Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet

Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet Performance at Blues Alley - Reviewed by jazz critic Mike Joyce in The Washington Post (Style): December 19, 2003

Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet

Sounding like a little big band, the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet filled Blues Alley on Wednesday night with punchy brass and swirling reed arrangements, each ingeniously tailored for a hornless ensemble.

Much like Lambert, Hendricks and Ross or Manhattan Transfer, the UVJQ celebrates swing and bop harmonic designs in ways that trick and delight the ear. The group's vocal blend was constantly in flux, shifting in size, power and dynamics while conjuring the sound of piercing trumpet flourishes, lush saxophonic weaves, growling trombone interjections, bowed bass lines and, at one point, a Brazilian percussion ensemble.

There was plenty of challenging material, and though not every phrase was perfectly turned, the group rendered a series of harmonically daunting arrangements with verve and precision. The blues, on the other hand, were often inspired by Count Basie's unhurried touch, a style affectionately evoked by harmonies and silences that tended to linger in the air. Several of the arrangements also allowed the singers -- alto Ginny Carr, soprano Lisanne Lyons, tenor Robert McBride and baritone Roger Reynolds -- to display distinctive personalities in addition to splendid musicianship.

Inevitably, the group spread some seasonal cheer with "Winter Wonderland," plus a wintry and wonderful tribute to pianist Vince Guaraldi. But not all the evening's pleasures were produced by the vocalists: Frequently enlivening the performance were pianist Alan Blackman, bassist Tom Baldwin and drummer Frank Russo. -- Mike Joyce - Mike Joyce

Make some room, Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices and Four Freshmen, for the innovative, completely ear catching multi voiced renderings of Washington, D. C.' s Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet. Although not signed with a major label, working out of the Capitol has allowed this group to share various venues with some of the more popular jazz artists of our time, including Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett and Terence Blanchard. The group is made up of the well-meshed voices of Ginny Carr, Robert McBride, Lisanne Lyons and Roger Reynolds who apply their collaborative talents to an interesting and varied play list of 12 tunes drawn from many areas of jazz vocal literature. Selecting the right mix of songs is probably more critical to the success of a vocal group than individual performers. Otherwise a feeling of ennui sets in rather quickly. The group handles that problem with ease with the vocalese rendition of "Jazz Face", a creative, boppish, swinging (and they do swing) "You Don't Love Me Like You Used to ". In addition, there are novel arrangements of tunes from the pens of Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie and the Gershwin Brothers. Going even a step further, a big front line of horns has been added for depth for such modern sounding music as on "Secrets Held By Time". Then there's "And the Melody Still Lingers On", Chaka Khan's recast of "A Night in Tunisia" providing the platform to display the group's wordless vocalizing skills, which are considerable. Finally, the Uptown Jazz Quartet shows it can move out of the swinging groove with some enchanting ballads such as a lilting "Le Souffle Dernier d'Hiver (the Last Breath of Winter)". There are few groups extant whose voices blend together with such exciting harmonic synergy as this outfit from the Nation's Capitol.

Recommended. - Dave Nathan

I suppose that the acid test for the value of any musical group is whether someone would shell out hard cash to hear it. In the case of the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet, I would have to admit that, yes, I would pay to hear these singers. Even though half of the quartet has day jobs in the telecommunications industry and the other half teaches music at East Coast universities, they all perform as if they have been together for years. Well, they have, Ginny Carr and Robert McBride forming the group in 1980. But because of other commitments, they haven’t had the worldwide touring experiences of Manhattan Transfer or The New York Voices, singing night after night over long expanses of time.

Yet, Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet consists of professionals who individually have performed with the likes of Mark Murphy, Keter Betts, Charlie Byrd, Ken Peplowski, Maynard Ferguson, Jon Hendricks, Don Shelton, and Arturo Sandoval. The concept of Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet is as old as Lambert Hendricks and Ross, which isn’t a pejorative statement. Rather, LH&R remains the standard against which all successive vocalese groups are measured, and the members of Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet venerate LH&R as much as do the other groups bitten by the LH&R bug.

The difference lies in the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet’s voices, clear articulation and close harmonizations being their most notable characteristics. In addition, UVJQ doesn’t stray very far from the classic Jazz-and-standards repertoire with tunes like “A Night in Tunisia” and “Love Walked In.” Even on the original compositions, such as “When the Sun Goes Down,” UVJQ retains a distinct feel of swing, the accents strikingly anticipating the beat with insistence but not obviousness. “JazzFace” musically describes one of the phenomena of Jazz that attracts much public and photographic attention but little discussion: the expressions of Jazz musicians’ faces as they play. McBride’s lyrics inject wit and insight into the looks of each member of a Jazz combo. However, it’s puzzling that “Secrets Held By Time” would be claimed as an original composition when it adopts the spirit, meter and melody of “Footprints.”

