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On UNDER THE MOON
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On OH WHAT A THRILL Jazz Times LIVE REVIEWS INTERVIEWS |
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_______________________________________________________________________________________ On Under the Moon... BILLBOARD (CRITIC'S CHOICE) DOWNBEAT (BEST CDS OF 2003) JAZZ TIMES LA TIMES
TIME OUT NEW YORK ALL MUSIC GUIDE (4 1/2 stars) NEWSDAY (NY) JAZZUSA.COM GOLDMINE MAGAZINE Backed by her long time bass player Chris Sullivan, along with talented Chicago-based musicians John McLean on guitar, Paul Wertico on drums, and Kevin Patrick on percussion, Sfraga creates very personal and improvisational statements, using her voice as an instrument and not just a vehicle for words. With "Sophisticated Lady" she creates a suprisingly upbeat affair, far removed from the original yet without tainting it, while Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" features an emotional a capella intro before leading into an unexpected smooth raggae-groove created by her counterparts. Again it is very unorthodox in style, yet somehow feels oh, so right. Sfraga and her band take chances such as this throughout the CD. From taking Rogers and Hammerstein's "It Might As Well Be Spring" and creating an entirely new extended arrangement throughout, to creating a moody lower register tone with Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo". Barabara's challenging interpretations breath new life into each and every track, never missing the mark with her open ended improvisations. It takes great confidence to challenge such classics for nearly 50 minutes, most wouldn^(1)t take this many chances over an entire career. Sfraga triumphs with flying colors, her confidence never wavering, and for this she should be highly commended, and recommended." --Joe Milliken, Goldmine Magazine
ALL ABOUT JAZZ, NY An extended version of Hoagy Carmichael's vocally difficult 'Stardust' begins the CD. Its sinewy a capella melodic statement is joined by a tropical rhythm as its lyrics unhurriedly tumble forward to give this most classic of love songs its due. Breezy Latin versions of ³I've Grown Accustomed to His Face² and the usually sedate 'You've Changed' evidence Sfraga's ability to bring a new awareness to very familiar melodies. Three Ellington classics are also given new faces: 'Mood Indigo'is presented with long sensual phrasing, 'Sophisticated Lady'has a pleasantly surprising almost happy mood, and 'Prelude to a Kiss'is a tour de force for Sullivan as he gets down and funky providing a perfect counterpoint for Sfraga's vocal. The sole self-penned number, 'Never Walk Away' is a full-speed-ahead percussive adventure whose clever contemporary lyrics let the intended target know where he stands. Two intriguing inclusions are Dylan's 1980 ode to spiritual redemption, 'Every Grain of Sand,'and singer/songwriter Angela Bofill's titular inspiration ³Under the Moon and Over the Sky.'While the latter is primarily an expansion of the original's exotica feel, Dylan's under-recorded gem is given reverential treatment reminiscent of Joan Baez's best lyrical interpretations of his work. A look Under the Moon reveals that Sfraga's star is rising. -- Elliot Simon, All About Jazz NY ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM Ms. Sfraga and Mr. McLean are almost on equal footing on this recording. His guitar sounds beautifully acoustic one moment, Bill Frisell steel guitar-like the next (²Mood Indigo²) and standard jazz the next (²You've Changed²). ³Stardust² is a towering achievement; setting the tone for the justification that standards are here to be interpreted and re-interpreted. Just when the most callous critic thinks s/he has heard it all, a disc like this comes along and blasts the contemporary wisdom ship from the water. Ms. Sfraga employs all of the freedom offered by the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet, Betty Carter, and post bop sovereignty. She loosens the binds on the music and allows the muse to flow throughout Under the Moon. Just then I though I had wrapped up my end-of-the-year-list, a masterpiece has come under the wire. -- C. Michael Bailey, AllAboutJazz.com
ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM In the rarest of cases, however, standards can act as reflecting pools for an artist?s full range of abilities, and such is the case with Barbara Sfraga's latest release, Under The Moon. Not only does Sfraga include a daunting array of pieces, such as the oft-performed classics Mood Indigo, Stardust , and Sophisticated Lady, she approaches each with a passionate dedication to reinvention. Sfraga's minimalist reconfigurations simultaneously whittle each of the album?s ten tracks down to their emotional and musical cores, while building a dramatic atmosphere of subtlety and cleverness. Not essentially an avant-gardist, Sfraga ensures that her explorations never approach the experimental limits of singer Devorah Day's recent release, nor the genre-blurring work of Patricia Barber. Instead, by attempting to maintain the source material's original conception while providing new structures to house it, Sfraga accomplishes something equally intriguing. Unfortunately, not all of Sfraga?s experiments are entirely successful. Tunes like the too clever I've Grown Accustomed to His Face and a mundane reading of You've Changed keep the album from being the milestone its stronger pieces suggest it could have been. That said, when Sfraga peaks, the results are gripping. Her floating, lilting version of Stardust is not only full of unexpected twists -- an impressive feat considering the popularity of the piece -- but also so successfully reframes the original that Carmichael's lyric gains new depths of meaning. In fact, that is what Sfraga does best. By locating the emotive
source and finding new angles of access, she consistently focuses
the listener on the energy of the original work. It is often pleasantly
difficult to discern whether Sfraga has simply revitalized a tune
or founded new levels of meaning through her arrangements. This
phenomena is most pronounced in her rendition of Stardust, as well
as on Ellington?s Prelude to a Kiss and Mood Indigo. These three
tracks alone make the album recommended listening -- and the surprise
highlight, a wrenching bass-vocal duet performance of Bob Dylan's
Every Grain of Sand, pushes it over the edge into a must for fans
of minimalism and the poetry of lyrics.
ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM Barbara Sfraga is relatively new on the scene. The vocalist began leading her own band in 1990. Under The Moon is her second album. She proved on What A Thrill (Naxos) that her spontaneous and eclectic approach to jazz would draw from traditional blues roots as well as from more creative directions. With her four-piece contemporary band on Under The Moon, Sfraga interprets eight standards, one pop hit, and one original. She's reinvented each of the songs in her own fashion. The clarity of her voice combines with the band?s elegant timbre to produce an overall sound that any listener can appreciate. Guitar, drum set, congas, and a confident Ella Fitzgerald kind of vocal enthusiasm earn the band and singer high marks. Only the raspy echoes of the bass stand out as unsuitable for the group's blend. This is particularly evident during the bass solo on Prelude to a Kiss. Sfraga's Never Walk Away combines a New Orleans second line shuffle with her forward-leaning vocal edge. Jazz has got to grow, and this artist is inclined to play a key role in that process. Her program affords the listener ample amounts of what we look for in a vocalist. Let?s face it. Everybody has a strong opinion when it comes to singers. You either like what you hear or you shut it out. As Sfraga interprets Bob Dylan's Every Grain of Sand with bass accompaniment, she levitates you into a solemn temple, where everyone prays with his eyes closed. As she delivers I've Grown Accustomed to His Face in 5/4 time, she brings down our jazz mentors from the balcony to share in the celebration. With You've Changed, Sfraga summarizes her method. Emotions are somewhat in check, and a creative sharing takes place; a sharing that brings the whole ensemble together. The singer reveals her soulful feelings, while creating a program filled with fine art. -- Jim Santella, AllAboutJazz.com ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM The set begins with a moody and spacious reading of Hoagy Carmichael?s ³Stardust² with a subtle funk feel supporting the entire construction. Drummer Paul Wertico on drums and percussionist Kevin Patrick deserve a great deal of the credit for their ability to burn quietly on this and other tunes. It segues into a 5/4 Latin take on a personal favorite, ³I?ve Grown Accustomed To His Face.² Sfraga doesn?t force the lyric into the metrical constraints; quite to the contrary, its delivery sounds entirely natural in an almost conversational feel at times. Space is such a difficult concept to teach young musicians, and it is very rarely mastered by the mature variety. However, this version of ³Mood Indigo² is a textbook example of how it should be done. Haunting voice from Barbara Sfraga, aching guitar chords from John McLean, and a subtle but strong foundation provided by Christopher Dean Sullivan all combine to create a work of great beauty. Sfraga is a master of taking songs and twisting them into her own style. For examples, check out her uptempo samba reworking of ³You?ve Changed,² her 6/8 arrangement of ³It Might As Well Be Spring,² an uptempo jazz waltz version of Duke Ellington?s ³Sophisticated Lady,² and a funk laced ³Prelude To A Kiss.² ³Changed² has a spirited guitar solo from John McLean; ³Spring² contains an interesting modulation into the final ³A² section that is part of the new form of the song as well as an extension of the lyric on the tag; ?Lady? has a burning bass solo by Christopher Dean Sullivan; and ³Prelude² is almost a voice/drums/percussion extravaganza, with the exception of a section that features a bass solo overflowing with funk. The Angela Bofill song ³Under The Moon And Over The Sky² is redone in a world music style that seems galaxies away from its urban contemporary roots, yet entirely natural. It also showcases Sfraga's wide vocal range. The nicest surprises are the final two numbers on the recording. ³Never Walk Away² is an original song that has influences from all over the musical spectrum, including Brazilian, world, hip-hop, and blues, and the lyrics are especially insightful to those of us experienced with the condition known as marriage. Bob Dylan is not the first songwriter I would think of for a vocal bass pairing, yet this version of ³Every Grain Of Sand² fits Sfraga and her bassist like an Isotoner glove. The lyric takes on new meaning and significance with its beautiful phrasing, and the melody stands out against the sparseness of the accompaniment. I almost feel that this album is not so much a Barbara Sfraga album
as the birth of a new band under her direction. The colors, the
landscapes, and the hues she paints with on this album defy words.
Descriptions are simply inadequate. It truly is an exciting listening
experience which should appeal to those who have grown tired of
hearing the same forty jazz songs done in the same way. Perhaps
if more jazz musicians and vocalists approached material in so fresh,
musical, and innovative a manner we would not be speaking about
jazz as a museum piece to be relegated to the dustbin of time. Bravo,
Barbara!
