Event

Suzanna Smith: The Art of the Duo + 2

Christopher Louden in Jazz Times gave this high praise to Suzanna, in reviewing her debut recording, Halfway Between Heaven and Love, "There are relatively few contemporary female vocalists who evoke Peggy Lee, at least not genuinely. Suzanna Smith, new to recording, but a seasoned pro who has been honing her artistry in and around the Bay Area for over a decade, numbers among that rare ilk. That Smith sounds like Lee slightly breathy and warmly sensual with a hint of huskiness is undeniable, but the parallels extend much further. Lee's ability to not just caress a ballad but smother it in mink has seldom been matched. She was also a sage swinger never too much, never too little as well as a first-rate songwriter. Smith checks all those boxes."

Brent Black on Critical Jazz.com said her approach is "organic, eclectic, and contemporary, yet rooted in the tradition of what old school vocal jazz was once all about, soul."

Suzanna will be joined by Lee Bloom, piano, Tom Griesser, horn and John Wiitala, bass for a duo + two!

1) The fluidity of a seasoned duo:
Suzanna has been working as a duo with pianist Lee Bloom for almost five years now. It's been a wonderful experience that has offered so much, and they're able to go to some wonderfully intuitive musical places.

2) A question:
What would happen if two other fine musicians were added to the duo, with the only instruction being to play as if four were two?

3) A best of the best set list:
They will undertake this experiment with material from The Peggy Lee Project, a recent tribute to vocalist Helen Merrill and a collection of songs that have become their own beautiful creatures out of many nights performed by a duo.