Tuey & the Corduroy

There are several musicians that play more than one instrument, and quite a few who are also fine vocalists, but Tuey Connell is truly unique among singers and players.

The City Paper – Nashville



I called the great French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and I said ‘So, who’s the new cat? Who’s got the stuff? [And he said] Zach Brock.

Stanley Clarke, The Blue Note, NYC



One of a kind Connell delivers on promise.

Chicago Tribune



Brock’s electric violin work is soaring-intense-remarkable…Jean-Luc Ponty meets Chuck Palahniuk in “Fight Club.” Chemistry is good enough for the long haul, one of many inclusions in a brightening career.

Dick Crockett, “Still Another Jazz Show,” 88.7FM



No Limits. Banjo-playing jazz crooner Tuey Connell transcends musical boundaries.

Chicago Daily Herald



AllAboutJazz.com has likened drummer Fred Kennedy’s “multi-phase pulse” to a “snarling beast,” and says that Kennedy’s “slashing” drumming keeps the listener “locked in and off-balance at the same time.”



Connell has to be the best-kept vocal/instrumentalist secret in the country. Connell is a new vocal force not to be denied.

Nuvo – Indianapolis, IN



Great jazz violinists always have been in perilously short supply, which may explain why many listeners have been investing their hopes in the work of Zach Brock. Brock has combined the best of two worlds: instrumental virtuosity and creative improvisation…

Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune



A player whose resume includes work with Taj Mahal and Vassar Clements, Connell joins the ranks of modern banjo players who love their bluegrass roots but have pushed the instruments to new places and fresh levels of technical finesse.

Santa Barbara News-Press



Violinist Zach Brock is starting to turn heads in the world of jazz, building a reputation as a consummate technician willing to take chances without abandoning musicality…classic American jazz with one eye on the fringes. Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Louisville Courier-Journal



Not only does he have a smooth, very enjoyable voice - he's got a great ear… Tuey remains consistent in the style and presentation from track to track. Whether it's an up-tempo skat or lush ballad, his timing and phrasing are right on.

Singer Magazine



…it all eventually comes back to Brock’s violin – pulling lilting emotions, making the strings pop, and generally giving it his all, the young violinist won’t strictly be a Chicago treasure for long.

Tad Hendrickson, College Music Journal



There's smoke and satin in Connell's voice, and the swing of his phrasing at all tempos is fully natural, unsoiled by retro campiness.

All Music Guide



Here is a Killer Review of Zach’s band with Fred & Matt:


"Several weeks ago at the Purple Fiddle we heard a fantastic group, Zach Brock and the Magic Number. For the first half of the show we were amazed at the virtuosity, originality, and energy of their jazz. For the second half of the show we watched and listened differently to all of the musicians—Zach on violin, Fred on drums, and Matt on bass. It wasn’t their virtuosity but their musical conversation that engaged us. Not only did they play their instruments as if they were talking to each other, they listened and took ideas from each other. It was obvious that all three of the musicians not only loved their instrument, in a sense they lived it. Player and instrument were one, and each one of them needed the other. And even though we weren’t playing, we were engaged in their conversation; we were living what they were living." — bruceandgerri, Create Tucker - - mix of published reviews and articles

February 21st, 2004

The week in music: Critics' picks for Feb. 20-26
Published February 20, 2004SP
JAZZ

The best young male jazz singer to emerge since Kurt Elling, Tuey Connell has a curious past. A bluegrass banjo phenom who mostly plays guitar these days, he grew up on a Connecticut vineyard but now lives in Chicago and has a New York-based band. Go figure. A writer for the trade publication Show Business said Connell's effortlessly swinging vocals were "equal parts Johnny Hartman and Kenny Rankin" -- unlikely, yet true. He makes his Minnesota debut with bassist Neal Miner and drummer Joe Strasser. (9 p.m. Mon. & Wed., Rossi's Blue Star Room, 80 S. 9th St., Mpls. $5. 612-312-2880.)
- Tom Surowicz - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Monday, June 21, 2004
by Ron Wynn

Gives Fleck a Big Nod:

There are several musicians that play more than one instrument, and quite a few who are also fine vocalists. But Tuey Connell, whose trio appears tonight at the Bluebird Café, is truly unique among singers and players.

Connell is a premier guitarist and banjo soloist, as well as an outstanding stylist on standards, pre-rock tunes, blues, soul and rock songs. He enjoys demolishing the notion that the five-string banjo cannot be utilized in any genre except folk or bluegrass.

"Many people expect to hear banjo only if you're doing bluegrass or early New Orleans jazz," Connell said. "But while I really love both those idioms, the banjo has so much potential in other areas that many times hasn't been tapped because of the feeling that you can't play hard bop on the banjo or you can't swing on it. Hopefully, I've proven on my releases that you can play music that's rhythmically and harmonically challenging on the banjo."

