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.

Two ladies of song offer two different paths to great jazz. Kathy Kosins “To the Ladies of Cool” and Sabrina Lastman “The Candombe Jazz Sessions”

There seems to be at least one cd in my mailbox each week that features yet another female jazz singer. Some have stellar back-up bands or top quality arrangers.
Few leave lasting impressions.Here are two that do.

Singer Kathy Kosins, a name previously unfamiliar to me, has released an album of songs from four singers who are from what is called the “cool” school of jazz. Chris Connor, Anita O’Day and June Christy, were all at one time lead singers in the Kenton band during its heyday, eventually breaking into reasonably successful solo careers of their own. The beautiful Julie London was a WWII pin-up, an actress and torch singer whose most famous song “Cry Me A River” featured her signature smoky, sensual voice. Kosins and her musical director/pianist Tamir Hendelman unearth some rarely heard gems from their repertoire.

It didn’t take long for me to become a convert to the fittingly laid-back delivery and chilled sense of time that Kosins so adeptly captures here on her latest release “to the Ladies of Cool”. She not only toasts the hip ness of these wonderful ladies of song, she authentically recreates a lost genre of female jazz singing, where serious artists could enjoy being both pop stars and respected jazz musicians.

Kosins, like the women she pays homage to, possesses a warm, sensuous voice with an naturally easy sense of time. Her words flow as effortlessly as maple syrup over hot pancakes. Her choice of material is surprisingly fresh. With “Learnin’the Blues,” a tune attributed as much to Frank Sinatra as to Julie London, Kosins show a deft sense of time and an inherent sense of swing. A smoking piano solo by the under appreciated Hendelman adds icing to this delicious cake. If this one doesn’t immediately convert you to a Kosins fan nothing will.

“Night Bird,” a song written by saxophonist Al Cohn and sung by the unheralded Connor, features Kosins voice floating the lyrics of the song over Hendelman’s ostinato piano line. The words drift along like wispy clouds over a blue horizon. A melodic tenor solo by Steve Wilkerson follows Gilbert Castellanos warm toned flugelhorn solo. A beautifully haunting version of Connor’s “Don’t Wait Up for Me” begins with a muted trumpet solo by Castellanos. Kosins’ burnished voice drips with pathos and Hendleman’s emotional piano solo is equally moving. Castellanos’s trumpet is reminiscent of Uan Rasey’s classic work on the theme to “Chinatown”. Kosins completes her Chris Connor set with the upbeat “All I Need is You,” originally recorded on Connor’s Atlantic album from 1956 “A Jazz Date with Chris Connor”. Kosins voice is warmer, less smoky than the Connor original. Her voice more fine cognac to Connor’s single malt Scotch.

Henry Mancini’s perky “Free and Easy” has an airy, lighthearted feel to it, accentuated by a lilting guitar solo by Graham Dechter.

Kosins easily adapts her voice to the feeling of the songs. Witness her treatment of Johnny Mandel’s “Hershey’s Kisses,” originally done wordlessly by Anita O’Day, where Kosins briefly scats in a playful banter with saxophonist Wilkerson.

“Lullaby in Rhythm” comes from the June Christy playbook and Kosins freely scats to the swinging sway of this melody. Guitarist Dechter offers a solo in the spirit of guitarist Mundell Lowe.

Perhaps my favorite ballad of the album is the seldom heard “November Twilight," a nod to Julie London. Kosins just kills it in this most sensuous of renderings. Hendelman’s piano and arrangement are evocative of a film noir soundtrack. Pretty arco work by bassist Kevin Axt ends this pouting piece.

The flittering “Kissing Bug” allows Kosins a chance to reveal that she has a greater range then she usually employs. She easily inflects her voice evoking the necessary emotion that these songs embody. Her controlled delivery is always pitch perfect.

The closing piece “Where Are You” has a slight Brazilian feel. Kosins’ deliberate voicing is distinctively cool in phrasing and tone. In some kind of trip back in time you can envision her singing to a group of hipsters grooving on a Malibu beach at dusk.

