Deborah Latz

Artist Information

Biography

Critics have called New York-based jazz vocalist Deborah Latz “one of the finest balladeers” (Jazz Society Of Oregon), “undeniably unique” (jazzimprov.com), and (Downbeat) says,"Latz’s fine feel for French lends an Edith Piaf-like quick vibrato and brittle grace…" and (The New York City Jazz Record) “Her free vocal line is clear and perfectly centered.” Deborah is a performer par excellence. Her intimate, charming, and relaxed demeanor on stage always moves the hearts and souls of her audiences. Latz’s vocal expression has been compared with Tony Bennett, Carla White, Edith Piaf, Patty Waters and Leon Thomas.

Deborah’s debut CD, ‘TOWARD LOVE’, earned immediate praise “Her voice rings with a fetching richness…. A marvelous vocal effort, beginning to end.” (AllAboutJazz.com) “...a sensibility that incites a lyric with her innate dramatic instincts... Strikes just the right note of coy mischievousness... “ (Cadence) Her 2008 sophomore release – ‘LIFELINE’ – featuring Joel Frahm, has received even wider critical acclaim from (Downbeat) “‘I Didn’t Know’ hits glory strides à lá Carla White”, (L.A. Jazz Scene) “When it comes to singing at very slow tempos, few are in Deborah Latz’s league... Lifeline is a gem...” And from (Midwest Record) “Latz knows how to deliver the songs with a different slant... jazz vocal fans have a new star to celebrate.”

December 2011 Deborah will record her third album in New York at Acoustic Studio with New York City's foremost musicians, Jon Davis, piano; John Hart, guitar; Ray Parker, bass; special guests Willard Dyson, drums; and Peter Apfelbaum on flutes, clarinet, saxes and percussion. Collectively these veteran artists have played and recorded with Jaco Pastorious, Stan Getz, James Moody, Maria Schneider, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Cobb, Joe Sample, Regina Belle, Jimmy Scott and Omar Sosa.

In May 2011 Deborah was featured live on the Lynn Darroch show at KMHD radio in Portland, OR for her performance at WILFS with George Mitchell, Phil Baker, Ron Steen and John Keyser.

To view recent live performances of the Deborah Latz Group in NYC go to http://youtu.be/yI3Fwo9NtR0 and http://youtu.be/pfmqa-TmoNo

Ms. Latz comes to jazz after an award-winning career in dramatic and musical theater, where she garnered a “Best Actress Award” at the Jerzy Grotowski Theatre Festival in Poland for her one-woman performance of ‘Juliet’, and received rave reviews in New York and Europe for ‘Travels With Ma Own Self’, the one-woman musical that she wrote, produced and performed. In San Francisco she studied at the American Conservatory Theater; concentrated on Shakespeare and the Classics at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England and in New York City she studied avant-garde theatre with Anne Bogart. Through her theater training and years of studying jazz greats and cutting-edge artists, combined with her love for the Great American Songbook, she continues to synthesize her jazz vocal approach and style.

For more than ten years Deborah has been teaching Vocal Expression and Communication at The Cooper Union School of Engineering in New York City as well as private vocal instruction.

In 2009 she was featured on the weekly radio show, Music of the World, KPFA radio in Berkeley, California which included a live interview for her sophomore release ‘Lifeline’, and in Pisa, Italy on www.puntoradio.fm on A Voice, A Soul. Jazz Magazine interviews include JazzReview.com and Hot House Jazz Guide.

In 2005 Deborah made her PARIS DEBUT at Sept Lézards with jazz piano luminary, Alain Jean-Marie. For her 2009 'Lifeline' European Tour she performed at such noted venues in Paris, France as Café Universel, Le Neuf Jazz Club, Atelier de la Main d’Or; and in Livorno, Italy at Jazz Club Il Paradosso.

UNITED STATES PERFORMANCES
NEW YORK CITY
The Kitano
Sweet Rhythm
Cornelia Street Café
55Bar
Tomi Jazz
Somethin' Jazz Club
Cachaça Jazz ‘n’ Samba Club
Enzo's
Louis 649
Solomon's Porch
Detour

Instrumentation

Deborah Latz - voice
Jon Davis - Piano
John Hart - Guitar
Ray Parker - Double Bass

Discography

Lifeline (June Moon Productions)
Toward Love (June Moon Productions)

Audio

• LIFELINE Les Feuilles Mortes
  Listen  
• LIFELINE Don't Explain
  Listen  
• LIFELINE Jump In
  Listen  
• TOWARD LOVE The Thrill Is Gone
  Listen  
• TOWARD LOVE Bewtiched, Bothered, and Bewildered
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Jump In

Video

Deborah Latz PARIS 2009 Atelier de la Main D'or Les Feuilles Mortes

Deborah Latz Group NYC 2011 Miles' Cafe You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