JAZZREVIEW.COM Sfraga has a voice that binds itself to a song and that has the ability to take the listener to places strange and unknown. A master at rhythmic displacement, she manipulates time at will, constructing and deconstructing tunes in the most natural sense imaginable. Her voice has an earthy quality about it, with an occasional twang somewhat reminiscent of a Norah Jones. But as comparisons go, I think it¹s difficult to avoid mention of Diana Krall. They share a similar tonal reference, but Sfraga brings much more emotion and vulnerability to her _expression. She has a way of dancing around the melody and of attacking and releasing notes that creates a style that is uniquely her own. Backed by a top-notch band consisting of John McLean on guitar, Paul Wertico on drums, Christopher Dean Sullivan on bass and Kevin Partick on percussion, Sfraga thrills with dazzling arrangements of some jazz standards that would seem old and dusty in less competent hands. On some tunes, she¹s changed the time signature, for example playing I¹ve Grown Accustomed To His Face in 5/4 time and the Ellington gem Sophisticated Lady in 3/4. On other tunes she¹s changed the tempo. You¹ve Changed, normally played as a ballad, is given new life when played as an uptempo samba. Mood Indigo, another Ellington favorite, is slowed down with great effect to an almost drowsy tempo that really helps bring the point of the lyrics home. Of the ten tunes on this album, seven are jazz standards, with one original (written by Sfraga) and two non-jazz covers Under the Moon and Over the Sky by Angela Bofill and Every Grain of Sand by Bob Dylan. Under the Moon and Over the Sky was originally an R&B tune that takes to the jazz adaptation quite well. The arrangement is hip and exotic, with Sfraga overdubbing animal-like screeches and birdcalls in the background. However, the Sfraga original Never Walk Away and Dylan¹s Every Grain of Sand feel foreign and out of place in this collection. Never Walk Away, sporting a New Orleans-like jazz rhythm, never really goes anywhere and Every Grain of Sand doesn¹t have enough structure to really bring it to life. But in spite of those observations, this is overall a wonderful album from an exciting new artist that I hope will be blessing us with new works for many years to come. -- Roman St. James, JazzReview.com SAN FRANCISCO WEEKLY _________________________________________________________________ On Oh, What a Thrill... JAZZ TIMES Sfraga has a distinctive sultry-sweet sound and innate ability to connect with her musicians. She obviously knows how to dramatically shape a song. Trained as a classical vocalist, Sfraga was exposed to essential jazz vocal masters in college before she discovered adventurous singers such as Mark Murphy, Betty Carter and Jon Hendricks, whose subtle influences can be heard here. Sidemen Bruce Saunders (guitar), David Berkman (piano), John Hebert (bass), Eric Halvorson (drums), heighten Sfraga's bold takes on"Great Balls of Fire","Miss Harper Goes Bizarre","Good Morning Heartache","I Didn't Know What Time It Was","Invitation", her rewritten ballad finale,"Song For My Mother" and more. Guests Fred Hersch (piano) and Mark Murphy (vocals on one track) lend extra flair. Sfraga's occassional scatting may be the weakest acpect of her style, but should improve as she continues to develop her craft. In the meantime, her self-assured, unpredictable phrasing at any tempo (developed in NYC clubs since 1986) earns her high marks when compared with other new-generation jazz vocalists. -- Jazz Times Magazine
ALL MUSIC GUIDE An unpredictable artist who can be bluesy one minute and abstract the next, Sfraga takes more than her share of chances on her promising debut album Oh, What A Thrill. This post-bop/avant-garde CD gets off to an impressive start with an unlikely interpretation of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire," which Sfraga successfully changes from uptempo rockabilly to slow, atmospheric jazz-noir. And the New York-based singer also shows how daring she can be on the standard "Angel Eyes" (which incorporates Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love") as well as "Good Morning, Heartache" and Lee Morgan's "Free Wheelin'" (for which she provides lyrics). Though Betty Carter's influence serves her well, Sfraga is more accessible - in fact, those who have a hard time getting into Carter could easily be drawn in by Sfraga's dusky and alluring performances on "Invitation" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." Sfraga's primary accompaniment on this disc consists of guitarist
Bruce Saunders, pianist David Berkman, bassist John Hebert, and
drummer Eric Halvorson -- and she has noteworthy guests in pianist
Fred Hersch, who is featured on three tracks, and vocalist Mark
Murphy, who wrote the liner notes and performs a memorable duet
with her on "I'll Call You." Oh, What a Thrill is highly
recommended to those who are seeking something fresh and personal
from jazz singing.... Sfraga begins her disc in a most unorthodox way: by setting the
Jerry Lee Lewis chestnut, "Great Balls of Fire" in a quasi
blues, jazz, rock setting that while quite effective, never really
reaches the mark. She does better with the coupling of "Angel
Eyes" and the Clapton Classic "Sunshine Of Your Love"
where John Hebert lays down a steady propelling pulse under an insinuating
Bruce Saunders guitar. This is the sexiest piece on a sexy disc.
"Good Morning Heartache" is as much a reinvention of the
Holiday standard as it is a cover. She sings in an angular fashion
