Earshot Jazz's Golden Ear Awards "2007 Northwest Vocalist of the Year," and recent First Place winner of the Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition, Gail is a welcome addition to the Pacific Northwest jazz scene. Gail's style is at once subtle and elegant, sultry and soulful. Her rich, warm vocals and understated phrasing have inspired comparisons to Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McRae.
Gail inherited a passion for jazz from her family while growing up in Gary, Indiana. Over the years, her desire for creative expression fueled an exploration of instrumental performance and dance, exposing her to many other styles of music, however vocal jazz remains her first love. Now residing in Seattle, she continues to draw inspiration from these diverse influences and enjoys sharing her unique talent with listeners at home and abroad. Most recently, she was artist-in-residence at the Amersfoort Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, performing with the New Manhattan Big Band and with Eddie C. and the Dutch Jazz Cats on the mainstage and other venues in Amersfoort and Harderwijk. Included on this tour was a stop in Kobe, Japan to perform as a guest artist at Kobe's annual Jazz Vocal Queen Competition.
Closer to home, Gail's smooth, engaging style garners consistent praise from enthusiastic audiences in the region's finest jazz establishments.
In addition to public and private engagements, Gail enjoys spending time in the studio. Her debut CD, "May I Come In ?", released in August 2007 on the OA2 Record label is receiving local and national radio airplay. This CD has also been enjoyed by listeners on XM Satellite Radio, and Music Choice television. "May I Come In?" was recently nominated Earshot Golden Ear "2007 Northwest Recording of the Year". Other recording credits include "Colabs" by David Miles Huber, 2008 (vocal duet with Dave Huber) and "Strellie and Friends: Our Best So Far" (vocal duet with Steve Hall) 2004 and "Strellie and Friends: Love for Everyone" (vocal duet with Steve Hall) 2004, and her voice-over work has been heard on radio and television commercials.
"(Gail Pettis)....goes from strength to strength, performing a winning, crowd-involving style of vocal jazz."
—Earshot Jazz
When we select entertainment, we not only look for artists who have honed their skills, but we look for artists who connect with the music they perform and with the audience they are performing for. Gail Pettis, in our opinion, can do all of these things and more.
—Craig and Laura Baker, proprietors, Bake's Place Providence Point
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CD REVIEW: May I Come In? SoulTracks, by Howard Dukes
http://www.soultracks.com/
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I always like it when jazz musicians move away from the "same old, same old" while making a record of standards. As much as I like hearing Gershwin or Porter, they weren't the only ones writing great songs back in the day. However, it's real easy to fall into the trap of giving people what they want. It seems that sometimes the corporate suits (or whoever is making these decisions) forgets that jazz fans aren't going to get too excited when they hear "Someone to Watch Over Me" for the umpteenth time. On May I Come In, vocalist Gail Pettis doesn't give the listener warmed over renditions of the same Great American Songbook entries. Many of the 13 tracks on this CD could be rightly called much under-used standards. Pettis gives us something different. She also gives us a lot of substance. Pettis' phrasing is tight and her diction is clear. She seems to put as much effort into saying each word as the writers put into writing each word.
Pettis understands that it might be first time - or at least the first time in a very long time - that the listener has heard tunes such as "May I Come In," or "Help A Good Girl Go Bad." She wants the listener to come away with a feeling that they've heard something solid and memorable. What the listener hears is a singer who sings with intimacy and a sense of swing. Pettis also sings some well-worn tunes such as "Moonlight in Vermont," "Black Coffee," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face." One of the album's highlights is Pettis's performance of the song "Desafinado." Many jazz listeners are familiar with the bossa nova tune. Turn on any jazz station, and you'll eventually hear Stan Getz's 1962 instrumental version. Pettis makes a bid for a little radio airplay with a lively version of the song. Anytime a new jazz vocalist emerges, people can't seem to resist the temptation to make comparisons. For me, Pettis' precise diction and intimate delivery reminds me of Nancy Wilson. If May I Come In draws those kinds of comparisons, I think Gail Pettis will be very happy. Recommended.
