Got a Fever?
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There is no dearth of singing sirens in today's jazz scene. I'm tempted to start naming a few off the top of my head, but the list is so long I'm bound to offend someone by leaving out a name or two (or, given the length of the list and the way my memory has worked as of late, a dozen or two). Every one of them has particularly endearing qualities, and it's often difficult to pick one or two out of the list.
For me, however, Tierney Sutton stands out from the rest for two reasons. The first is that this is really more a band than a vocalist with a bunch of backing musicians. Sutton's been playing with the same personnel for 15 years, now, and it shows. The rhythms are taught, the interactions precise. There's an ineffable, yet discernible, quality to music created by musicians who know each other this well--a quality that's probably best described by the phrase "unity in diversity". I've yet to see this band perform live, but it's high on my TODO list. Every concert review I've read has had high praise for the coherence of the performance.
The second reason is that Sutton doesn't merely romp through a jazz standard without giving thought to what she's trying to say. She deconstructs it in ways that are both musically and symbolically interesting. This was abundantly evident on her previous album, On The Other Side, when she took the Arlen/Koehler classic Get Happy and turned it into a dirge. On hear latest album, Desire, she takes another list of thematic jazz standards, rips them apart and recasts them in a new light.
And the effect is stunning. Through a variety of means, she and her band mates take these songs in directions not contemplated by the people who first wrote them. On It's Only a Paper Moon, for example, Sutton, in true mystical fashion, transforms the song from a prayer to her beloved into a supplication before her Beloved. Between Sutton's particular inflections and pianist Christian Jacob's vamp on the bridge, the band turns in a version of Cry Me a River that would surely bring Julie London to tears.
I had the most difficult time choosing a sample song to upload, because they're all done with the same attention to detail and fine musical craftsmanship. So, I chose one that people are most likely to have heard before: a reworking of Fever made famous by Peggy Lee. Unfortunately, this is the only song that doesn't feature Christian Jacob's piano. It does, however, include a fascinating combination of her two bassists, Trey Henry and Kevin Axt. The result is even more sultry than Peggy Lee's version, something I wouldn't have thought possible without having heard it myself. At the same time, the sultry quality isn't just about lust. Befitting the album's title, this rendition is about the fever that burns at the heart of all desire.
Comments (6)
Here's Cry me a River:
Never heard of her, but I agree with everything in your eloquently written analysis. She and her band explore these two songs in their own original way while staying true to each song's core. At one point in "Cry Me a River" I was relieved that she didn't lose control and start belting. They really know what they're doing, it's fresh and creative, effortless but astounding.
I really like this. It has a whispering power to it that I seldom hear. Thanks for posting!
Pianist Christian Jacob is very much in the Jacky Terrasson mould, no? Interesting interpretations of songs that some might think had been flogged to death thirty years ago. Good find
Spike: Correct on all counts. The band surprises in a variety of unexpected ways, an outcome, I suspect, of the collaborative way the put the music together. No one person runs the show here.
ZZTodd: I have to admit I'm a bit surprised that you like this, but I'm pleased that you do. Clearly, I'm going to have to become more familiar with your interests to see if there aren't further avenues to explore.
Buadolino: I'm not sure I'd put either in the mould of the other, but there are points of similarity: European roots, child prodigy, Jazz at Berkley and a particular technique that some describe as a "feathery touch." That's a bit of a misnomer, because the distinctive feature of the technique is the way the keys are struck rather than merely pressed. The primary point of departure, in my probably not all that well informed opinion, is Jacob's willingness for an economy of statement that serves his musical marriage to Sutton rather well.
lol I enjoy vocal jazz that isn't overbearing. I think this fits the bill.