over Saunders' weaving guitar in a lightly rocking rhythm. -- NEWSDAY (NY) WATERFRONT WEEK So what a pleasant, no, killer surprise Ms. Sfraga turns out to be! She reinvents Jerry Lee Lewis'"Great Balls Of Fire" as a sultry-yet-apocalyptic torch song -- yet one can't help but think that Sfraga could do some real damage with said torch. Her supple, womanly tones (no little-girl-lost jive here) call out their devotion from the depths of a Motel 6 rendezvous to the cushiest penthouse tryst, conveying Betty Carter sophistication, Sheila Jordan gentle insouciance, Joni Mitchell suppleness and Janis Joplin audaciousness. Sfraga can scat-sing with the best of them ("Slug It Up") but never loses sight of a song's lyrics and the possibilities with them. (Scat-singing can often be the jazz equivalent of The Over-Long Rock Guitar Solo.) She melds the standard"Angel Eyes" and Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love" into a sumptuous thrill-ride, taking the songs and the listener to parts of town they never even heard of. Her band is aces, featuring acoustic and electric guitarist Bruce Saunders (channeling the ghost of Charlie Byrd and the influence of Bill Frisell) and pianists Fred Hersch and David Berkman. Barbara Sfraga doesn't just"sing" standards -- she reinvents them and makes them totally her own. -- Waterfront Week, (Riffs column)
CADENCE There are more conventional pieces here,"I Didn't Know What
Time It Was" and "Invitation" are done sinply and
effectively with single instrument backing, and Mark Murphy also
turns up for a spacey duet on"I'll Call You". Sfraga is
a very interesting singer with an individual style." ALLBOUTJAZZ.COM MICHAEL NASTOS A different concept of standards marks Sfraga as an original. She does a voodoo blues version of "Great Balls Of Fire" with "Manteca/All Blues" bass intro and urban landscape guitar, a light, funky, spacy take of "Good Morning Heartache," and combines an implied bossa on "Angel Eyes" into a liquidic, flowing melt of ice to water on "Sunshine Of Your Love." With Hersch she burns from inside on the free time ballad "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," and uses overdubbed guitar on the urgently quiet waltz "Invitation." Sfraga is also something of aninnovator, writing clever lyrics on Lee Morgan's "Livin' The Life Of Freedom." A 6/8 rhythm builds from vocal, bass, and thinnish guitar, then swings with Halvorson, inserting scat on good advice vocalese and guitar unison. Berkman's piano, and this song in general, is a must hear item. "Who's To Blame?" depicts a married couples dilemmas in a finger snapping bluesy swing expressing sublimated feelings musically and vocally. Scatter shot, lightning reflexes from Sfraga's voice and up beat bop informs "Slug It Up" with numerous boxing references...think you're tough enough? D'Ambrosio's "Miss Harper Goes Bizarre" is a low key but direct showstopper, a stark warning to supermodels, "Song for My Mother" a spirit song for dear mom, and with Mark Murphy singing lead, Sfraga following, trading scats, and admiring each others musings. This is a very promising debut, with hopefully much more to come from this up-and-coming, easily likable, creative personality. -- Michael G. Nastos WWUH PROGRAM GUIDE Given the current glut, one might glance at the song titles on Barbara Sfraga's debut disc and dismiss this as just another"safe" collection of tried-&-true standards. Oh, what a mistake! Sfraga, a 15-year veteran of the New York nightclub scene, refreshes the familiar material with enticing new approaches, molds some unlikely covers into vehicles for bold improvisation and throws in a few provocative originals for good measure. Oh, What a Thrill cops its name from a line in the 50s rock & roll hit"Great Balls of Fire," here slowed to a sultry crawl. Sfraga's purr-to-a-scream delivery might well make Jerry Lee Lewis, the song's most famous interpreter, blush. Guitarist Bruce Saunders adds to the seductive mood by firing off strings of gritty blues licks, while bassist John Hebert raises the temperature of this slow burner almost to the boiling point. The songstress displays both her vocal gymnastics and clever wordplay on Saunders' furious bopper"Slug It Up." Her poignant kiss-off lyrics match his lightning-fast string picking, note for note. The guitarist later engages in superb cat-and-mouse soloing with pianist David Berkman (who performed admirably at a WWUH fundraising concert last November). Sfraga and her band of merry pranksters offer several inspired new arrangements of standard material, ranging from a lovely bossa reading of"Invitation" to their slightly funked-up version of"Angel Eyes," complete with bits and pieces of"Sunshine of Your Love"...who woulda thunk it? Fred Hersch, widely acknowledged as one of the most lyrical baby-boomer jazz pianists, joins Sfraga for two gently swinging duets, and dominates the album's closing track,"Song for My Mother." The latter, an impassioned portrayal of Sfraga's spiritual journey, also carries a universal message for anyone who has experienced the subtle strength of a mother's undying love. In a lighter vein, Barbara enlists the masterful vocal talents (and lyrics) of Mark Murphy for a whimsical call-and-response romp through"I'll Call You," a lover's lament to his/her"ex. The Naxos label has been releasing acclaimed classical recordings for many years but has only recently delved into the jazz realm. Mike Nock, a New Zealand born keyboardist who has been performing professionally for over four decades, is at the helm of Naxos Jazz. For more information about Oh, What a Thrill and other Naxos releases, visit the labels website: naxosusa.com. -- Chuck Obuchowski, WWUH Program Guide
_________________________________________________________ Barbara Sfraga and Center Search Quest Light Up Satalla May 11, 2005 - Barbara Sfraga has assembled an impressive group of musicians to perform their unique and soulful compositions. The complex arrangements highlight the many talents of each musician. Regarding the formation of their new, forthcoming CD, which contains many of these compositions, Barbara had this to say, Our original concept started when Michael T.A. Thompson & Mala Waldron surprised me with a bunch of tunes they had written for me. They knew me well, and knew the twists and turns I like to take in the music -with time, groove, etc. When this original material was presented to me, Mala and Michael suggested I write lyrics to anything I resonated with. I did to five of them right off the bat. They had some lyrics penned in here and there, like the hooks mostly. For the most part I kept whatever they had and wrote lyrics around that. Soon after, we began writing in the same room, and completed the rest of the CD's material in those writing sessions. It's amazing how the flow works when we're writing together. It happens so