Biography
Up-to-date gig listings always at:
www.tessasouter.com
"... no room for debate about her handling of jazz material ... subtle yet sizzling ... Souter shimmers ..." Ken Dryden, AllMusicGuide.com
"... a gripping display of her ability to do it all with a startlingly far-reaching collection of material." Don Heckman, International Review of Music
"Striking, soulful, enchanting ...'Obsession' is likely to rank high on 'best of' lists at year's end'." Mike Joyce, Washington Post
London-born of Trinidadian and English parents, New York-based vocalist, composer, and lyricist Tessa Souter (soo-ter) uniquely infuses jazz with the soul and passion of flamenco, Indian and Middle Eastern music. "The best thing is that Souter sounds different." [Karl Stark, Philadelphia Inquirer]. Acclaimed as "one of the few exceptional standouts in the crowded field of female jazz singers" [International Review of Music], and "... well-known to jazz afficionados in New York for almost a decade, [her new CD], the free-spirited 'Obsession' should introduce her to many new fans worldwide." [All Music Guide]. "Utterly compelling and original ...skip-proof..." says Jazzwise Magazine. Sheila Jordan says: “At the top of my list of great talent … Tessa is a natural born singer. She really moves me.”
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Her self-produced first CD, Listen Love, won critical raves for her "crystal clear voice and diamond cut phrasing" (Philadelphia Inquirer) and "direct, soulful sound" (Village Voice). Her sophomore CD, Nights of Key Largo, recorded on the Japanese audiophile label, Venus, with all-stars Kenny Werner, Billy Drummond, Jay Leonhart, Joel Frahm, and Romero Lubambo, won the coveted Gold Disc review in January 2009's Swing Journal, which said of her, "there are traces of Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae in her phrasing, and Julie London and Peggie Lee in her delicate breathing, which harbors a touch of sorrow." Her latest CD (on visionary US label, Motema), is Obsession. Recorded with guitarist Jason Ennis, bassist Gary Wang, drummer Conor Meehan, violinist Todd Reynolds, vocalist Ansel Matthews (backing vocals on two tracks) and accordion player Victor Prieto, it is her third CD as a leader.
Promising to be her most successful recording to date, Obsession brilliantly displays Souter's sophisticated phrasing, spot-on pitch, and charismatic presentation. "A true jazz singer, she employs her voice as a musical instrument and as the member of an ensemble ... [bringing] ... this approach to ... a collection of jazz tunes by the likes of Kenny Barron, Freddie Hubbard and Milton Nascimento along with jazz versions of Nick Drake's "River Man," Cream's "White Room" and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby." In doing so, she creates a kind of modern Great Anglo-American Songbook." [Berkshire Living magazine]
After moving to New York in 1996, Souter started sitting in at jazz jams, before winning a scholarship to study at New York's Manhattan School of Music in 1998. She left to study privately with jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy, who mentored her for four years and says of her, "She is a true musician ... extraordinary and very moving."
Since her professional debut in 1999, Souter has developed into a phenomenal live performer, "... completely captivating her audience" [Murphy], singing to sold out houses all over the world, from the Blue Note, New York to the Samara Philharmonic, Russia.
“A must-see for lovers of world class jazz" [Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times],Tessa has headlined at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola [sold out], Joe's Pub [sold out], the Blue Note [sold out], Jazz Standard, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and the 55 Bar (where she's been a regular since 2003), New York, as well as the 1750-seat Moscow International Performing Arts Center, various philharmonic halls in Russia, the Blue Brass Club in Palermo, Italy, Pizza Express, London [sold out], Ronnie Scott's London [sold out], and the Rochester International Jazz Festival [sold out], among many others.
"One of the most imaginatively programmed vocal sets of recent memory." said the Los Angeles Times, in a live review of her Los Angeles debut in 2002. To quote her most recent live review [of her return sold out engagement at the Rochester International Jazz Festival 2009]: "To say that Souter enchanted the audience would be an understatement .... The capacity crowd seemed to be transfixed by Souter's gorgeous voice and wonderful personality." (Rochester City Paper). "Better still, she delivers it with a wit and a wink worthy of the toniest joints in town." (Time Out New York)
Instrumentation
Tessa Souter Group includes Jason Ennis (guitar), Gary Wang (bass) and Conor Mehan (drums). Plus on Obsession, Victor Prieto (accordion), Todd Reynolds (violin), Ansel Matthews (backing vocals). Tessa also does different projects with other musicians.
Discography
Obsession (Motema)
Night of Key Largo (Venus Records)
Listen Love (Nara Music)
Links
| http://www.tessasouter.com |
| myspace page |