Tessa Souter Trio Comes To The 55 Bar 8/13

Tessa Souter Trio at the 55 Bar, Friday, August 13, Early set 6-9pm, featuring Lew Soloff with Saul Rubin (guitar) and special guest Lew Soloff (trumpet)

Friday, August 13, 2010
55 Bar
55 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 929-9883
www.55bar.com
Sets at 6.15 and 8pm

NO COVER + 2 drink min

On her stunning third recording, Obsession (Motema Music), London-born (of Trinidadian and English parents), New York-based award-winning vocalist Tessa Souter (soo-ter) presents a multicultural banquet that reflects her conjoined African, Indian, and English bloodlines. Her first CD, Listen Love, won critical raves for her "crystal clear voice and diamond cut phrasing" (Philadelphia Inquirer) and "direct, soulful sound"(Village Voice) and gained the praise and attention of legendary soul jazz singer Jon Lucien who said of her singing, "Magnificent! I was blown away!".

Her sophomore CD, Nights of Key Largo, produced by Todd Barkan and Tetsuo Hara for 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.

A former writer, after moving to New York in 1996, Souter started sitting in at jazz jams, before winning a scholarship to New York's Manhattan School of Music in 1998. She left to study with jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy, her mentor for four years, who says of her, "She is a true musician .... extraordinary and very moving." Since then, Souter has developed into a phenomenal live performer, "... completely captivating her audience" [Mark Murphy] -- singing to sold out houses all over the world, from the Blue Note, New York to the Samara Philharmonic, Russia.

To quote a recent live review [of last month's duo performance with legendary Gene Bertoncini]: "To say that Tessa Souter sings jazz is to dramatically understate her performance. She wraps her voice around each note, infuses the lyrics with emotion, and, in the process, transforms even well known classics into something different and quite wonderful." Charlene Gianetti, WomanAroundTown.com

A fixture on the New York jazz scene, Lew Soloff's career is filled with a rich history of renowned sessions, including world-class collaborations with everyone from Barbra Streisand, to Earth Wind and Fire, to Carla Bley's Big Band to Gil Evans and Ornette Coleman, among many others. Jazz guitarist Saul Rubin's virtuosic playing has been called on by some of New York's top players, including Roy Hargrove, John Hicks, Victor Lewis, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Sue Terry, Marion Cowings, Norah Jones and Jeff "Tain" Watts.

TESSA'S WEBSITE http://www.tessasouter.com/