Connell's versatility and love of multiple idioms was developed during his childhood. His mother sang in church and played guitar at '60s folk fests. Connell initially took piano lessons as a child, but was so disillusioned by his teacher he almost abandoned playing. His mother convinced him to try the banjo.

The Connell's home was filled with the sounds of artists ranging from Billie Holiday and Nat "King" Cole to Flatt & Scruggs and the Kingston Trio. Once he began playing banjo, Connell gradually also started doubling on guitar, while simultaneously developing his vocal skills.

Indeed, Connell's work has astonished critics from both jazz and folk circles. His most recent release, Under The Influence , features his adventurous banjo and guitar solos as well as lush lead vocals backed by a fine group that includes pianist Steve Klink, bassist Henning Gailing, tenor saxophonist Geof Bradfield and drummer Markus Rieck.

Connell delves into soul with a nice version of Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is," capably covers the blues on "When You Been Gone So Long," and then shifts into more conventional jazz/pop territory on "I Thought About You" and "No Moon At All."

While many jazz and jazz-tinged singers consider Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald their main influence, Connell cites the lesser-known but equally marvelous balladeers Johnny Hartman and Mark Murphy.

His list of favorite instrumentalists includes jazz guitarists Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny, as well as the masterful banjo players Earl Scruggs and Tony Trischka. But the person he credits above all others with paving the way for innovative approaches to banjo is Nashville's own Bela Fleck.
"He's the master and the one who set the tone for the rest of us on banjo," Connell said. "He plays everything from classical and jazz to rock and blues, does it his way and makes it work. His music has been an inspiration, and I'm trying to do some of the same things with my group."
- The City Paper - Nashville

Review From Back Stage Weekly
May 30th, 2003

Bistro Bits
John Hoglund

Bringing original jazz songs into a cabaret setting is risky. Plus, while an experienced musician and singer, Tuey Connell is new on the scene here. Appearing in a show called "Is This Love" recently at Danny's Skylight Room, Connell proved to be a young man who handles his original tunes with flair, possessing remarkable musicianship and a vocal sincerity that might suggest a mixed hybrid of Johnny Hartman, Michael Franks, and Sinatra. Which is not to imply he hasn't got his own strong identity that is sure to gain him attention as his name builds on the Manhattan scene. His resonant, hazy baritone excels on intimate passages, creating a dark tonal quality that is at once intimate and compelling.

While his superb backup trio – Peter Mihelich on piano, Neal Miner on acoustic bass, and Joe Strasser on drums – played muscular straight-ahead jazz, his own fluent guitar and banjo turns spiced up the arrangements with a raw rock 'n' roll blast. A Connecticut native reared in the jazz clubs of south Chicago, he is a protégé of the great jazz singer Mark Murphy. While his songs are unfamiliar, he makes a compelling case for the back-to-roots direction he seems to be taking. The Hartman influence was most evident on his mellow "Sand Box Land" and the more intense "Strawberries At Midnight" (with excellent guest alto saxophonist Chris Byars). Other high spots included "When There's No Tomorrow" and his newest album's title cut, "Is This Love." I suggest he include a few standards in his show to broaden his appeal to strangers who like the oldies. That aside, it's safe to say that this terrific debut by a multitalented artist is only the start of something big.
- Back Stage Weekly

By Robert A. Lindquist
June 2004

As oxymoron's go, jazz-banjoist has got to be there right along side jumbo shrimp and pretty ugly. Fortunately, for Tuey Connell, being a fine banjo player is only part of the story. Not only does he have a smooth, very enjoyable voice - he's got a great ear. A native of Stonington, CT, Tuey found that practicing banjo was a great way to kick back after working a full day on the family farm. Music was the entertainment staple with his family. The diverse list of favorites included the Kingston Trio, Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Joni Mitchell, Back, Mozart piano concertos, Handel, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Flatt and Scruggs, and BB King. On "Under the Influence," that broad and bright spectrum of musical influence is well-displayed. For this CD, he's brought together tunes by such great writers as Mancini and Mercer, Dozier and Hollannd, Evans and Mann, Newberry and Acuff, and others, and added a few of his own originals. As is true in jazz, anything goes, and Tuey takes it to some interesting limits. From "Why You Been Gone So Long" with a Rock-a-billy beat, to "No Moon At All" with that banjo tinkling in the background, it's all good. While there's a broad reach in the material, Tuey remains consistent in the style and presentation from track to track. Whether it's an up-tempo skat or lush ballad, his timing and phrasing are right on. Backed by the masterful Steve Klink Trio. - Singer Magazine

By Josef Woodard
October 13, 2006

Musical alliances are sometimes formed in mysterious ways and in unexpected locales.