effortlessly! Extremely well rehearsed and at the same time leaving plenty of room for spontaneity, the group has much to offer. The band clearly enjoys playing with each other. They also enjoy the music they perform. This allows the listener to do the same. The evening started with an introduction by saxophonist Allen Won, who was quickly joined by Chris Sullivan on the bass, followed by Michael T.A. Thompson on drums. Soon after, Barbara and pianist Mala Waldron took the stage. Mala joined Barbara on vocals for the first track, entitled Be There. Chris Sullivan also sang the refrain, Everyone has a place in this world, and closed out the tune with some quality improvising on the bass. The next selection, called Timelessness, featured Allen Won on flute. This tune also contains a memorable refrain, Time has entered timelessness frozen in time. Both of these selections have a theme central to the essence of jazz, living in the now. They are also both catchy numbers that stick with the listeners long after they end. The next selection, Cool Water, was dedicated to Barbara¹s sister. During Mala¹s piano solo Chris Sullivan played percussion on the side of his bass, creating a distinctive sound. Tell Me, a ballad featuring the smooth gorgeous tones of pianist Mala Waldron, is the tune where the band really started to take flight. The crispness and tightness of the group was evident. From here the group covered a tune penned by Stevie Wonder and made famous by Chaka Kahn, Tell Me Something Good. A dynamite soprano sax solo and a playful vocal rap between Chris and Barbara were featured. Dancing in the Rain, a mesmerizing ballad, showcased the tribal-sounding singing/scatting of drummer Michael T.A. Thompson and bassist Chris Sullivan. It ended most beautifully with Barbara¹s voice being complemented by Allen Won¹s flute. The heavy, freewheeling All Night Longincluded inspirational saxophone work by Won and xylophone sounds on a Korg keyboard executed by Waldron. I¹m In The Light had deep, grooving bass runs and incredible vocals. All of the musicians sang on this piece, with Waldron and Thompson alternating on lead vocals. An interesting interpretation of Aerosmith¹s Walk This Way featured Barbara¹s stellar vocals, as did the closing number, Hang On, Fly Home. Barbara¹s use of her impressive range and uncanny knack for placing just the right note at just the right moment is testimony to her sensitivity for and understanding of the jazz idiom. Her ability to accomplish this on her own terms, with her own sound and in her own way is what makes her worth listening to. Her new group strives to create something new, something enjoyable, something wonderful and succeeds! Live in What's Left of the Apple 8/27/02 - As anyone who's familiar w/ my review/rants, most jazz singers aren't among my favorite things. Too many are either stuck in a Great American Songbook/confusing-masochism-with-love time warp, or they are "instrumentalists" who display (way too) much (numbing) technique but seem not to care one whit for the lyrics/content of the song. NYC-based singer Barbara Sfraga is a most notable exception - an"exception" in almost all senses of the word. On a humid late-summer Tuesday night, Ms. Sfraga held sway in the cozily small Lower East Side no-cover jazz bar Detour, as she charted as a daring middle ground between the polar opposites of jazz singing. She was a "stylist," bringing interpretive, very personal statements on standards like"Mood Indigo" and tunes by Angela Bofill and Bob Dylan; at the same time, she was a"musician," interacting with her band, taking the words up into sounds as a horn player might, but never in a manner that suggests she's using the material as a"vehicle" for scatland shoo-oop-bee-doo improvisation or that she's"above" the material. She de- and re-constructed the songs the same way Coltrane remade"My Favorite Things" and, thankfully, without a trace of post-modern/heavy-handed irony. Sfraga is the kind of singer - rare in almost any genre - that can make a song her own, in the sense that well, put it this way: when she did the Dylan tune ("Grain of Sand"), Mr. Zim's style & delivery were the furthest thing from my mind. Not to slight her band: John Hart, guitar; Chris Sullivan, bass; Mike Thompson, drums. Hart was both unassuming and riveting: superb tasteful accompaniment, yes, but he was unafraid to up the ante by tossing the cliché notion of "tastefulness" out the door and cranking up the volume and audaciously bending notes in a rock/blues manner. Sullivan plays not just the upright bass strings but the bass itself, throwing himself into the performance - not to draw the spotlight, but to impart a palpable joie de vive to go with his rhythmic, rippling (think Charlie Haden, somewhat) bass tones. Thompson kept that swing thing going in such an unassuming manner one could forget he's there (almost) - damn, he just made it look so easy. Incidentally, these hepcats - Ms. S's regular crew - play extremely well as a unit, a BAND, as opposed to a bunch o' players thrown together. To date Ms. Sfraga has one disc on the Naxos label's jazz series, and for those not living in the NYC vicinity, it is a groovy showcase/sampler of what she does in live performance.
SFRAGMENTS*
One of the primo advantages of living near New York City - aside
from having a front seat at the Rudy and Hillary show - is the infinite
range of jazz venues. I've climbed up to the boxes in Carnegie Hall
and the nosebleed seats at the Y, and down the vertical steps to
the underground Village Vanguard. I've been knee-to-knee with stone-faced
tourists in the Blue Note (aka the C Note, in honor of its cover
charges), where they arguably serve the worst food at the tiniest
tables during the best acts in jazz. I've encountered superb music
in diners, on the streets and in the subways, and lackluster sounds
in trenderies where the watery wine is ten bucks a glass. I once
enjoyed a stunning, anonymous tenor solo wafting through a fog in
Washington Square Park at 2 in the morning. I've even been lucky
enough to make some jazz myself, sharing the incomparable delight
of a group that's been stirring the pot and finally begins to cook.
But I'd never been to a jazz love-in before.
