If you think female vocalists just rehash the Great American Songbook, these three releases will make you re-evaluate your prejudices.
LA-based Cathy Segal-Garcia brings her flexible and warm voice to meld with the sepia tones of a chamber ensemble on her latest release. Along with the support of jazzers Bob Sheppard-Rob Lockart/sax, Chuck Findley/tp-fh and Joe LaBarbera/dr, she brings in a collection of strings and woodwinds to create rich, reflective and ruminating moods on a mix of material.
Muted horn and flute team with strings to create a rich texture on the waltzing take of “Star Eyes” while oboes create long shadows on a misty read of Cyndie Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Nick Mancini’s vibes adds pep to “High Trapeze” with Segal-Garcia gliding with the elliptical prisms on her own “Sleep In Peace.” Most ambitious is a twelve minute “Message to Prez” which includes an array of guest singers including Mon David while Bennie Maupin’s bass clarinet gloriously broods. This is a chamber worth hanging around in.
Clear Broadway toned Jamie Shew joins with Angelenos Larry Koonse/g, Joe Bagg/p-B3, Darek Oles/b and Jason Harnell/dr for a mix of cleverly re-arranged jazz standards. She is clear while telling a story with Oles on the starry “First Song (For Ruth)” and luminous on a supple “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” Koonses acoustic guitar glistens on the sweet and soft take of Pat Metheny’s “The Answers Are You” while delivering a lullaby on her own title track. A hip “The Flat Foot Floogie” is fun and bluesy while “Mountain Greenery” is cute and coy. A nice creator of moods.
You can tell that Tiffany Austin grew up in church, as her delivery is filled with gospel inflection and pulpit declarations. This richly alluring album with all stars Ashilin Parker/tp, Mitch Butler/tb, Teodross Avery/ts, Cyrus Chestnut/p, Rodney Whitaker/b and Carl Allen/b has her clear and confident as she growls over the drums on “Blues Creole” and bops with flexibility on “The Blessing.” She purrs with Whitaker on “Music’s Gonna Meet Me There,” and coos on “Someday We’ll All Be Free” while taking you to the Pentecostal Wednesday worship service on Charlie Mingues’ “Better Git It In Your Soul.” But nothing is gonna prepare you for her rendition of John Coltrane’s classic “Resolution” where she mixes field hollers, Spirit filled prophecies and agonizing cries to the fiery modal grooves. This is a lady I want to see in concert! WHEW!