul and r&b, Lorraina Marro displayed a joyful and powerful voice that consistently delighted the audience. 

Lorraina Marro and The Bradley Young Quartet's magnum opus performance at Vitello's in Studio City Sunday was magical - putting a smile on everyone’s face, exuding warmth, lifting spirits, and reminding us of the pure beauty of love. Lorraina shared her soul with sincerity, warmth, and a cool calm collected confidence. What a joy! Hearing hger embrace standards effortlessly with such style and technique, was simply a delight. It's clear the band members were blessed to be backing Lorraina as they were aglow, displaying their priceless pleasure. She raised the bar and the A+ musicians followed suit. Looking forward to featuring Lorraina as the guest jazz artist on my radio show, "Sleepless in Studio City."  

Pure pleasure. A true honor and privilege. You had me at hello! I'm in awe of your mind blowing brilliance and stunning skillful singing...not to mention your captivating, endearing soul & spirit!  

You and your band were so wonderful tonight! Congrats on a wonderful performance, and thanks for a magical evening. 

Just want to tell you that you were absolutely amazing on Sunday night at Catalina!! Your voice is just gorgeous and so powerful...Wow!! You blew us all away with your beautiful gift of song. 

Wonderful show on Sunday, Lorraina! Loved your choices, your arrangements, your ease on stage and your banter.... Congrats to a great night of music. 

Lorraina Marro's show last night at the Catalina Jazz Club was truly joyful in every way - Lorraina was exquisite - her voice exceptionally melodic and beautiful as always, her timing and humor totally in sync and fun, and her band extraordinarily talented and amazing! It was truly a beautiful and memorable evening in every way! You nailed it Miss L!!! Can't wait for the next show!! 

Loved seeing Lorraina Marro sing last night at Catalina Bar & Grill, she was incredible....such a great show. 

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. 

My sister Lorraina you set the tone for a fabulous night with that angel voice of yours... Girl and your band is purely amazing!!!! You have a fan over here... Xoxoxo 

Tonight was pure perfection!!!! I went out for an evening of flawless music.... The amazing singer and a dear friend Lorraina Marro (R) gave the performance of a lifetime for a packed house. 

Fabulous. Lorraina Marro you were and are...Awesome!!! In great voice..beautiful, elegant,classy and entertaining!!! Thank you!!! Love you Sistah! 

Lorraina! I enjoyed your show to the max! I am proud to be amongst your circle of friends and look forward to seeing and hearing you again in the (hopefully) near future. 

                                             

On Friday, October 15, 2004, I saw two shows, the first being Los Angeles based Lorraina Marro's "You Must Believe in Spring" show. Musical director Tedd Firth, who Ms. Marro had only met a few days earlier, led his trio as though they had played this show a dozen times before. The result was a polished, professional performance. With heavenly vocals that lean to the jazz style, this was an evening that I enjoyed completely. I look forward to a return visit from that super singer soon.