A Voice to be Savored on Sinne Eeg's "Dreams"

Sinne Eeg Dreams  Artist Share AS0153

At forty years of age, the Danish singer Sinne Eeg is among that rare breed vocalists that can take anything they sing and make it their own. She has a voice to be savored. A force to be reckoned with in her native Scandinavia, her work is little known here in the US. The most recent recording Dreams is just her second release here despite nine outings as a leader. What immediately grabs you about her voice is the natural effortlessness with which she sings. Eeg has a warm supple tone, a wide range, exquisite control and an inherent sense of swing and phrasing that is impeccable. She cites Betty Carter, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughn as influences, and one can certainly find some traces of their styles in her voice, but make no mistake, she is clearly on her own path and it is a refreshing one at that.

Her first US release was a duo album Eeg-Fonnesbaek from 2015 that she did with accomplished Danish double-bassist Thomas Fonnesbaek. The album’s darkly sparse treatment of some of the classics from the Great American Songbook, with Eeg’s gloriously fluid and tonally transcendent voice playing off Fonnesbaek’s warm, bellowing bass was deservedly well received.

Dreams, which just came out in December, took a different tact. It was recorded in Brooklyn, NY in January of 2017. It utilizes the multiple voices of  a very talented backing quartet.  The musicians are some of jazz’s crème de la crème, with the stellar rhythm section of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Joey Baron, the always tasty Larry Koonse on guitar and her longtime collaborator fellow Dane, Jacob Christoffersen holding down the piano chair. If Eeg was hoping to expand her audience on this side of the pond or for that matter around the world, then Dreams should certainly go a long way to achieving that goal.

Of the ten featured songs on the album, two are by Cole Porter, one by Rodgers and Hart and one by Gene De Paul, the remaining six are all Eeg originals and quite compelling.  The opener “The Bitter End” is a slow-cooked, funky blues that features Colley’s bass and Christoffersen’s piano, with Eeg’s expressive voice shining through with authenticity and feeling.

The perky “Head Over High Heels,” written by Eeg and Mads Mathias, has a musical theater, dance-like quality to it.  Eeg’s considerable scat abilities are on display as she and Colley parry in a complementary dialogue that is both slippery and simpatico.

Eeg’s “Love Song” is a torchy ballad that is gorgeously sung with a melancholic expressiveness and also features a gossamer guitar solo by Larry Koonse.

Listening to Eeg and drummer Joey Baron on the imaginative intro to the well-worn Porter standard “What is This Thing Called Love,” is to hear the song with new ears. The walking bass of Colley and the swinging piano of Christoffersen enter the fray with just enough juice to re-energize this classic. Baron’s traps are buoyant and Eeg’s vocals are facile and flawless.

On Richard Rodgers “Falling in Love with Love,” the singer, bassist and guitarist play like a well-oiled trio of seasoned instrumentalists.  Eeg’s vocal scatting is glass-like, so integrated with the music as to be seamless- sliding in and out of the group interplay with ease- you almost forget she’s singing until she returns to the lyrics. Koonse picks another masterful solo.

On the title song “Dreams,” Eeg goes totally wordless, instead using impressionistic vocalization. The song has a nebulous feel to it and Christoffersen’s piano has a  Jarrett influence to it, lightly skipping over the melody, with the rhythm section gently pushing the music along.

As if being such an accomplished vocalist isn’t enough, Eeg’s “Aleppo,” a song she wrote inspired by seeing images of the child victim who was tragically washed up on the seashore while trying to flee the Syrian conflict, is a moving political statement and a testament to this woman’s compositional skills. The evocative music is reverently somber, and her lyrics are sung with an emotional pathos that is quite moving. She proves herself to be a formidable story-teller, a forgotten talent few modern singers seem to have cultivated.  The slow beating bass line, the muted strings on Koonse’s guitar and the delicately sparse Christofferssen piano accompaniment are perfect complements to Eeg’s sincere plaintive verse. “At least we cry for the victims of war and let those children cry no more.”

There is a contemporary pop feel to Eeg’s “Time to Go,” probably my least favorite song on the album.

The arrangement of Gene De Paul’s “I’ll Remember April” is satiny and sleek. Eeg’s voice modulates with a calm assurance, like the steely nerve of an accomplished tightrope walker who works without a net. Her intonations are clear, unstrained and sinewy. Eeg has an abundance of “chops” but what is thoroughly refreshing is her astute awareness of when and how to use them. There is never even a hint of over the top showmanship that seems to be de rigueur with today’s female divas who revel is showing off their range or raspiness. Instead we find nuance, spacing and silky smooth transitions.