Photo Gallery

Press

• DOWNBEAT [+ Show ]
  

  “Pleasing vibe…smiling, easy “Waltz for Debby”…”I Didn’t Know” hits glory strides à lá Carla White. ...“Pleasing vibe…smiling, easy “Waltz for Debby”…”I Didn’t Know” hits glory strides à lá Carla White. Latz’s fine feel for French lends some tunes an Edith Piaf-like quick vibrato and brittle grace…”

• CADENCE [+ Show ]
  

  “Ms. Latz has such flawless control of her fluid soprano that she is able to weave melodic variation...“Ms. Latz has such flawless control of her fluid soprano that she is able to weave melodic variations on songs such as “Get Along,” “Sounds,”; and-yes!-even “Favorite Things,” and do so with such incredibly natural ease...”

• L.A. JAZZ SCENE [+ Show ]
  

  “When it comes to singing at very slow tempos, few are in Deborah Latz’s league... She knows just ho...“When it comes to singing at very slow tempos, few are in Deborah Latz’s league... She knows just how to take her time... Lifeline is a gem well worth hearing several times.”

• JAZZ SOCIETY OF OREGON [+ Show ]
  

  “...Latz’s poignant vocals pull everything together. She draws out the melodies, making each note co...“...Latz’s poignant vocals pull everything together. She draws out the melodies, making each note count, and may be one of the finest balladeers in some time.”
  

• THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD [+ Show ]
  

  "Deborah Latz is a bold singer with a strong sense of her own musical identity. So sure-footed is sh..."Deborah Latz is a bold singer with a strong sense of her own musical identity. So sure-footed is she that it’s hard to imagine her needing a lifeline - she’s more the type to throw one to the sinking."

• of the ARIZONA DAILY STAR [+ Show ]
  

  “After hearing the opening cut, which features tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, I wondered how she coul...“After hearing the opening cut, which features tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, I wondered how she could top it. But she did. Deborah’s singing of “My Favorite Things” is in the same class as John Coltrane’s instrumental version of the same composition. I hadn’t heard this lady until I played ‘Lifeline,’ but I’m now an ardent fan.”
  

• MIDWEST RECORD [+ Show ]
  

  “Latz knows how to deliver the songs with a different slant... jazz vocal fans have a new star to ce...“Latz knows how to deliver the songs with a different slant... jazz vocal fans have a new star to celebrate.”

• BOSTON POST-GAZETTE, Facts on Wax [+ Show ]
  

  “Deborah Latz covers a startling range of moods and emotions… [the three songs done in French] are i...“Deborah Latz covers a startling range of moods and emotions… [the three songs done in French] are instantly romantic aphrodisiacs. Pleasure upon multiple pleasure!”
  

• JAZZ SOCIETY OF OREGON [+ Show ]
  

  “She is one of those relatively few singers who expresses the emotion of the lyric with style and se...“She is one of those relatively few singers who expresses the emotion of the lyric with style and sensitivity.”
  

• THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD [+ Show ]
  

  “Deborah Latz offers a musical album of experiences and images that take the listener on a journey –...“Deborah Latz offers a musical album of experiences and images that take the listener on a journey – haunting, spare, rambunctious, heartfelt… and deeply felt.”
  

• EJAZZNEWS.COM [+ Show ]
  

  "[on] the swinging Witchcraft...Latz belts out the lyrics in a fashion that The Chairman of the Boar..."[on] the swinging Witchcraft...Latz belts out the lyrics in a fashion that The Chairman of the Board would be proud of."

• JAZZIMPROV.COM [+ Show ]
  

  "Deborah Latz... is a seasoned veteran when it comes to creative expression and musical performance...."Deborah Latz... is a seasoned veteran when it comes to creative expression and musical performance...There is an undeniably unique quality to Latz’ approach to jazz standards..."

• THE IRISH TIMES, Ireland [+ Show ]
  

  “…Latz is the real thing. She swings, phrases well and any liberties taken are done with respect for...“…Latz is the real thing. She swings, phrases well and any liberties taken are done with respect for the lyrics.”

• IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION, Issue # 88 [+ Show ]
  

  “...jazz is clearly her first tongue... she wraps you in the deep, rich tones that come lilting from...“...jazz is clearly her first tongue... she wraps you in the deep, rich tones that come lilting from her so easily...it was her original, “Jump In” that turned out to be my favorite cut... It is just vibrant, full of life and lyrically about as jazzy as I’ve heard in the last 5 years from a female jazz singer.”

• JAZZREVIEW.COM
  

  “‘Lifeline’ is destined to be one of those eternal gemstones in jazz music’s archives...”