One singer who couldn't make it was Mark Murphy, who contributed
a tune, a duet and the liner notes to the CD; teaching in Switzerland,
he sent floral greetings from Graz. Those in corporeal attendance
included Tom Lellis, Mary Pearson, Kendra Shank, Rosanna Vitro,
Andrea Wolper, Mary Foster Conklin, Roz Corral, Leslie Gwin (who
also runs jazzsingers.com), Tessa Souter, Diane Hubka, Bonnie Goodman,
Catherine Dupuis, Dori Levine, Carla White, Linda Ciofalo, and Iva
Ambush (who drove up from D.C.). There were also musicians (Drew
Gress, Mark Josefsberg, Vana Gierig, Sue Williams, Drory Montlach,
Mark Lambert, Leslie Pintchik, and Scott Hardy) and writers, including
Will Friedwald, author of"Jazz Singing: America's Great Voices
from Bessie Smith to Bebop and Beyond," Michael Colby, vocal
critic of 52ndstreet.com, David Farneth, author of a recent Kurt
Weill biography, and Terry Teachout, whose sage observations about
jazz appear regularly in the New York Times. Fred Hersch, who appears
thrice on Barbara's CD and played six tunes at the party, told Teachout
that he'd"lost it" reading Terry's comments in Time Magazine
about Michael Bolton's album of operatic arias. The celebration sold out both sets on March 14 at Caviarteria, an increasingly hip jazz-and-smoked-fish venue that's attached to the Soho Grand Hotel, a lower Manhattan habitat decorated in Bladerunner Chic (industrial-grid staircase, subway columns, hubcaps on the walls). While the club offers such upscale eats as a three-caviar"layer cake" and black truffle soup for $45, it's just a half block away from the sidewalk tables on Canal Street, which offer trays of Rolex knock-offs and plastic sunglasses and"a tatoo in any catagory! (sic)" But like so many jazz warrens, the dark and gleaming club was its own world - especially when the music began. And terrific music it was, with Sfraga and her band (Bruce Saunders, guitar, Eric Halverson, drums, and John Herbert, bass) putting their patented spin on such treats as Angel Eyes, Prelude to a Kiss, Invitation, and Freedom, the Lee Morgan tune sung with Sfraga's lyrics. She dedicated her own"Song for My Mother" to her mother (with her father kidding,"what about me?"); a duet with Fred's incomparably tender accompaniment; it was followed by another sigh-worthy pairing on "Lush Life." Her deep readings of"Insensatez" and"Small Day Tomorrow" gleamed in an evening full of gems, including when Sfraga blended"You Must Believe in Spring" with"It Might As Well be Spring," and then blew the roof off the place with"Doxy." But back to what made the ambience so unusual. Everyone knows that a jazz musician's life is not an easy one, and that they frequently play under combat conditions. The struggle du jour may be with bad equipment, drunken patrons, and sly employers who, after the gig, decide to hold back a chunk of the agreed-upon fee. There's an upscale place nearby which hosts Sweet Sixteen parties and jazz trios simultaneously; their badly-insulated"private" party room leaks DJ thumpa-thumpa all over the jazz. And of course, there are always the singular risks of trying to make a living by marketing one's soul. We normalize all this by calling it"dues," when it's often nothing more or less than simple disrespect. That's part of why this night was so special: it was Sfraga's veteran band, a great sound system, and a classy, hospitable place filled with friends (the woman who booked the gig couldn't get a table). Sfraga has a heart the approximate size of Nebraska - with an ego that's exactly the opposite - and the warmth emanating from the audience made her glow. The support was also tangible: after a few tunes, a note was scribbled on a napkin and passed it up to the bandstand:"We want more volume on the singer!" Lately, as more jazz musicians scramble for a bigger piece of a shrinking pie, things are becoming tense and sometimes get ugly (that's another story altogether). But for this one night, at least, the harmony was everywhere - in fact, the scribbled note was from another singer. Those other stories are legion, and all too familiar. This one is rare. Brava, Sfraga. [For Hersch fans: Fred is currently recording a multi-CD set for
Nonesuch, due for release in early 2001, which will include music
by Hersch, Jobim, Cole Porter and others. He provided a taste of
the Jobim at his April Town Hall concert, making something totally
new out of O Grande Amor, one of the first bossas to hit these shores
in the original wave from Brazil. As someone who named her dog after
Jobim, I can't wait to hear the whole disc.]
LIVE at JOE'S PUB (NIGHT AND DISC COLUMN) Barbara Sfraga was finally exposed on August 26. After years of performing in wafting coverups, she wore a bustier at her CD release party, revealing a beautiful expanse of creamy skin. Matched with a floor-length, flowing skirt, her long blonde curls, and a hint of sparkle, she looked like a fairy princess. Her new exposure was also musical, for her latest CD, Under the Moon, for A440 Music Group , reveals her artistic soul more thoroughly than anything she's ever done. In the five years since her well-received Naxos debut, Oh, What A Thrill, Sfraga has experienced a number of major life changes that have both inspired and supported the growth in her music. For one, she lost a long-term gig that paid her rent but deadened her creativity ‹ a scary event at first, it turned out to be one of those cosmic course corrections that cleared the way for finding her own vision. Always imaginative, Sfraga became freer, more daring, and truer to herself. She credits her new working band for much of this. Sfraga met Center Search Quest (bassist Christopher Dean Sullivan and drummer Michael T.A. Thompson) while jamming at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, where she now lives. With their warm encouragement, she's pushing back the boundaries of her talent. This includes breaking out of the standard jazz-singer mold to become what she calls a voicist: blending words and sounds to communicate more directly, on a visceral level. With an increasingly assured gracefulness, she makes every song her own ‹ whether it's Ellington or Dylan, Hoagy Carmichael or Angela Bofil, a ballad, a burner, or anything inbetween. To watch Sfraga perform is to witness a complete and contagious musical immersion. While her sweet, supple voice conveys the full meaning of a lyric, her body dips and sways, her fingers playing the mic as if it were a horn (or, especially on the torchier tunes, a lover). But unlike some singers, there's no contrivance involved: her movements are organic, part of her natural expressiveness. And unlike some musicians, her improvisations draw the audience closer to her, rather than distancing them with a self-absorbed display. Her sincerity is audible on Under the Moon, but it's absolutely magnetic when she's live. Sfraga's CD release set at Joe's Pub marks yet another departure for her, since the time constraints leave little room for the generous instrumental solos that characterize her band. (The same thing happened at the J&R Music Festival at City Hall Park the previous Sunday, where she wowed the crowd and put a big grin on the face of Kent Anderson, president of A-440.) Shorter tunes put more focus on her singing, as does the artful use of lighting; part of Joseph Papp's theater complex, the room is very dark and designed as a true performance space, rather than a sociable jazz club. There's also a new touch of drama in the opening ³Stardust,² which begins a cappella on the CD and starts offstage tonight. Sfraga's lovely voice fills the room with ³the purple dust of twilight time²; once she appears in the spotlight, the band hits, and everything goes reggae. It's a splendid set, a CD buffet enhanced by the piano of Bill Pernice, who does a slamming solo on a newly energetic ³You've Changed.