The finale is a sparse upbeat duo version of Porter’s “Anything Goes” featuring Sinne’s lilting voice and her accomplished pianist Christoffersen. The two musically dance with each other and around the melody in a comfortable rendering that accentuates the Porter wit.

If Dreams doesn’t make this Danish wonder woman, Sinne Eeg, into a familiar name in the world of jazz music than people are simply not listening.

Jazzmeia Horn's "Social Call" A Impressive New Voice

Jazzmeia Horn  A Social Call Prestige PRS 00112

It should be no surprise that twenty-six-year old jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn is one of the most impressive new voices on the music scene today. In 2013, then twenty-two-year old Horn won the impressive Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition. Then again in 2015 she captured the even more impressive Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition, which led to a recording contract with the historic Prestige label and her debut album  A Social Call. While the title references Gigi Gryce’s composition Social Call – a song about a one on one interaction between two individual people trying to find a connection-Horn has expanded the concept of “social” on this album to be a timely call for social responsibility.

The woman has a beautiful, supple vocal instrument with a tremendous range and an intonation that has elements of some of her influences-Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Nancy Wilson. She recorded this album while she was still pregnant with her daughter. There is a matriarchal strength to the way she sings some of the songs on the album like the gospel tinged “Lift Every Voice and Sing/Moanin’,” (which features a steamin’ trumpet solo by Josh Evans). 

I was especially moved by her poignant and spectral rendition of Jimmy Rowles’ haunting classic “The Peacocks,” a beautiful song that is not an easy to sing well.  Victor Gould should be singled out for his intuitively sensitive rendition of Rowles shimmering pianistic beauty and how well he comps Ms. Horn’s performance. Ms. Horn’s high register inflections at the coda are perhaps the only evidence of her showing some excess of technique where less is warranted.

The opening tune is a splendidly authentic version of Betty Carter’s gymnastic “Tight.” It’s especially grand to hear her elastic rapport with Stacy Dillard’s fluid tenor. She shows equal affinity to the pliable bass work of Ben Williams on her duet openings of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” and on the title tune “Social Call.” Ms. Horn has an easy, unforced scat style that is instrumental at heart and her unique phrasing emotes a deep understanding of the meaning of a finely crafted lyric. She clearly has a gift for the art, but scatting is best served in tasteful moderation, so as she gestates her vocal personality I am sure she will become more judicious in its use as she matures. The horn section of Dillard on tenor, Josh Evans on trumpet and Frank Lacy on trombone is tight, bright and swinging in the tradition of Cannonball Adderley’s work with Nancy Wilson.

Ms. Horn’s heartening monologue on the intro to the Stylistic’s “People Make the World Go Round,” her gospel/free-form vocalizations- in communication with the African drum and percussion work of Jerome Jennings-that Ms. Horn contribute to “Afro Blue/Eye See You/Wade in the Water," gives the album its’ social context. Ms. Horn’s high register squeaks and trills remind me of the expressive yodeling work of Leon Thomas and her spoken word sections conjures up the poetic work of Abbey Lincoln and Nina Simone. There is no doubt that she has been studying her vocal history in all its splendid variations. Her voice holds great prospect for the future. Not only has she absorbed these traditions, she has enough vocal discipline and range to pull off the most difficult of these techniques and enough personal assurance to make the end-product sound like her own invention.

Ms. Horn does her own take on the Scherzinger/Mercer pop classic “I Remember You” and on the soulful “I’m Going Down” originally sung by Rose Royce, on the influential soundtrack to the movie Car Wash. Ms. Horn and her formidable horn section make this last one a rousing exclamation point to this wonderful album. I for one will be looking forward to hearing more from this promising young artist

Kate McGarry and Tierney Sutton Bring the Art of Song to The Velvet Note in Alpharetta, GA

Keith Ganz, Kate McGarry, Tierney Sutton and Serge Merlaud

Two women of song brought their own unique styles to the intimate living room that is known as The Velvet Note in Alpharetta, Georgia this past Saturday. Kate McGarry and Tierney Sutton are both Grammy nominated vocalists that fall loosely under the banner of jazz singers. Whatever it is they sing you can be assured you want to listen. 

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.

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.

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.

Kate McGarry and Tierney Sutton Bring the Art of Song to The Velvet Note in Alpharetta, GA

Keith Ganz, Kate McGarry, Tierney Sutton and Serge Merlaud

Two women of song brought their own unique styles to the intimate living room that is known as The Velvet Note in Alpharetta, Georgia this past Saturday. Kate McGarry and Tierney Sutton are both Grammy nominated vocalists that fall loosely under the banner of jazz singers. Whatever it is they sing you can be assured you want to listen. 

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.

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.

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. 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.