Sue Tucker
Back Home
© 2006 Sue Tucker (798576394929)
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Sue Tucker goes back to her roots with a "Back Home" jazz feel that captures those lazy afternoon moments of days gone by...jazz meets the gravel road.
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An extraordinary jazz vocalist, Sue (Oatts) Tucker, comes from a family of known jazz musicians. She didn't have to look far for encouragement when her love for singing took off. "My father, Jack Oatts, was one of the first jazz educators in Iowa. Music was always around... mostly jazz." Her brothers, Jim and Dick Oatts, are also internationally known and respected jazz artists.
Before she took up singing, Sue was blowin' her tenor sax in jazz band and playing a duet with Clark Terry at a jazz festival on her clarinet. "I think playing a horn has had a great influence on my singing. I've tried to approach singing from an instrumental mindset. Space is just as important as sound."
After attending college, Sue began a studio career producing and singing jingles and industrials with a voice-over thrown in on occasion. She spent seven years teaching music theory, vocal studio techniques and was the coordinator of the ensemble dept. at McNally Smith College in downtown St. Paul. She's now the Assistant Director of Education at IPR (Institute of Production & Recording) in downtown Minneapolis. She's also a national member of JZVOC and is a board member of the Twin Cities Jazz Society. You'll find her at various night spots in the Twin Cities and beyond singing her cool jazz.
About this CD...
"I took a lot of time picking out the tunes for this CD. My criteria was threefold; great melodies with lyrics one can relate to today, songs that weren’t recorded by every Tom, Dick and Harry, and songs that leant themselves to the makeup of the band. The musicians on this CD are topnotch. To me, the chemistry they achieved on this project was amazing. Gary Raynor, whose such a warm, sensitive player, brought some “Prairie Home Companion” with him; Kent Saunders, whose been on all my CD’s, is like a rock when it comes to rhythm guitar; Luis Santiago brought that real “south of the border” feel to the Latin tunes; and Tanner Taylor is a force to be reckoned with...incredible sensitivity and chops from such a young jazz piano player."
This is Sue Tucker's 3rd CD and it's an absolute gem.
reviews
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"Back Home is, simply put, one of the finest jazz vocal efforts that I have hear
author: Curtis Davenport/Jazz Improv,Sum.issue 2007, V7N3"Back Home is, simply put, one of the finest jazz vocal efforts that I have heard this year. Sue Tucker's voice fits the material like an old lace glove. It is straightforward, husky and warm, with touches of Billie Holiday's world wisdom and Blossom Dearie's playfulness, around the edges. Sue Tucker is what Norah Jones should hope to sound like, as Ms. Jones matures. Ms. Tucker has also selected tunes that complement her voice and the concept. Usually on a collection such as this, I will find myself saying "maybe this wasn't a good idea" about at least one of the tracks. I honestly cannot say that about any of the choices here."
Sue Tucker manages once again to make the music come alive.
author: Michael P. Gladstone/All About JazzSue Tucker has a bit of a Susannah McCorkle-ish lilt to her voice and manages once again to make the music come alive. The well-trodden Strayhorn/Ellington tune “Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'” opens the album in a midtempo pace, and Tucker smartly rides it along with Taylor. The Benny Goodman/Edgar Sampson piece “Lullaby in Rhythm” remains an untouched jazz vocal on contemporary recordings. The lyrics to Benny Golson's ”Whisper Not” and Benny Carter's “When Lights Are Low,” by Spencer Williams, make a solid choice for the singer, complemented by an arco solo from Raynor. Raynor also begins the Dorothy Fields/Jimmy McHugh standard ”Exactly Like You” with a bass intro and then a duet with Tucker. Saunders takes a tasty guitar solo on the break. On the Leo Robin/Jule Styne tune “Bye Bye Baby,” Tucker begins with the sweetly voiced verse and then shifts into a swing tempo, with Kent Saunders taking a burning solo on guitar. On Victor Young's “Beautiful Love,” a tune long associated with Bill Evans, Tucker chooses a rarely tackled vocal with some assistance from Santiago. The album concludes with a touching and effective ballad, a Broadway tune from Martin and Leonard, “Why Did I Choose You.”
...until now, I had been knocked out by three women...
author: Curtis Davenport/Jazz ImprovUp until now, I had been knocked out this year by three women, all relatively unknown, and on small, independent labels, who had delivered exceptional work: Sandy Sasso, Sue Tucker, and the recently Grammy-nominated Roberta Gambarini.
...until now, I had been knocked out by three women...
author: Curtis Davenport/Jazz ImprovUp until now, I had been knocked out this year by three women, all relatively unknown, and on small, independent labels, who had delivered exceptional work: Sandy Sasso, Sue Tucker, and the recently Grammy-nominated Roberta Gambarini.
Excellent Performance
author: John GambleThis is a very good CD. Sue Tucker has a very fine voice, and, most importantly, she knows how to use it. The songs are all first-rate, i.e., ones that you don't hear very often, such as "Under A Blanket of Blue." And, oh yes, the musical backing is excellent. I especially like the version of "Lullaby in Rhythm." You can't go wrong with this one.
Your horn like tones, your phrasing, and style are simply perfect.
author: MaryAnn O’DoughertyYour CD is stunning , and in so many different ways! Your horn like tones, your phrasing, and style are simply perfect. I am so impressed by your repertoire; it's unusual, full of variety. At first hearing, I loved "That Old Feeling" the best, but later, your last song, "Why Did I Choose You?" brought tears to my eyes. You have a real gift for diction. I enjoy hearing each and every word, you are clear, and have a fun way of playing with the sounds. You made such good choices in instrumentation. I'm glad you have your rhythm section mostly without drums. There's plenty of rhythm there with your excellent players! You provide lots of space for melody and harmony to be heard. Your players are also top notch. But, my oh my, the piano player is to die for.
...she gives each word her imprint, the lyric as essential as the melody.
author: Jazz Police/Andrea CanterA frequent comment from reviewers who encounter Sue Tucker is that she can really swing a lyric. And indeed, she gives each word her imprint, the lyric as essential as the melody. While easily defined as a traditional or straight-ahead stylist, Sue brings a jazz sensibility, her individual interpretation, to every song, presenting melodies as if still playing her sax—musically adding another horn to the arrangement. There’s a judicious use of scat, primarily on the closing chorus of several tunes, while otherwise all vocal communication depends on nuances in inflection and phrasing in a mode perfected by such songbirds as Julie London and Anita O’Day. But above all, Sue –and the band—swings, at any tempo.