Kosins to the Ladies of Cool is one of those rare recordings that create a new reality. In looking back to an era when female jazz singers were treasured as both pop stars and creative artists, Kosins offers something contemporary that may be even better than the memory of the original.

Musicians:
Katy Kosins,vocals;Tamir Hendelman, piano/ arrangements; Kevin Axt bass (tracks 1,5,7,8 & 10);
Paul Keller bass ( tracks 2,3,4,6,9); Graham Dechter, guitar; Bob Leatherbarrow, drums, vibes; Steve Wilkerson, woodwinds; Gilbert Castellanos, trumpet and flugelhorn.



Uruguayan born singer/composer Sabrina Lastman possesses an exceptional voice and a fearless sense of daring. The combination is a compelling amalgam that is on showcase on her latest release The Candombe Jazz Sessions. Candombe is a genre of music that has its roots in the African Bantu tradition and is widely practice in Uruguay. Candombe dance is arguably one of the precursors to the Argentinean Tango.

The infectious Candombe inspired “Axis" opens this album with Lastman exercising her formidable voice as instrument in an awesome display of vocal acrobatics. Meg Okura incorporates a robust, slightly Middle Eastern sound to the mix with her violin, blurring the origins of the music, as the two women skillfully trace each other’s notes on voice and violin.

“Circular” is another Lastman composition, this one sung in Portuguese, that begins as a serene lament with some colorful percussion provided by drummer David Silliman. It soon transforms into a more upbeat piece with a stirring solos by Emilio Solla on piano and a sensitive arco solo by Pablo Aslan on double bass. Lastman’s soprano is pitch perfect throughout despite the rapid-fire twists and turns she puts it through.

The beautiful “Color De Arena” (Color of Sand) uses a poem by Uruguayan poet Washington Benavides for its lyrics and even though I don’t speak Spanish the sentiment is never lost. The song features a string section that includes Okura and Ernesto Villalobos on violins and Dave Eggar on cello. This sensitive ballad becomes a vehicle for Lastman to show what a truly beautiful and emotive singer she can be.

The perky “Tengo Un Candombe Par Gardel” features the traditional three sized drums or Tamboriles of the Candombe played by Arturo Prendez, Manuel Silva and Fabricio Teodoro. Lastman weaves her magic in an unending display of her vocal prowess including some effective overdubbing of her own voice.

“Brisca Fresca” (Cool Breeze) is another Lastman composition, sung in Spanish and vocalese where she creates sounds that she uses to tell her musical story in a playful duet with drummer Silliman.

“Aqua E Vinho” (Water and Wine) is a composition by Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti that Lastman sings so compellingly in Portuguese. Accompanied sparingly by Solla’s sensitive piano and featuring Aslan’s emotionally charged arco bass, this one is simply gorgeous.

Lastman is an accomplished composer with most of the songs on the album her originals.“A Los Legos” is a case in point. Lastman spent some time in Israel studying at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance before moving to New York where she now lives. The Middle Eastern influence she absorbed there are evident on this track. Some nice interplay with Lastman and trumpeter Alexander Norris is especially tasty, as is Norris’s searing solo as the tune turns into a contemporary jazz piece for a spell.

“Zea Mais” is a folk inspired composition that finds Lastman once again singing in harmony with her own overdubbed voice. This world music-sounding piece features a recorder solo by Daphna Mor.

The album ends with Lastman’s warm “Deep Inside” and her acappella singing of a poem by Alfonso Romano de Sant’Anna “Cilada Verbal.”

Musicians:

Sabrina Lastman, vocals; Emilio Solla, piano ;
Pablo Aslan, double bass, David Silliman, Alexander Norris, trumpet on 7; Meg Okura, violin on 1,3; Dave Eggar, cello on 3, 6; Ernesto Villalobos, violin on 3, Daphna Mor recorder on 8; Arturo Prendez on Candombe piano drum on 4, Manuel Silvaon Candombe repique drum.