For the multicultural acoustic act Gil & Tuey, who play at SOhO on Tuesday, the ampersand in their group name was cemented in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, thanks to a happy, accidental meeting.

Tuey Connell, the accomplished Brooklyn-based banjo player and multi-instrumentalist, was on a family vacation in January 2005. Thickening the plot further, Connell first encountered guitarist Gil Gutierrez with violinist Pedro Cartas when the duo played "Gypsy jazz" in an Irish pub in that popular Mexican town.

"They just totally blew us away," Connell recalls. "We invited them to come over to our table to have a drink at the next break. When Gil learned that I was a musician, he then invited me to his house for coffee the next day and asked me to bring my banjo. For the rest of the vacation, I sat in with them every night and we realized that there was something special in the way we played music together."

Out of that musical bond, a band was born.
"Gil is a virtuoso, and I have learned so much from him," Connell noted on the phone from Brooklyn before heading west for a tour. "We both like intricate, challenging music as well as the simple 'ear candy' aspect of something very easy to hear and understand."

Strong playing and accessible sounds are in abundance on an impresive independent debut album, "Lonely Hippo," a happy song set full of musical border crossings.
The group was basically a trio on its debut album, with the addition of Cartas plus cameos by percussionist Miguel Favero, mandolinist Don Stiernberg, and textural touches from the Queretaro String Quartet.

The challenge is to suggest a larger and more varied ensemble sound, through resourceful arranging and a broad stylistic itinerary.

The tour that brings Gil & Tuey to SOhO also features Venezuelan violinist Ali Bello and percussionist Stefan Schatz, whose pan-global palette includes tables from India, the cajon from Peru and the flamenco tradition, plus other instruments.

Ironically, one of the most disarming sounds in the band is the most "North American," Connell's banjo.

A player whose resume includes work with Taj Mahal, Vassar Clements and the Chicago Symphony, Connell joins the ranks of modern banjo players who love their bluegrass roots but have pushed the instruments to new places and fresh levels of technical finesse.

Does he feel that the time is ripe for music of multicultural ambitions, such as this one?

"Yes," he says. "I do think that multicultural music is in these days and how could it not be with, a) the sameness that the major lables are pumping onto the radio waves and stocking in the stores, and b) the Internet. The world is a smaller place simply because of information and the immediacy with which it can be obtained. This info on demand allows the insular kid growing up in central Nebraska to be aware of the Afro-Peruvian cajon or the Indian tables and to hear and see examples right in his or her bedroom through the computer window.

"Gil & Tuey is just a small but growing world music group that plays music that can appeal to anyone who is not afraid to open their ears and listen with an open mind to something new." - Santa Barbara News-Press

December 12th, 2006

Newcomers don't play second fiddle to the genre's traditionalists
By David Royko
Special to the Tribune

Bluegrass continues to evolve and expand, its increasing use as a musical spice mixed in with other styles a happy development for a type of music that, only a decade ago, most people had never heard of.

This year's batch of discs is equal parts "newgrass" -- the genre's wild child -- and traditional bluegrass, the balance between convention and innovation stirring up a stylistic aeration that helps the music stay healthy.

1. Chris Thile: "How To Grow a Woman From the Ground" (Sugar Hill)

After wandering ever further from bluegrass with Nickel Creek and his own solo albums over the past decade, mandolinist/singer Thile charges back to home base with a modernist bluegrass grand slam. Strutting their stuff with the boss is Thile's cherry-picked crop of like-aged (mid-20s) acoustic virtuosi, including local boys Greg Garrison on bass and Noam Pikelny on banjo.

6. Sam Bush: "Laps in Seven" (Sugar Hill)

Somehow, Bush has not only maintained the cyclonic energy and drive that ignited newgrass music when he was barely out of high school in the early 1970s, but he is, if anything, more creative now. From instrumentals such as his own "The Dolphin Dance" and Jean Luc Ponty's "New Country," with Ponty as guest, to John Hartford's cockeyed "On the Road" and the blistering bluegrass of "Bringing in the Georgia Mail," the King of newgrass has, once again, made a great record.

7. Gil, Cartas & Tuey: "The Lonely Hippo" (gilandtuey.com)

The international trio of Gil Gutierrez (guitar), Pedro Cartas (violin) and Tuey Connell (banjo) have named flamenco, Cuban son, bossa nova and tango along with bluegrass to describe the music they play, but the best way to describe something like their lilting, deeply evocative "Irene y Diego" would be magic. Their blend of styles is both seamless and loaded with melodic ideas that linger in the ear.