• JAZZ NOW [+ Show ]
  

  “Deborah [Latz] has one of the BEST new voices I've heard in a LONG time. Her phrasing and unique st...“Deborah [Latz] has one of the BEST new voices I've heard in a LONG time. Her phrasing and unique style is simply... elegant and versatile and
  spunky!”
  
  

• CADENCE [+ Show ]
  

  “…right from the vocalese opening of “Had To Be,” Ms. Latz offers a nicely centered soprano voice, w...“…right from the vocalese opening of “Had To Be,” Ms. Latz offers a nicely centered soprano voice, with a sensibility that incites a lyric with her innate dramatic instincts. Her “Bewitched” strikes just the right note of coy mischievousness, and—God Bless her!!—she opens it with the verse—“He’s a fool and don’t I know it/but a fool can have his charms.” If her “Lover Man” doesn’t have the earthy resignation of Billie’s demimondaine, she has managed to recast it and make it a convincing tale of a Bryn Mawr graduate’s rude awakening to love’s dirty linen. “Avril” opens with very effective Latz French parlando set against the rhythm team’s spiky swing, and ends with her exuberant all-stops-out vocalizing, still in French. Both “Gone” and “Eyes” swing handily, with Ms. Latz demonstrating her scat chops on the former. …she nails the nasty realization that “The Thrill Is Gone” perfectly. The rhythm team is steady and sturdy throughout, each member credited with contributing to the recital’s arrangements, and it’s clear…that this is a case of vocalist and rhythm section occupying the same artistic time and space.”
  
  

• ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM [+ Show ]
  

  "They say that love makes the world go around. I don't know about that, but it's made for some great..."They say that love makes the world go around. I don't know about that, but it's made for some great songs, tunes that vocalist Deborah Latz goes after with gusto on her debut disc, Toward Love.
  On the classic “Loverman,” where Billie Holiday sounded fragile and deeply hurt—where Carmen McRae gave us a wounded, world weary mood—Latz evokes a hopeful innocence, as though she believes it will happen, that loverman will show up. The vocalist demonstrates some downtempo sass on Rodgers and Hart's “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” this listener's highlight. Her voice rings with a fetching richness here, with Bob Bowen's bass caressing her syllables. And do I detect a hint of tongue in cheek? I'm not sure. The lyric is—by today's perspective on romance—wonderfully sappy; and Deborah Latz pulls it off with grace and straightahead beauty.
  On “Avril a Paris” Latz shows us she can sing a lyric in French with aplomb; pianist Timo Elliston works a percussive mode, nailing down the rhythm behind the mellifluous flow of language. “Night and Day” has the vocalist entering the scene with a coy hush in her voice, a softly feminine Tony Bennett-like rasp in front of Ben Sher's piquant guitar lines.
  A marvelous vocal effort, beginning to end. I'm bewitched."
  

• THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD [+ Show ]
  

  “A sure-footed singer possessing a mature sound and an attractive, lived-in voice, Deborah Latz’ Tow...“A sure-footed singer possessing a mature sound and an attractive, lived-in voice, Deborah Latz’ Toward Love explores a traditional set of popular standards with satisfying results. A swinging “It Had to Be You” sets the pace with the band providing great ballast for her vocal. What a treat it is to hear drummer Jimmy Wormworth motor the proceedings on brushes. The ability to imbue a song with honest emotion informs Latz’ forthright reading of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”. Her touching reprise after Timo Elliston’s “How Insensitive” solo begins at near whisper…The performance is the epitome of classic chamberjazz swing, all hands working together, generating an irresistible rhythm which enhances Latz’ winning way with Cole Porter’s ode to love. Singer and band bring distinction to another gem from the great American songbook, “I Only Have Eyes for You”… Latz, more often than not, though, sings within herself; she is able to project her individual voice without obscuring the material. Sensitive interaction among the musicians, including guitarist Ben Sher and bassist Bob Bowen, contributes significantly to Toward Love’s success.”
  
  

• ERICNROLL.COM, France [+ Show ]
  

  “…Miss Latz is a passionate songstress... a delicate and intelligent style... Enough said, we have f...“…Miss Latz is a passionate songstress... a delicate and intelligent style... Enough said, we have found a jazz vocalist of the highest quality...”

• FIDELIO ONLINE, JAZZ ALBUM OF THE WEEK, Hungary [+ Show ]
  

  “She [Deborah Latz] will be able to arouse that special feeling in the listener that he is hearing s...“She [Deborah Latz] will be able to arouse that special feeling in the listener that he is hearing something familiar, yet at the same time, something entirely new and unknown.”

Setlist

Jazz classics with a haunting and angular feel, and a dash of World flavor, sung in English, French, Portuguese, German and Greek. Original compositions and music from legendary composers including Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Michel Legrand, Dave Brubeck, Billie Holiday, Alberta Hunter, Orfeas Peridis and AC Jobim.

Basic Requirements

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