On Listen Love: Freddie Bryant (guitar), Essiet Essiet (bass), Chembo Corniel (percussion), Mark Berman (piano)
On Nights of Key Largo: Kenny Werner (piano), Romero Lubambo (guitar), Jay Leonhart (bass), Joel Frahm (saxophone), Billy Drummond (drums)
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
LISTEN LOVE: Jazz meets Flamenco meets Celtic meets Middle Eastern. Hear it at www.tessasouter.com. Buy it at www.cdbaby.com/tessasouter
NIGHTS OF KEY LARGO: Jazz. Buy it at www.cdbaby.com/tessasouter2
"Musical sophistication. A must-see for lovers of world class jazz.” Los Angeles Times
Born of Trinidadian and English parents, New York-based vocalist, composer, and lyricist Tessa Souter (soo-ter) uniquely infuses jazz with the soul and passion of flamenco, Indian and Middle Eastern music. "One of the most imaginatively programmed vocal sets of recent memory." said the Los Angeles Times, in one of many rave reviews she has received since she started singing professionally in 1999.
The Rochester City Paper said of her debut at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. "It's one thing to hear a superb set from a known giant like Randy Brecker; it's a different, particularly exhilarating feeling to witness a great performance by a relatively unknown singer like Tessa Souter. Judging from the ovations she received Saturday night, the entire audience felt the same way." The New York Sun praised her rendition of Pharoah Sanders’ ‘The Creator Has a Master Plan’, saying it “proves it is possible to be spiritual and sensual at the same time.”
Tessa has headlined and sold out houses from the Blue Note and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York, to Pizza Express, Dean Street and Ronnie Scott’s in London. Her Russian debut at the 1700-seat Moscow International Performing Arts Center in November 2007, inspired a standing ovation, and she has been enthusiastically received in Russia twice since then.
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 life-change 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 February 1999 Tessa has performed and/or recorded with some of the world's jazz greats, including Kenny Werner, Billy Drummond, Jay Leonhart, Joel Frahm, Romero Lubambo, Mark Murphy, Joe La Barbera, Marvin Sewell, Larry Koonse, Bobby Sanabria and jazz tuba legend Howard Johnson.
Her first CD, ‘Listen Love’, won critical raves for her “crystal clear voice and diamond cut phrasing…” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “direct, soulful sound…” (Village Voice), and “ability to see the shape of a tune so the words seem to come from her soul…” (AllAboutJazz-New York). Her sophomore CD, ‘Nights of Key Largo’, recorded on the Japanese audiophile label, Venus, with Kenny Werner, Billy Drummond, Jay Leonhart, Joel Frahm, and Romero Lubambo, won the coveted Gold Disc review in January 2009’s Swing Journal, which said of her, “… there are traces of Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae in her phrasing, and Julie London and Peggie Lee in her delicate breathing, which harbors a touch of sorrow.”
Her third CD, recorded with guitarist Jason Ennis, bassist Gary Wang, drummer Conor Meehan, violinist Todd Reynolds and accordion player Victor Prieto, will be released on the Motema label this summer.
To quote Time Out New York, "Tessa Souter brings new life to time-honored standards as well as mining a creative spark from the unlikeliest quarters. Better still, she serves it up with a wit and a wink worthy of the toniest joints in town."
"Magnificent! I couldn't stop playing it over and over. She blew me away!" Jon Lucien
"She is a complete musician … extraordinary and moving." Mark Murphy
"She’s at the top of my list of great talent. I love her voice. She really moves me." Sheila Jordan
"Tessa 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." Howard Johnson
"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." Larry Koonse
Every time that we listen & write music... play an instrument... sing & dance... act in a play... or work in some audio/image/video engineering process... something is healing inside...
When we share it with friends... something is healing all over...
cada vez que escuchamos o escribimos musica... tocamos un instrumento... cantamos y bailamos... o trabajamos en procesos de ingenieria de audio/imagen/video.... algo se sana por dentro...
Cuando lo compartimos con amigos... algo se sana en todas partes...
El Amor puede conducir... de manera simple... todo...
At long last I'm in possession of your most recent release in CD form...how extraordinary and sublime to be able to conjure your voice, with that phrasing, intensity and passion, at will (!) What a rare treasure you are and how necessary your music has become for sustaining the enjoyment of life! Thank you.... Rich
Thanks for your friendship Tessa, check out our latest Blog about 2009 Teacher Appreciation Day...hope you will participate in our celebration of learning and leave a comment about a teacher who made a difference in your life.
Just stopping by to say hello. And EVERY cut on NIGHTS OF KEY LARGO, including your vocals AND all of the musicians, are superb! I'm already looking forward to the next CD.
Thanks coming over and visiting JAZZ BLUES FLORIDA, Florida’s online guide to live jazz and blues! We need all the good friends we can find to support good music, so sure to come back again to see what is happening. Our other friends are the best of performers, venues and fans, so take a look and make a lot of new and interesting friends…Please stop by and check us out at www.JazzBluesFlorida.com for state-wide show and club listings which might help in finding places to gig if you are thinking of heading down this way!
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“Go out in the world and work like money doesn't matter, Sing as if no one is listening, Love as if you have never been hurt, and Dance as if no one is watching” ~Souza~
thank you Tessa! It was wonderful- really enjoyed it and your voice is so beautiful. My friends all loved the show too and we look forward to the next.Hope you have a safe journey back. Rachel x