Keith Ganz, Kate McGarry, Tierney Sutton and Serge Merlaud |
Ms. Sutton is a chanteuse whose modern interpretations of
songbook classics veer towards the styles of Peggy Lee, Julie London and a
touch of Helen Merrill. Ms. McGarry
brings her own more eclectic repertoire, possessing an earnest,
plaintive sound that reminds you more of Joni Mitchell with the vocal excursions of a tempered Betty Carter. The two women were joined by their respective significant others/guitarists.
Keith Ganz with Ms. McGarry and Serge Merlaud with Ms. Sutton.
This was the last performance of a two-night run at The Velvet Note and unfortunately Ms. Sutton was fighting a minor bout of
laryngitis, which limited her ability to reach some notes. Despite the
handicap, Ms. Sutton valiantly braved on to the delight of the expectant crowd. Consequently,
it was left to Ms. McGarry to do all the talking from the bandstand. Despite knowing each other for years, the four musicians had never played before their first performance
together at the Note the night before. Tamara
Fuller, introduced the couples, likening the meeting to two couples on a blind double date. There was a
definite impromptu feel to the start of the show with each couple finding their own musical way within the
boundaries of each other’s space.
The set opened with the Stept/Brown/Tobias number “Comes
Love” which was made famous by Billie Holiday and later sung by Joni Mitchell.
Ganz started the intro with Sutton quietly singing/scatting and McGarry
responding on alternate lines. As with most solo artists, Sutton seemed
more accustomed to having free reign to explore improvisations on the lyrics according to her own muse. McGarry used some cautious hesitancy when responding with the alternating verse, making sure to leave enough room for Sutton to complete her thoughts. Sutton often draws out notes and phrases toward the end of the verse for emphasis, where as McGarry is more definitive in completing her endings preferring to modulate within the verse. When the women tried to improvise to the coda, their unfamiliarity with each others intentions provided for a bit of a disconnect, each one struggling to find where the other was heading. Like true professionals their interplay got better as the evening went on.
more accustomed to having free reign to explore improvisations on the lyrics according to her own muse. McGarry used some cautious hesitancy when responding with the alternating verse, making sure to leave enough room for Sutton to complete her thoughts. Sutton often draws out notes and phrases toward the end of the verse for emphasis, where as McGarry is more definitive in completing her endings preferring to modulate within the verse. When the women tried to improvise to the coda, their unfamiliarity with each others intentions provided for a bit of a disconnect, each one struggling to find where the other was heading. Like true professionals their interplay got better as the evening went on.
Mr. Ganz strapped on his electric bass for the next song,
Cole Porter’s classic “Get Out of Town.” A well travelled piece of music, the great Shirley Horn’s sensuously torrid take from her Close Enough for Love is for my money "the" definitive version. Mr. Ganz opened with the first verse in
upbeat, swinging fashion as Ms. McGarry snapped her fingers in time. Ms. Sutton followed gingerly using her
huskier chops to vocalize her way up and down the scale. In hipster fashion Ms. McGarry cleverly inserted a snippet of Monk’s “Round Midnight” as her basis for improvising on the
lyrics. The singers went back and forth as the guitarists provided the rhythmic background
for this musical duel/duet. You could hear how each singer was starting to intuit where the other was leading them with each passing attempt.
Mr. Ganz returned to the guitar at the start of the Kenny Dorham
composition “Fair Weather” offering a beautifully sensitive opening intro before Ms. McGarry continued with a marvelously moving vocal performance. It is this type of
heartfelt song that finds the vocalist at her best. Her voice has an earnest quality that captivates the listener, spinning imagery and wonder that recalls the
best qualities of a great storyteller.
Ms. Sutton was obviously still suffering with her vocal
limitations, jesting with the audience that the show was now being presented
with the aid of Chloraseptic. The audience, many of whom had come specifically
to hear her, were graciously thankful that she chose to soldier on. She and her
partner Mr. Merlaud chose to do a samba, which Mr. Merlaud played with acute sensitivity.
Mr. Ganz was also featured on a spirited bass solo. Ms. Sutton seemed most at
home when she was free to more easily find her own
groove, scatting freely and improvising within the song's breezy form.
