Adi Braun

The Jazz Review
Sassy, Scintillating And Sultry

Adi Braun Wows Them At The Beat Niq
Concert Review by: Joe Montague
Venue: Beat Niq (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
January 20, 2007 -
In the cultural reshaping of Canada’s fastest growing city Calgary, Alberta the Beat Niq jazz club on January 20th once again proved to be key player in that cultural evolution. World-class jazz singer Adi Braun from Toronto took to the stage and performed two sets consisting of original compositions, standards and tunes featuring some Canadian songwriters.
Braun’s curly auburn hair barely touched the shoulders of her long black and teal evening gown and a butterfly pendant hung from a silver chain around her neck. She worked the Beat Niq’s intimate stage as though it were an old friend. At several junctures during her performance, the appreciative audience broke into spontaneous applause.
Braun opened her first set with Richard Rogers’ “The Lady Is A Tramp”. She then paid tribute to Doris Day and Lena Horne women to whom she referred as having possessed an understated sex appeal. Her nod to the stars from yesteryear came in the form of “Perhaps” and “Love Me Or Leave Me”. She introduced the later song by demonstrating her fine scatting ability before diving into a sultry vocal performance. Bassist Simon Fisk also figured into the piece prominently with a solid solo.
The singer proved her versatility as an artist moving easily between the moody “Rules Of The Game” (from the CD of the same name) to the cabaret lilt of “Frim Fram Sauce”. Drummer John May used a muted tone hand percussion to accompany Braun as she sung “Frim Fram Sauce”.
Braun is much more than a chanteuse she is a complete entertainer. Braun completely immerses herself in the personality, colors and context of the beautiful phrases she interprets. Pianist Sheldon Zandboer provides equally sensitive chops. Zandboer a native Calgarian and regular performer at the Beat Niq should be in a much larger market to receive the notoriety that he deserves.
Braun had fun with Fats Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose” by substituting the words, “Honey suck my toes”. She once again demonstrated her prowess with scat.
The singer unveiled her reading of Canadian songwriter Shirley Eikhard’s “If We Had Never Met”. The beautiful love ballad from Braun’s CD Rules Of The Game may have been her best performance of the evening. Eikhard’s song is full of romantic phrases such as “who would make me laugh if we had never met”. Eikhard was the songwriter behind Bonnie Raitt’s “Something To Talk About”.
Braun’s second set featured standards such as Cy Coleman’s “Witchcraft”, a nod to Duke Ellington’s “I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good” and “Old Devil Moon”.

- The Jazz Review

October 2006


by Bruce Bellingham

Adi Braun, the comely Canadian opera singer who switched to jazz six years ago, couldn't have picked a splashier weekend for her San Francisco debut. She played The Octavia Lounge for two nights in late September. As Adi began a ballad, some of the ragtag but cheery remnants of The Love Fest at Civic Center were zigzagging up Market Street, looking for ways to continue their party.

A little sweet, bluesy ballad might have done the trick. Adi Braun, who is unapologetic about her admiration of Harold Arlen, played a wonderful set by starting off with the title cut from her second CD, Rules of the Game. It had a dark 60s, Burt Bacharach feel to it-- like a soundtrack to one of those tragic love stories with Audrey Hepburn. Adi's no kid -- she knows how to sell a torch song, and warm up a few of who came in from the early autumn chill on Market Street,

"I've been after Adi for years to come and sing in San Francisco," gushed Michael Williams, the owner of Medium Rare Records on Market & Castro. I was among those who were glad she did. An original tune (by Adi Braun), Ocean Eyes is a winner and deserves airplay somewhere.

Adi paid homage to one of her heroes, Doris Day -- "for her bundle of sultry energy, and her understated sexuality.” She sang Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps -- a suggestive tune that was picked up by the British sitcom, Couples. Her between-the-songs patter is skillful and she seems to have been in front of an audience since she was a tot. Well, a tot no more, Adi engages in her own brand of understated sexuality. She conjures up a musical assignation between Marlene Dietrich and Wynona Judd on Falling In Love With Love Again. Her tribute to Fats Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose” (complete with a lovely trading-fours solo with drummer Matt MacGillvray) was bouncy but only in the most lascivious way, evoking the kind of activity that might occur on a Murphy Bed or in the hurly-burly of the chaise longe. Also backed by Ben Wannaker on bass, and leader Ben Flint on piano -- the discovery of these East Bay cats was a piece of serendipity for Mz. Adi Braun.

"But angels do watch over me," Adi explained. "I was stuck for a ride this afternoon, and there wouldn't have been time for me to get back to my hotel with this Love Fest and all that going on. Then, a gal just stopped me, and said 'I'll take you anywhere you need to go.' It turns out she works next door."

It's that Old Black Magic, perhaps. Some sort of magic.
By the way, it was through the graciousness of Shawn Ryan that I knew Adi was coming. He advised her to call me – even though he had his own sold out show at The Plush Room. That’s class, Shawn. Thanks.
- San Francisco NorthSide