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Marlene is on YouTube now! Check out several videos of her performing on www.youtube.com

Marlene's 2007 European tour was the best ever, and the new gigs in Italy turned out to be among the highlights. All 17 venues where Marlene performed have asked her back. Enough said!

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Marlene VerPlanck NOW! Produced, arranged and conducted by J. (Billy) VerPlanck.
With Tedd Firth, piano; Rich DeRosa, drums; Steve LaSpina, bass.
Special guests: Dr. Billy Taylor, Norman Simmons, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jerry Bruno.

Introducing "The Party Upstairs," by Francesca Blumenthal and Ronny Whyte, named Best Song of the Year by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC).

This is an interesting album in that the tunes are not heard that often but have a lasting impression on the ear. For those who like music with a no nonsense approach. This recording is right up your alley. 5 Stars. - John Gilbert, California Coast Jazz

"It goes without saying that everything about this CD is exemplary. VerPlanck's voice is in excellent shape, her diction perfect, a word that might also be used for Billy VerPlanck's arrangements. The title track is another fine example of the recent collaboration between Billy VerPlanck and Leon Nock. All of this is choice material and beautifully performed." -- Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal International

Marlene VerPlanck "has a clear, emphatic, focused voice with a fine understanding of lyrics, and she swings. When she sings, 'Don't Fall in Love Without Me,' the listener wouldn't think of it." -- Michael Steinman, Cadence

"Four things we've come to count on when unwrapping a new Marlene VerPlanck disc: top-flight arrangements from hubby Billy, at least a couple of obscure Johnny Mandel gems, further digging among the back halls and basements of songwriters' archives for additional surprising delights, and polished, astute readings from a multi-shaded pro. This time around, the requisite Mandel quotient is filled by the velvet-soft satisfaction of 'Quietly There' (further softened by Bucky Pizzarelli's gorgeous guitar accompaniment) and the frisky bounce of the Dave Frishberg collaboration 'Little Did I Dream.' Top marks, though, go to VerPlanck's cloudy exploration of Edmund Anderson's 'Is It Raining in New York,' which will leave you longing for the inimitable allure of Manhattan captured in an autumn mist." -- Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times

Produced, arranged and conducted by J. Billy VerPlanck
Special guests -- Members of the Diva Jazz Orchestra: Dr. Sherrie Maricle, drums and band leader; Chihiro Yamanaka, piano; Barbara Laronga, trumpet; Anat Cohen, clarinet, tenor saxophone; Karolina Strassmayer, alto saxophone; Norika Ueda, bass

Each CD can be obtained for:
USA: $17 (includes postage and handling)
UK: 14£ (including P&H) Sorry, no credit cards. We do accept personal checks, US and UK.

Marlene & Billy VerPlanck
14 W. Parkway
Clifton, NJ 07014

e-mail: [email protected]

To see pictures of Marlene and her fans and friends, click here for Photographs & Memories.

"It was (Marlene VerPlanck's) first visit to (London's Spice of Life) Jazz Club and, if ecstatic audiences are anything to go, by it won't be her last. The cognoscenti, discerning and enlightened, were out in force, but I was also struck by the number of thirty-somethings dotted around the room who appeared to get as much of a bang as I did myself, which is saying something." -- Leon Nock, "A Nightingale Sang in Cambridge Circus," Perfectly Frank, UK

"Most singers look for songs that do the most for them, whether displaying their skills as a belter or their range as dramatic interpreters. It's only logical, of course, and no one could be faulted for focusing on what a song can do for them. Marlene VerPlanck, on the other hand, is a rarity among modern singers: rather than looking for what a song can do for her, she focuses on what she can do for a song. In a recent visit to Barry Levitt's Jazz Workshop & Brunch at Iridium Jazz Club, VerPlanck performed a wide range of songs and styles, demonstrating her versatility and reminding everyone in the room of why she's one of modern Jazz's greatest treasures." -- Jena Tesse Fox, Cabaret Scenes

"Tempting as it is to suggest that ever-dependable Marlene VerPlanck has done it again, serving up yet another platter of luscious standards and rarities, truth is she did it eight years ago. Produced, arranged and even promoted by hubby Bill VerPlanck, this collection [My Impetuous Heart] of 18 tracks (with the VerPlancks it's always about quantity and quality) was originally recorded with the Hank Jones Trio and released in 2000." -- Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times