The group went back to the well with a Keith Ganz arrangement of the standard “Whatever
Lola Wants.” Ms. McGarry amusingly likened
a “Lola” to a bad habit that one couldn’t quit. This sensuous song depicting a sultry
siren who could get whatever she put her mind to, was done playfully by the two
singers. The Sutton/McGarry connection was most intuitive on this one,
especially when the two played off each others lines. When Ms. McGarry’s voice mimicked
Mr. Ganz’s solo guitar lines perfectly you could tell these two had been through this one many times before. Ms. Sutton interjected humor into the song and where the song challenged her impaired range she skillfully
scatted around those parts.
As if by inspiration, Ms. McGarry spontaneously decided to do an obscure folk song from the singer/songwriter Paul Curreri titled “God Moves on the City.” Mr. Ganz, a facile and versatile guitarist, started the song with its delicately finger-picked opening. Ms. McGarry’s voice was transcendent, evoking an Appalachian flavor and pulling the homespun lines from the deepest part of her being like water from a well.While she often traverses the boundaries of jazz, pop, musical theater and folk I find Ms. McGarry’s voice and delivery to be most authentically appealing when she finds material like this that seems to resonate with her folk-oriented roots. It was her moving rendering of Jim Webb’s “The Moon Is a Mean Mistress” from John Hollenbeck’s fabulous Song’s I Like a Lot, sung with Theo Bleckman and the HR Big Band that garnered a Grammy nomination.
As if by inspiration, Ms. McGarry spontaneously decided to do an obscure folk song from the singer/songwriter Paul Curreri titled “God Moves on the City.” Mr. Ganz, a facile and versatile guitarist, started the song with its delicately finger-picked opening. Ms. McGarry’s voice was transcendent, evoking an Appalachian flavor and pulling the homespun lines from the deepest part of her being like water from a well.While she often traverses the boundaries of jazz, pop, musical theater and folk I find Ms. McGarry’s voice and delivery to be most authentically appealing when she finds material like this that seems to resonate with her folk-oriented roots. It was her moving rendering of Jim Webb’s “The Moon Is a Mean Mistress” from John Hollenbeck’s fabulous Song’s I Like a Lot, sung with Theo Bleckman and the HR Big Band that garnered a Grammy nomination.
The four musicians returned to the American songbook with a
duet version of the 1936 song “Pennies from Heaven.” Ms. Sutton started the easy swinger with a
deft combination of verse and scat. Ms. McGarry joined with her own
alternating scat. The two traded licks for a couple of choruses and the guitarists then each took their turns at soloing.
“Flor De Lis,” by the Brazilian artist Djavan, is a slow
samba that as Ms. McGarry explained, despite being rhythmically upbeat, spoke of a
frustrated suitor and his plight with an intractably cold lover. She sang in
both flawless Portuguese and English and again the inherent musical connection
between her and Mr. Ganz was palpable. Mr. Merlaud providing a wonderfully
fluid solo of his own, as Ms. Sutton added some skillful scatting and percussive
effects at the coda.
The finale was a dual interpretation of Bill Evans’ “Blue in
Green.” Both Sutton and McGarry have previously recorded this song, so it was
interesting to compare the two takes on the same music. Ms. Sutton’s version
used lyrics that evoked loss and jealousy. Her whispered voice appropriately
evoked the song’s meandering melancholic feel. Ms. Sutton is at her best on these type of jazz standards where her empathetic connection to loss and love exudes from the emotional core of her being and she makes the song convincingly her own. Ms. McGarry version focused on
the circular nature of the song and used the lyrics she wrote, a song she
called “Road So Long,” taking the song in a more hopeful direction. Both versions sent the
audience to their feet.
While it was a disappointment not to be able to experience
Ms. Sutton at her best, the evening was a complete delight. Mr. Ganz and Mr.
Merlaud were both extremely effective accompanist’s. Ms. Sutton is a consummate
professional whose body of work speaks for itself. It is also easy to see why Ms.
McGarry was recently awarded Downbeat’s rising star award.
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