On Listen Love: Freddie Bryant (guitar), Essiet Essiet (bass), Chembo Corniel (percussion), Mark Berman (piano)
Influences
Nature, Devon, Mum, Celtic music, Flamenco dancers, Sketches of Spain, Milton Nascimento, Wayne Shorter, Mark Murphy, Andy Bey, Sarah Vaughan, Jon Lucien, Shirley Horn, Miles Davis, Joan Armatrading, Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention (especially Sandy Denny), Pentangle (especially Bert Jansch), Sheila Jordan, Bill Evans, Mansur Scott and tons of others.
Sounds Like
Jazz meets Flamenco meets Celtic meets Middle Eastern. Hear it at www.tessasouter.com. Buy it at www.cdbaby.com/tessasouter
Extraordinary authenticity. Musical sophistication. A must-see for lovers of world class jazz vocalizing." Los Angeles Times
Born of Trinidadian and English parents, New York-based vocalist, composer, and lyricist Tessa Souter (soo-ter) infuses jazz with the soul and passion of flamenco, Indian and Middle Eastern music. There's no one doing what Tessa does," enthused Village Voice and New York Sun critic Will Friedwald. "One of the most imaginatively programmed vocal sets of recent memory." said the Los Angeles Times, in a rave review of her California debut at the Catalina Bar and Grill in 2002. The Philadelphia Inquirer raved about her "amazing" debut CD Listen Love and her "crystal-clear voice with diamond-cut phrasing and slight tinge of melancholy." And it's not just the critics who admire her. Soul jazz singer Jon Lucien said of Listen Love. "Magnificent! I couldn't stop playing it over and over. She blew me away!" Her one-time mentor Mark Murphy says of her, "She is a complete musician … extraordinary and moving." Sheila Jordan says, "She’s at the top of my list of great talent. I love her voice. She really moves me." Howard Johnson says she is "an important musician... whose brilliant lyrics and songs make her stand out from the pack so very much, not to mention how well she sings other people's material." And her November 2007 Russian debut at the Moscow International Performing Arts Center earned her a standing ovation from 1500 people.
Taught to sing at the age of three by her mother, Tessa took up the guitar at 12. She was encouraged in her early teens to pursue a singing career, but took a detour - early motherhood, university and journalism. In 1992, she moved to San Francisco, where she wrote for the British press, including Vogue, Elle, The Guardian and The Times, and became one of the original six members of The Writer's Grotto, along with Po Bronson (who cites her in his best seller What Should I Do With My Life), Ethan Canin, Ethan Watters, Josh Kornbluth and David Munro. After moving to New York in 1996, she started sitting in at jazz jams, before winning a scholarship to study at New York's Manhattan School of Music in 1998. She left to study privately with jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy. Since her professional debut in 1999 Tessa has performed with some of the world's jazz greats, including Mark Murphy, Joe La Barbera, Marvin Sewell, Larry Koonse, Latin Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria and jazz tuba legend Howard Johnson. WNPK Radio FM says: "It's hard to believe she only recently became a vocalist, because she sings with the authority and passion that usually comes from long experience." To quote Los Angeles-based guitarist Larry Koonse, "Tessa Souter has all the qualities I value most in a musician: great time, beautiful phrasing, gorgeous sound, a respect for silence, an emotional connection to the moment, and a wonderful ability to tell a story. She is the 'real thing' in every way."
Tessa... I'm sooo happy 4 U! You're well deserving of all the SUNSHINE U R receiving!!! THanks 4 adding me & I will check up on ya from time to time. I'm back in the US for awhile! Tryin to find out where I fit in over here... smile
Tessa, Tried to send a private email, but your addresses returned! Wanted you to know you looked and sounded fantastic on Monday night at the Blue Note. I was there, but had to leave before giving you a hug. congratulations! Roseanna
Astounding. Amazing. Breathtakingly original. Deeply moving. Impossible to ignore. Intriguingly beguiling. Permanently affecting. Undeniably and unilaterally (even unequivocally) Superb. There's a new standard and there's no turning back. Loving you more each time I hear you! Rich
Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. --Anonymous
Hi Tessa, just wanted to let you know that my new book, Holly Would Dream, is FINALLY in stores! It's about a modern day Holly Golightly who wishes her life could be like a 1950's romantic comedy. Of course it isn't (whose is, right?) It'll make you laugh and long for simpler times. Let me know what you think after you read it. Check it out: http://search. barnesandnoble. com/Holly-Would-Dream/Karen-Quinn/e/9781416573128/?itm=1 xoox karen