(Reprinted from the September 2023 issue of New York City Jazz Record)
Vocalist Kurt Elling and guitarist Charlie Hunter first started working together in 1995—their respective inclinations toward blues and funk expression must have generated an instant artistic rapport. But it would be about 25 years before they documented this musical relationship in the studio, and in 2021, Superblue, their first release together, took home a Grammy nomination for its irrepressible beats and deeply felt moments. Earlier this year they expounded on their duo-led ideas with the EP Superblue: Guilty Pleasures, and then Superblue: The Iridescent Spree, out this month (all three for Edition).
This latest Superblue album dips into some ear-catching source material—Joni Mitchell’s less-oft heard “Black Crow”, Bob Dorough’s cleverly didactic “Naughty Number Nine” from the animated series Schoolhouse Rock and Ron Sexsmith’s neo-soul ballad “Right About Now”. Elling—ever an astute judge of fine lyrics—also includes a spoken word performance of Billy Collins’ poem “The Afterlife” against a simple percussive track; his own biting words on the horn-laced original “Not Here / Not Now”; and additional verses on a synth version of Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” (here as “Only The Lonely Woman”). Not all collaborations continue to evolve, but this one does; to catch the unfoldment in real time, see Elling and Hunter at Le Poisson Rouge on Sept. 22.
Hunter, who comfortably dons many hats, also produced singer/songwriter Dara Tucker’s 2019 album The Seven Colors (Watchman Music Group), a glistening collection of jazz, Americana, pop, blues, gospel, and soul songs; this particular album gives a nod to the many musical influences that Tucker absorbed growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as articulated through her own writing. But she’s also a powerful interpreter of the original works that inspired her, as on Dreams of Waking: Music for a Better World (Green Hill Music), her 2021 EP of uplifting popular songs reframed as jazz tunes. But most recently, the prolific recording artist brings both her writing and interpretive skills to bear on Dara Starr Tucker (Green Hill Music), a grouping of six original pieces alongside smooth arrangements of works by modern songwriters. True to form, Tucker’s reach is wide—from Billie Eilish (the introspective “Everything I Wanted”) to John Denver (the hit love anthem, “Annie’s Song”), then from Kurt Weill and The Fantasticks (the similarly nostalgic “September Song” and “Try to Remember", respectively) to traditional New Orleans (the rousing hymn “Just A Closer Walk With Thee”). Her original compositions are likewise diverse—among them “Scars”, a fusion of soul-baring lyrics and energetic pulse; “Falling”, a shape-shifter with an engaging hook; and “If You Ask Me To”, a light-hearted, blues-tinged pop tune. Tucker celebrates the album at Dizzy’s on Sept 11.
Like Tucker, Nicole Zuraitis is a stunningly strong singer with an equally adept pen. Take as evidence her new album How Love Begins (Outside In Music), a passion project hatched with co-producer Christian McBride. You should hear these 10 originals in two parts, the first entitled “part I: oil” and the second “part II: water.” It’s a lesson, Zuraitis explains, in the conflict that can beset even the most harmonious of relationships. You’ll take this lesson from her lyrics rather than the copacetic musicianship on display here, however; she and McBride are of one aesthetic mind from the grinding blues opener (“The Good Ways”) through to the heartening closer (“The Garden”). In between, they move in and out of swing (“Reverie”), bop (“Burn”), romantic banter (“Two Fish”), gripping melodic monologue (“20 Seconds”) and rueful balladeering (“Like Dew”). Zuraitis and McBride will introduce the record at Birdland on Sept. 4.
In 2020, iconoclastic singer/composers Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa co-founded the Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³), a consortium for singers and instrumentalists of historically underrepresented gender identities. This month, they’ll host the second annual M³ festival—a showcase for these burgeoning talents—at Roulette Intermedium on Sept. 21-23. The following week, on Sept. 28, Serpa and guitarist André Matos will play from the fearlessly improvisational Night Birds (Robalo Music) at Joe’s Pub—returning to their duo format after 12 years away.
On other vocal stages: Judy Wexler returns to Pangea for her annual gig on Sept. 13; Aubrey Johnson appears at North Square on Sept. 3, followed by Ben Cassara on Sept. 10 and Erli Perez on Sept. 24. And Vicki Burns inaugurates The Mad Monkfish's new Sunday afternoon jazz series on Sept. 10.