Nonetheless, Carr, McBride, Lyons and Reynolds contribute strong voices that are completely comfortable singing vocalese in broad harmony on “He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped” or scatting in unison to introduce “You’re Everything.” Their pitch and range are prerequisites for this type of singing. What makes their singing succeed, though, is the individual characteristics that add distinctiveness to their sound, like the dramatic interjection of the word “love” on “Love Walked In” before the remainder of the phrase is sung. Or their four-part swoop up from “oh” to “one” on the same song before Lyons takes the lead. Or their close harmonies, separated just by a whole tone without instrumental accompaniment, on “You Don’t Love Me Like You Used To.”

Obviously, UVJQ enjoys getting together just for the joy of singing, and one can imagine how they try out their arrangements and exhibit expressions of satisfaction once they find just the right harmonization for a passage. “Le Souffle Dernier d’Hiver” and “In the Gloaming” exist as expansive opportunities to enjoy the challenge of broad yet dense vocalizing more in the style of The Hi-Lo’s than LH&R. If UVJQ ventures beyond the East Coast in its tours, they would be well worth hearing live. And if they don’t, When the Sun Goes Down is well worth investigating. - Bill Donaldson

Fans of the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet have eagerly anticipated a follow-up to the ensemble’s delightful 1999 release “Half-Past Swing.” Turns out a wait twice as long would have been worth it.

Brimming with good-natured songs, imaginatively arranged and precisely executed, “When the Sun Goes Down” is proof that one of the most fanciful, engaging and challenging expressions of jazz artistry never goes out of style. The trick, of course, is keeping the same lineup long enough to hone a vocal ensemble blend that sounds utterly natural and seamless, as if it were simply meant to be. Ginny Carr, Robert McBride, Lisanne Lyons and Roger Reynolds have that sound down pat on the quartet’s new release, and once again the support provided them by a large group of local musicians, including arrangers David Nokes, Larry Lapin and Michelle Weir and saxophonists Chris Vadala and Chip McNeill, is first-rate.

Anyone who appreciates the recordings of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross or Manhattan Transfer will likely find plenty to savor here. Among the highlights are a pair of McBride lyrics: “Jazz Face,” which resembles a page torn from Hendricks’s songbook; and “Secrets Held By Time,” a jazz fable illuminated by swirling vocal harmonies. The group’s unearthing of the Dizzy Gillespie novelty “He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped” proves a delight, and several other tracks, including “Birth of the Blues” and “Deed I Do,” swing with a nonchalance that belies the group’s remarkably fine-tuned vocals.
- Mike Joyce

Having had the opportunity to review this group’s 1999 CD, Half-Past Swing, it was encouraging to notice that the personnel has not changed. Many of the studio musicians have returned too. That album brought the quartet to prominence and reached the #2 spot in jazz sales by Amazon.com in the year 2000.

Since jumping onto the scene with all eight feet, the quartet has been favorably compared to Manhattan Transfer and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Spokesperson, Ginny Carr informed us that the group has been featured on Al Jarreau’s series, The Jazz Singers for Jazz Smithsonian. This writer caught their performance at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival in 2001 and they really swing.

These folks are not imitators and have developed their own bright jazz style. If I were to compare them to anyone stylistically, it would have to be to the Four Freshmen, a group that has survived four decades of fickle tastes in jazz. <br><br>The Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet calls Washington, DC home although one member lives in Miami. The outfit has a wonderful approach in selecting material. They have no fear and stride effortlessly between the diverse compositional styles of Chick Corea, George Gershwin and Dizzy Gillespie. The quartet’s version of Fred Rose and Walter Hirsch’s 1926 hit, ’Deed I Do is entirely fresh and exciting. Ginny Carr’s own composition, Le Souffle Dernier d’Hiver will delight French speaking listeners in all parts of the world. Kicking off Birth of the Blues in a novel way, the vocalists step back and ushers in players John Toomey and Chris Vadala who strut their stuff on piano and soprano sax.

One can’t help but admire the writing skills of Ginny Carr and Robert McBride. There are four songs on the CD penned jointly and separately by the two singers. Jazz Face, When The Sun Goes Down and Secrets Held By Time are pieces that will, no doubt, be adopted by other jazz performers.

A highlight on the album is the a cappellatreatment of the 1877 song In The Gloaming. It’s imaginative and as fresh as tomorrow’s breakfast. You’ll enjoy the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet. They offer a lot of talent in a small package. - Richard Bourcier