² Playing with tempo is a Sfraga signature ‹ she also extracts all the customary self-pity from the song, turning it into a buoyant, samba-flavored, liberating anthem of good riddance. Mood Indigo is as intimate as a tune ever gets. On the CD, it's a telepathic bass and voice duet; in this performance, Thompson adds well-placed impressionistic flutters as Sfraga sings you ain't been blue/no/no in her clear, whine-free voice. My favorite selection, Under the Moon and Over the Sky, becomes tropically primal with the addition of Sullivan's indigenous tribal nuances; at Joe's, purple lights along the wall increase the magic. There's a waltzing, unusually joyful Sophisticated Lady and a witty Sfraga original, Never Walk Away, with its bouncy second-line groove, saucy lyrics, and a bit of mischief: the band walking away from her, one by one. Prelude to a Kiss is Monkish and playful, with Sfraga shmuzing the bass and drums in a musical conversation. Unfortunately, the profound and timely Every Grain of Sand is marred by some sudden electronic indigestion, but it stands as the moving, spiritual highlight of the CD. The set ends with a kick-butt version of Tell Me Something Good, with Sullivan rapping a masterful chorus at the end, which hasn't been recorded, but should be. Maybe next time (Sfraga has a four-CD deal with A-440.) The evening showcases Sfraga's versatility, as well as the advantage of having her own band behind her; Thompson, her fluid and sensitive drummer, is not on the release. (The Chicago-based label chose Paul Wertico, who won a bunch of Grammies with Pat Metheny but, to these ears, didn't really 'get' Sfraga's approach.) At the same time, her music takes on new colors with the contributions of Frisell-ish guitarist John McLean in the studio and the excellent Bill Pernice in performance. Whatever the personnel, it's clear that Barbara Sfraga is a huge talent, a true musician who uses deliberation and skill as well as intuition to make her very personal and thoroughly engaging music. As Bill Milkowski says in his finely detailed liner notes, [Sfraga] is of the tradition while actively seeking to reinvent it. You know, on second thought, that fairy princess analogy doesn't really work. Sfraga wasn't wanded by some mystical grandmother ‹ she's worked altogether too hard to get where she is. Cinderella would be closer, but there's still no cigar, since Sfraga's spell doesn't end at midnight. It's readily available on 'Under the Moon' and whenever she performs. -- Dr. Judith Schlesinger, Night and Disc column, AllAboutJazz.com
_________________________________________________________ Interviews... ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM (Interview at the 2004 IAJE) Catching up with Ms. Sfraga at this year?s International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference, it was my privilege to speak with her for a few moments about her album, approach to writing, and of course, jazz education. AAJ: Let?s start with a few questions about you latest release, Under The Moon. BS: Sure. AAJ: A terrific album. One of my favorite tunes was the Bob Dylan song you used to close of the album, ?Every Grain of Sand?. What led you to it? BS: Well, in the seventies I actually started off as a rock and roll organ player. I was a church organist before that, and than got into rock and roll. So I'd done a lot of those tunes. I did a lot of piano and vocal tunes at that time. So I?ve always loved Bob Dylan. His lyrics are just the most amazing, targeted stories that I've ever heard. He really does get to the soul of things. And that one song, 'Every Grain of Sand', just kills me. It's a song about catharsis, about understanding, finally knowing, it just tells quite a story and it got to me. I thought, 'let me try it with bass and voice'. I needed to have it sparse. Chris Sullivan couldn't have been a better choice for that song, or anything else that I do. AAJ: When did you start working with Chris? BS: Well, the unit that I'm working with now I've been working with for a year and half now. It feels like forever! We really have a cohesiveness that transcends time. AAJ: You mentioned the sparse approach on the Dylan track. That seems to be something you pursued throughout the album. I'd like to talk about how you reconfigure songs, especially standards that might have a history of more elaborate productions or arrangements. BS: Well, the thing that I like to do with music in general is to find musicians that transcend their instruments and who can play a variety of genres, not just jazz. I love jazz, don't get me wrong. I?m firmly rooted in jazz. But I also like to go elsewhere... So the way I approach it is to find people like that so we have more to work with. If you take Mike Thompson and Chris Sullivan, we have a kind of telepathic way of taking left turns through genres and time signatures and those instant arrangements done on the bandstand then form into full arrangements. By transcending the normal approach to our instruments that scarcity kind of just develops naturally. You can really hear everything. If you are using the piano not only as a piano-you can bang on it, pull the strings-anything can happen. When I sing, I'll do the same thing. We have that freedom, we can go anywhere at anytime. I wanted that to come through on the album. AAJ: One element of your approach which really stood out is your emphasis on lyrics. BS: Yes. AAJ: There seem to be two schools. I always say two-there are lots of schools-but one common approach is to view lyrics as just vehicles for the notes. They can be obscured, or bent, and the meaning isn't that important. But you seem to focus on the lyrics as a method of storytelling. How do you choose your songs? How do you approach interpretation? BS: It?s so funny that you should mention that. Up until five years ago I was not focusing on lyrics at all. I was approaching every tune as an instrumentalist. I got a lot of flack for that from my mentor, Mark Murphy. He'd say, 'I don't understand a word you're saying. You're not enunciating. You're not telling the story. Do you know the story?? And I looked at it, and you know what? I didn't. Since then-because he's my mentor, I've learned more from that man than any teacher since kindergarten. He's a serious educator-so since then I've been working on that. Now, I pick out songs because of the lyrics. I will still get a little cynical with the lyric. I'll change it as the groove changes. If I change the groove on something like 'Sophisticated Lady' instead of something that was really dark, and 'oh, my god, I'm gonna kill myself' into something more like I'm observing this sophisticated lady and letting her know that this isn't the end of the world. So putting it in three and speeding up the tempo tells a whole different story. Same thing with 'You've Changed', doing it as an up-tempo Samba. AAJ: You don't always present the expected reading of a lyric. I thought that was a really fascinating element to the album. 