*************************************************************************** CD REVIEW: May I Come In? Cadence Magazine, by Alan Bargebuhr
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"May I Come In?" brings to light the hitherto recondite vocal gifts of Gail Pettis. Despite having established herself in and around her Seattle base, and in various foreign ports of call, such as The Netherlands, where she was recently artist-in-residence at the Amersfoort Jazz Festival, and in Japan where she was guest artist at the Kobe Annual Jazz Vocal Queen Competition, here at home she remains more or less unknown east of the Cascades. This CD, if it gets any sort of distribution and notice, should help to rectify that, and this is my contribution to setting things right. Happily, she's made it easy, for here, on her initial release, we find her with all her vocal plucks in town, and one is only left wondering, why this is only her first recording. She has a lovely contralto voice, with depth of texture and tone, and breadth of range. She phrases beautifully, enunciates clearly, and obviously understands the necessity of conveying the song stories convincingly. She sings in tune and makes it sound as natural a breathing. This recording is the result of at least two separate sessions, as there are two distinctly different trios in support, albeit with an overlapping drummer. Halberstadt and Johnson are two thirds of the trio backing her for six tracks, Clendedin and Anderson for another five. Ivester is at the drum kit for both. Bassist Jeff Johnson is Ms. P's sole support on a stunningly nuanced "Accustomed," and pianist Halberstadt her only assistant ..," which, incidentally, is his own tune: both music as lyric, as his is the only credit listed. Unfortunately, it's not a very strong vehicle for such an accomplished singer as Pettis, but let's not question its inclusion on the program. It may be about the regard with which each views the other. The song is one of those you're-the-love-I-waited-for celebrations, and contains far too many cliched lines, if not ideas. The performance, however, is all but rhapsodic and comes close to redemption. But the track, positioned as it is near the end of the program, is part of the album's final four flaw, in that these last tracks are, from the point of view of repertoire, a considerable let down when measured against the first nine. "If I Were You," is not the song Billie recorded in 1938, nor is it the Rodgers & Hart song of identical title, nor-finally-the song Maria Muldaur sings on her Southland CD. It is, as far as I can determine, a song Ray Charles "used" on one of his country & western digressions. Strange that Ms. P. chose to resurrect it for her initial recording. "Dream" is a disposable Bobby Caldwell tune, but I'm relieved to be able to report that Ms. P. sings it as "The Guy I Dream About," just as she corrects the gender on the final track, when she sings, "He Spoke To Me," which, if anyone's terribly interested, is no the Prince tune of similar (but not identical) title. Still, the first nine tracks are more than enough to carry the session(s). Gail is deliciously soulful on "Come in," seductively playful on "Good Girl," as she stirs memories of Ruth Brown, rhythmically sure footed in accelerated waltz time on "Show Me," and happily scatfull on "Just Found Out." The first nine tracks, then, are all that's needed for a most formidable recorded debut.
CD REVIEW: May I Come In? Earshot Jazz, Review by Peter Monaghan
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Gail Pettis's May I Come In (Oa2 Records) won't disappoint anyone who has found the vocalist one of the finest in the region. And if you have a surpassing-fine voice and want to do it full justice, you can hardly go wrong having Randy Halberstadt accompany you on piano, among other able sidemen including pianist Darin Clendenin, bassists Jeff Johnson and Clipper Anderson, and drummer Mark Ivester. Their maturity and subtlety of sentiment match Pettis's vocal expression. She shows that sometime-anodyne lyrics need not obscure feeling, and may even at times dutifully keep out of the way of the affect that is vocally conveyed.
