TIERNEY SUTTON – Paris Sessions
BFM JAZZ 302 062 427 2
Tierney Sutton (v); Serge Merlaud (el guitar); Kevin Axt (acoustic bass guitar)
Recorded in France 10th & 11th December 2012
This disc is in the tradition started by Julie London with her 1955 LP with just electric guitar and bass. Whether Ms Tierney is aware of the London record or not, I don’t know but she effectively uses her soft focus voice to integrate with Merlaud’s lyrical and inventive guitar lines and the acoustic bass guitar of Axt. That latter instrument is new to me, sounding like a curious mixture of guitar and double bass without the very low frequencies. The three do mesh together very well however and Tierney’s mellow voice works well, particularly on tracks like ‘You Must Believe In Spring’, where she is convincing in her reading of the lyrics. ‘Don’t Go To Strangers’ and ‘Don’t Worry About Me’ are also well sung and supported by the stripped down rhythm section. Merlaud is very impressive both as an accompanist and as a soloist on almost every track and Axt keeps a good pulse all through.
Although Tierney’s voice is warm and resonant in a laid back manner, she is not really a jazz singer. Phrasing and inflexion have more X Factor than Birdland about them but overall the music here is soft, ripe and with a gentle, insinuating swing thanks to the efforts of the two guitarists. You could also check out the superior version of Ellington’s’ All Too Soon’, to get a good idea of what this disc is all about. ‘Body And Soul’ is probably the best track from a jazz point of view and once again Merlaud shines with some tasty guitar licks.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
BFM JAZZ 302 062 427 2
Tierney Sutton (v); Serge Merlaud (el guitar); Kevin Axt (acoustic bass guitar)
Recorded in France 10th & 11th December 2012
This disc is in the tradition started by Julie London with her 1955 LP with just electric guitar and bass. Whether Ms Tierney is aware of the London record or not, I don’t know but she effectively uses her soft focus voice to integrate with Merlaud’s lyrical and inventive guitar lines and the acoustic bass guitar of Axt. That latter instrument is new to me, sounding like a curious mixture of guitar and double bass without the very low frequencies. The three do mesh together very well however and Tierney’s mellow voice works well, particularly on tracks like ‘You Must Believe In Spring’, where she is convincing in her reading of the lyrics. ‘Don’t Go To Strangers’ and ‘Don’t Worry About Me’ are also well sung and supported by the stripped down rhythm section. Merlaud is very impressive both as an accompanist and as a soloist on almost every track and Axt keeps a good pulse all through.
Although Tierney’s voice is warm and resonant in a laid back manner, she is not really a jazz singer. Phrasing and inflexion have more X Factor than Birdland about them but overall the music here is soft, ripe and with a gentle, insinuating swing thanks to the efforts of the two guitarists. You could also check out the superior version of Ellington’s’ All Too Soon’, to get a good idea of what this disc is all about. ‘Body And Soul’ is probably the best track from a jazz point of view and once again Merlaud shines with some tasty guitar licks.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