'Stardust' stood out for me in that way. I kept asking myself, 'Is that all really in there? Why haven't I heard it before?? BS: It's all there. It really is. 'Stardust' is actually the very first song I have any recollection of. My mother used to play it on piano. I was at her knee while she way playing. I mean I was like two, or three. That piece really stuck with me. AAJ: Is that how you got started? BS: Yes. My mom. My mom was a piano player. We had a big, old upright. I started on that when I was four. Then they got me some lessons, but the teacher sent me home because I wasn't learning to read, I was just playing by ear mostly, unfortunately. So those lessons ended and I continued to do things on my own. Picking out melodies and some chords, just teaching myself. Then they gave me formal lessons when they bought an organ when I was about ten or so. Then, when a church organist's job came up, my mom said, 'Why don't you go out for that' I think I was in eighth grade. So I did, and I did that until I graduated high school. Simultaneously, I got into the rock band thing. I ventured a little into rock singing, but I wasn't really singing very much back then. Somehow I was singing classical back then, and I went to school for singing. I knew I wanted to be either an art major or a music major. AAJ: So you were trying to make a lot of money? BS: Yes! Exactly. And Jazz no less. (Laughing) AAJ: It sounds like parental support played a large role. BS: Yes, they were very supportive. To this day they?re very supportive. Worried, but supportive. AAJ: Aren't they always worried? They always find something. (Laughing) BS: True. But they?ve always been there. My very earliest memories are of my mom teaching me the great standards. The American song book. 'Stardust' was always such a beautiful song to me. And she always played the verse, so I learned it. I've had that verse in my head since I was three. So I sang it all through my life, but I never sang it live until a few years ago. I just said ,'I should do this.' I never imagined it would turn into a kind of reggae-ish thing, though. AAJ: It really shows how even a tune that's been played so many times can still be reworked, how you can find new facets in the music just by changing your perspective, adjusting your approach. We should talk a little about that. I mean, here we are at IAJE, we should talk a little about jazz education. BS: Yes, we certainly should. AAJ: You're pushing jazz in a different direction, bringing in new instrumentation, approaching pop songs, experimenting with a more minimalist style. Where do you think jazz singing is going? BS: I think that is where it's going. People like Cassandra [Wilson], Patricia Barber, Ian Shaw, Mark Murphy. This is the kind of thing that Dizzy and Louis Armstrong were talking about way back when. They were doing this. In their time they were pushing the music forward. But there are those folks who want to keep the music where it was, the so called 'jazz police'. AAJ: I was just listening to a panel on the jazz police. It seems the more we talk about the jazz police, and where jazz is going, or ask if jazz is dead, and or how we can preserve it, we?re already taking the wrong approach. We're always looking back instead of focusing on what's next. BS: That?s right. My feeling is?-like I told you. Church organist to rock keyboardist, then school for classical voice?-I found jazz late, in the eighties. That was when I was in my twenties. That?s when I really started paying attention. I loved it. I was singing nothing but jazz?straight ahead jazz?-for a long time. AAJ: What about jazz... BS: Got me! One of the first people I ever heard was Mark Murphy and I stopped and thought, 'What is that?? Mark Murphy, Judy Roberts. I heard unconventional jazz singers from the beginning. Along with Anita O'Day and Ella and Billy, who I loved. There's just a feeling you get from hearing jazz singers who really wear their hearts on their sleeves. Good jazz singing like Mark's'-Mark can move me to tears. Not many can do that today. I can tell you the ones that do. Rene Marie, her delivery is such that you can be really moved. That kind of singing really gets me. AAJ: More of a personal honesty... BS: A total honesty. And believability. AAJ: I'm wondering what it is that holds jazz back from the mass market. BS: Marketing. Well, that's one of the things. But there are people who are looking to hold the genre back from growth, which is unfair to the genre, as well as the folks who are playing it. But, you know, you take your life in your own hands when you do this. You do it for the passion. You do it for the real reasons. You don't care what other folks say. You just do what you do, and hope people get on the train. AAJ: Do you do any teaching? BS: Yes, I do. I teach courses in the business of music. Well, not courses... I give my own seminars and clinics. I also teach an arranging clinic. I work with mostly vocals, but also instrumentalists on how to think out of the box when you are arranging. I like to tell people, think no boundaries. Better yet, don't think. Just let your music flow out of you. Let the ideas happen. You're a jazz singer. Beautiful. But don't be afraid to put other elements and other genres in. Don't be afraid to start something a capela, or with just voice and drums, break it down on the bridge. Texture it so you can really hear the layers. AAJ: That's another element to Under The Moon, There's a lot of texture even though you allow for a lot of space. Instead of just layers and layers of different sounds and instruments, you can really focus in on the textural development. BS: Oh, thank you. AAJ: When you are teaching, what's the most difficult part of the process. BS: I think getting people to open up, to trust themselves. To trust that everything they need is inside them. Most of the time'-and I've been doing this until recently myself-we go outside of oneself to find the answers, and you have to realize its all in there if you can just figure out how to tap into it. I'm just starting to do that myself. So as I'm telling you this, I'm also telling myself. AAJ: What?s next for you? BS: I think the next album will be more original heavy. Mike, Chris and I are all writing for it. We also have another writer on board, Mala Waldren. I've been writing lyrics, and we might do some spoken word on it as well. We've got no boundaries. We?ll go wherever the music leads. It leads, and we follow. AAJ: When you?re writing, what subject matter do you prefer? BS: It depends... I hear lyrics pop into my head as the
song is developing. If I'm writing lyrics to other people's tunes-same
kind of thing-but I guess what's been happening lately in my writing
is an overall message of peace and being true to oneself. -- Franz
Matzner, AllAboutJazz.com |
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