CD REVIEW: May I Come In? Platter Chatter, George Fendel
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Maybe a few of you remember a very talented, generally unheralded singer named Ethel Ennis. Well, Gail Pettis reminded me a bit of Ms. Ennis, and that's to say, she's very good and sings effortlessly and with no "frosting." Great tunes here like Black Coffee, Desafinado, Show Me and lots more. Ms. Pettis' trio accompaniment includes Randy Halberstadt and former Portlander Darin Clendenin, both of whom are classy piano practitioners.
CD REVIEW: May I Come In? Rifftides.com, Doug Ramsay
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On her recording debut, the Seattle singer chooses a mixture of familiar standards and less well-known songs, delivering them with warmth and intelligent interpretation. Pettis concentrates on serving songwriters' intentions, but her delighted treatment of Jimmy McHugh's "I Just Found Out Sbout Love" includes one of two scatting episodes in the collection. She scats with musicianly understanding of harmony. There is not of lot of that going around among singers. Pettis gives "Black Coffee its bluesy due but avoids the affected emotion with which many singers are tempted to smother the song. In "Ive Grown Accustomed to Your Face", bassist Jeff Johnson, with his customary strength and sensitivitiy, is the singer's sole accompanist. "We've Met Before" is a duet between Pettis and pianist Randy Halberstadt. With this lovely song, Halberstadt may have composed a new standard. He and Johnson are on half of the tracks. On the other half, Darin Clendenin is the pianist, Clipper Anderson the bassist, Pacific Northwest stalwarts in good form, as is Mark Ivester, who plays drums throughout. Pettis keeps her considerable vocal power in reserve, using it with restraint and taste. In the burgeoning populaiton of new singers, she is a standout.
CD REVIEW: May I Come In? Allmusic.com, Adam Greenberg
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On her debut recording, Gail Pettis shows off a nice sensitivity to her music. The songs, a mix of standards, originals, and lost classics, are given a touching respect. Maybe more importantly though, Pettis is singing along with the band, as opposed to singing in front of a backing group. The piano (alternately played by Randy Halberstadt and Darin Clendenin) comes out front nearly as often as Pettis does, and when the time is right other instruments come to join it (in particular, Marco de Carvalho's guitar on the classic "Desafinado"). Pettis has a nice quality to her vocals that goes along with those sensitivities as well. Her tone is more relaxed than that of many singers, with a natural touch to it. The songs sound like they're simply part of her day, not overpracticed or overdone. There's interplay between her vocals and each instrument individually (even a bit of a duet with the bass in "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face"). This has the feel of catching an underappreciated songstress at a small club -- the romantic ideal of the jazz hole-in-the-wall. There's passion in her singing, and the execution is excellent on the part of Pettis as well as her two trios. Definitely worth a spin.
Hi Gail, I was just thinking about your recording of "I Just Found Out About Love" and thought I'd drop by to say hello. Hope you are enjoying this Memorial Day. It's a gorgeous day in the Boston area. All the best, Susan
I'm in Hiroshima, Japan right now for a part of my Japan tour. I'll be touring four different cities including Himeji, Nagoya and Tokyo. I'm having a great time here!
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It was wonderful having you kick off Christmas @ Issaquah Highlands (and very brave). Happy New Year!! Thanks for the add and hope to bump into you and the band again soon.
Girl! I don't mean to be so out of touch right now. I am in CA and singing my heart out with the guys!! We're doing lots of Christmas shows out here and today we'll be back on the local noon news. I promise I will call soon. I miss you!!
Hi Gail! Just wondering if you have any thoughts of doing a Christmas cd. I know so many people do them, but I love them all and would love to hear your voice. Just a thought.
Hope all is well. OH! And Brandon and I are both on Facebook. I've been on a while and he just joined. If you're not on there, it's great. Not as pretty or creative and you can't sell your songs (that I know of) but it's very lively everyday. People are making comments on it all day long. Sort of like walking into a party with a lot of conversations going on. If you're not on but decide to join, you can look me up: Suzanne McQueen. I'd give you a link but the sites are private.