"Among Ver Planck's entrancing skills is the deft clarity with which she expresses these lyrics while breezily nailing their emotional irony. Charmer Ver Planck delivers it all with a total command of the jazz idiom in a expressive soprano thats filled with boundless warmth, fun and optimism. -- Andrew Velez, AllAboutJazz.com

"Start with superb pitch control and enunciation, add in musical sensitivity and a great respect for lyrics, an eagerness to explore classic songs old and new, striking arrangements by Billy VerPlanck, impeccable and sympathetic accompaniment, and what do you get? Marlene VerPlanck interpreting American jazz and popular songs in a sparkling performance as classic and classy as art song." -- John Edward Hasse, author of Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington and editor of Jazz: The First Century

"VerPlanck has entranced audiences with her singing and her scatting at Le Dome every year. It appeared that she was singing directly, one-on-one, to each person in the audience. She reaches into the depths of one's soul. It's a great feeling!" -- Bea Smith, syndicated columnist, Worrall Community Newspapers

"Marlene is unpredictable and beyond category." -- Dan Singer, Singer's Singers

"Marlene performed songs ranging from those of Francesca Blumenthal and Ronny Whyte to Johnny Mercer and Doris Tauber. From her latest album Now!, she offered the Blumenthal/Whyte compositions 'The Party Upstairs' and 'Yes!' Sinatra was not forgotten with a lilting 'All My Tomorrows,' with Marlene singing most sincerely and lovely. Drawing on her love and admiration for Johnny Mercer, she sang a beautiful 'Drinking Again' that was pure and brilliant. Another gem was 'I Keep Going Back to Joe’s' by Jack Segal and Marvin Fisher and again a treat. All in all, a most delightful evening!" -- Tom Coyle, Sinatra Society Magazine, Dublin, Ireland (reviewing Marlene's appearance at The Concord Club in Eastleigh, UK)

"An evening with Marlene VerPlanck is a musical experience to be savoured and remembered while we await her next visit to these shores." -- Sheila Tracy, Crescendo & Jazz Music (UK)

"Commanding by friendly and warm stage presence, class, style, exquisite taste, unmatched technique, experience, creativity, diction perfection, exemplary phrasing, superb choice/selection of first class material, perfect harmony and esthetic sublime equilibrium between music, vocal projection, the elan she infuses in the depth of the lyrics and the breathing of rich and delicate metamorphosis of ballads define the magic and super talent of this magnificent singer. This woman is an institution. A monument to excellence. If you are a buff of credentials, accomplishments and exclamation marks, don't go further. Freeze. Steer your Martini, get comfy and dash into the magical world of Marlene VerPlanck." -- New York Monthly Herald

"Marlene VerPlank is a straight ahead singer. She has a wide vocal range, good diction and a pure quality. Paying attention to the lyrics, she sings her stories believably with a jazz-oriented musical background. VerPlank has been out there singing long enough to know her audience and deliver the kind of performance which communicates with and pleases them." -- Marcia Hillman, ejazznews.com

"I was in attendance (at The Iridium on Broadway) and caught the marvelous Marlene VerPlanck. After countless gigs and many albums, Marlene sounds as fresh as ever, relishing good melodies old and new. She sounded especially youthful and vibrant the night I popped in. Selections from her most recent CD Now! are terrifically energized, especially 'The Party Upstairs.' (Just days later, this fun collaboration of Ronny Whyte and Francesca Blumenthal was announced as a nominee for Song of the Year by MAC.) Marlene, whose love for quality songs is infectious, also shines on classics in a 'romance' medley, including some indestructible standards. A couple of thoughtful detours about drowning one's troubles in drink and dark bars ('Drinkin' Again' and 'I Keep Going Back to Joe's') seem right at home as customers sip, but it's almost impossible to feel gloom when sunny Marlene is in the room." -- Rob Lester, Talkin' Broadway

"Last week Marlene VerPlanck had two concerts here in Florence (Italy) at the Caruso Jazz Caf. Both evenings were wonderful. A trio of very good local musicians backed her on a series of standards arranged by Billy VerPlanck and found themselves on the same wavelength as Marlene to make some beautiful music. Marlene's voice is amazingly youthful and fresh. The way she phrased and shaded the meaning of each sentence was perfect, every word was pronounced with great care, never a single syllable tossed out casually, and everything had a pathos that was always done to perfection, with a lovely balance of musicality and drama. Needless to say, the audience loved her!" -- Stefano Nuzzo, Songbirds.com