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ctc-arts@tribune.com
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune - Chicago Tribune

February 19th, 2004
Chuck Workman

Last Thursday at the Melody Inn, I heard what I feel will become a major new multitalented vocalist and instrumentalist in the jazz world. Listen for the name of Tuey Connell. He is for real. He lit up the Melody Inn, immersing his rich baritone voice in the challenging "Lush Life" with physical and vocal conviction, then swinging on his brilliant original of two moods, "Malady." Connell captivated the room with his searing guitar and banjo solos, occasionally vocalizing with his solo lines. Neal Miner's accentuating bass and Joe Strassor's sensitive drums gave the trio a wide-ranging sound that swung freely. Connell has to be the best-kept vocal/instrumentalist secret in the country. Move over Bublé, Cincotti and Connick, Connell is a new vocal force not to be denied.
- Indianapolis- Nuovo Weekly

September 30th, 2003

All Music Guide
**** Four Stars
Tuey Connell - Under the Influence
AMG Pick

Once heralded as a country banjo prodigy, Tuey Connell betrays barely a hint of this pedigree on the superb Under the Influence set. The feel is one of intimate vocal jazz, with German pianist Steve Klink and his trio providing the after-hours ambience. There's smoke and satin in Connell's voice, and the swing of his phrasing at all tempos is fully natural, unsoiled by retro campiness. His writing is solid too, with a strong hint of Mose Allison on the ironic "I Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine." Equally impressive are the arrangements; before breaking into a medium-up, finger-snap groove in the second half of his own tune, "Malady," Connell leads the group through a slow, sensuous mist that almost obscures the fact that each verse is built on alternating pairs of measures in 6/4 and 5/4. And on the chestnut "No Moon at All," he hauls out his banjo for an unlikely but very effective ballad reading. By emphasizing fidelity to the genre and respect for the material over flash and gimmickry, Under the Influence may not win the credit it deserves, yet for the knowing listener its bouquet will linger long after last call is sounded.
- Robert L. Doerschuk
- All Music Guide

February 27th, 2004

TUEY CONNELL
Under The Influence
(Minor Music)
3.5 of 4 stars

If most jazz vocalists aren't going to move beyond standards, then they should at least put a fresh spin to their CDs the way Tuey Connell has done.
Connell sings and swings with a sonorous baritone voice that never flags, even on ballads; where other singers get wispy, he performs with confident sensitivity. Think of Chet Baker with a full-bodied style or Johnny Hartman with more overtones.
But Connell also brings to mind Ella Fitzgerald for his seamless vocalizing inside a lyric without showing off. The album's best phraseology goes to Connell and tenor saxman Geof Bradfield, who makes very good use of legato lines and sequence.
The Steve Klink Trio backs Connell with an expertise of styles from straight-ahead to folk-blues jazz. When you add three Connell originals in new-standard style with smart arrangements by Connell, Klink and Bradfield, you have an album that thankfully goes beyond the same-old/same-old.
- Robert Folsom
- Kansas City Star

November 4th, 2003
by Terrell Holmes

On his new CD "Under The Influence," Tuey Connell displays a versatility that transcends his singing. He also plays the guitar and banjo, and contributed a trio of original songs to the lineup. The band supporting his effort is top-notch, featuring Steve Klink on piano, bassist Henning Gailing, Markus Rieck on drums and Geof Bradfield on tenor sax.
On "I Thought About You" Connell adds suitably slow phrasing to this introspective ballad. And the band ably plays behind hm, especially Bradfield, who adds a wonderfully bluesy solo. On "No Moon At All" Connell makes the banjo sound almost seductive. And when was the last time you heard a banjo and tenor sax sharing the same air space on a ballad? One of Connell's originals, "Malady," is a tale of two songs. The first half is taken at a slow tempo; the second half is an uptempo showcase, with Connell, in speed and delivery, sounding like Jon Hendricks vocalese. Connell adds a vivid guitar solo, then the band takes over and goes to town.
Connell doesn't restrict himself to standards and torch songs. He can sing the blues ("Why You Been Gone So Long") and he does and admirable job with Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is." His original songs feature middle of the road lyrics in the jazz standard tradition supported by excellent music and arrangement. His overall vocal style is light and laid-back, even during ballads. He adds an occassional sultriness to the mix, with a few dashes of scat singing thrown in to complete the pedigree. And the other musicians are outstanding. Klink, Gailing, Rieck and Bradfield each lends his distinct voice during solos, yet meshes flawlwessly as a unit, playing with confidence and crispness. The story is that Connell spent the past few years in Europe paying his dues in order to make a name in the U.S. "Under The Influence" will go a long way toward writing his ticket. - All About Jazz