(Reprinted from the September 2024 issue of New York City Jazz Record. Photo: Courtesy of Alexis Cole)
It’s hard to keep up with singer Alexis Cole. She lives in New York City but is almost constantly on the road or in the air: Her formidable career has found her studying voice in India, busking throughout Europe, teaching jazz in Ecuador, gigging solo in Japan, and fronting West Point’s touring big band, The Jazz Knights, for six years. Clichés about jazz ambassadorships aside, Cole’s captivating musicality would go a long way to bridge international divides—she’s a most winning representative of our uniquely American art form.
In 2021 she released Sky Blossom: Songs From My Tour of Duty (Zoho), a dozen classic tunes arranged for big band by Jazz Knights music director Scott Arcangel. On the record, Cole’s vocals sail expertly on the large ensemble’s sweeping sound—no easy undertaking. Even so, she repeats this stellar display—maybe even ratcheting it up a notch—on Jazz Republic: Taiwan, The United States, And The Freedom Of Swing (Tiger Turn), her August release featuring the Taipei Jazz Orchestra (with string arrangements by Arcangel and additional arrangements by big band leaders Rich DeRosa and Chris Walden).
These two albums make for happy companion pieces. Where the first benefits from the seamless execution of the familiar, the second bristles with electricity from the new. To this end, the latter’s opener, “Common Ground”, establishes the beneficent theme of unity that threads throughout the remaining tracks—like a version of “Begin The Beguine” that focuses on a dancing partnership; a moderate-tempo “Moon River” that taps into the lyrics’ implicit excitement; and an utterly charming “Beyond The Sea” that hints at cross-border collegiality. It’s a refreshing listen.
In another pan-oceanic collaboration, the peripatetic Cole recently announced the digital re-release of her 2010 CD, Someday My Prince Will Come, originally recorded for Venus Records in Japan. The album, boasting a spectacular lineup of players, deserves a revisit: Cole is at her interpretive best on some of Disney’s most cherished love songs, like “So This Is Love”, “When You Wish Upon A Star” and the title track. She also finds surprising colors in some lesser-known tunes from this venerable archive: “Let Me Be Good To You” and “For Now, For Always”, for instance. Notably, each track stands as a prime example of jazz vocalism, so good are the bones of the tunes and Cole’s understanding of the emotional truths at their center. Not surprisingly, Cole names this the favorite of all her releases.
Cole came in a praiseworthy second at the very first Sarah Vaughan Competition in 2012. By then her career was already in full motion, with several albums and many accolades to her credit. Her indisputable talent no doubt set a high bar for the Sassies out of the gate, and in subsequent years the competition has proved a launching pad for several bright careers. Such is the case for last year’s winner, April Varner, who dropped a smashing debut this summer. Simply titled April, the Cellar Music release shows off the newcomer’s relentless improvisational energy and compositional skill on a near-dozen tunes about the fourth month of the year (who knew there were so many?). From her opener, “April Blues” (a laid-back original that highlights the warmth of her instrument), to “Joy of April” (with its killer scatting), “April Come She Will” (a florid take on the Simon & Garfunkel hit) and “Sometimes It Snows In April” (a remake as melancholic as the Prince original), Varner demonstrates a readiness for bigger stages. Clearly, one to watch.
Ones to catch: As promised last month, Catherine Russell brings her latest duo offering with pianist Sean Mason, Send For Me (Dot Time Records), to Birdland (Sep. 3-7). Next, singer Magos Herrera fronts a 10-piece band as part of Gaia Wilmer and Jaques Morelenbaum’s The Music of Caetano Veloso, in homage to the iconic Brazilian composer, at Dizzy’s Club (Sep. 6-8). Grammy-winner Jazzmeia Horn releases her third album, Messages, via her own Empress Legacy Records at Smoke (Sep. 11-15). Juno-winner singer/trumpeter Bria Skonberg will celebrate the launch of What It Means (Cellar Music), also at Dizzy’s Club (Sep. 20-22). And two days later, singer/journalist Tessa Souter unveils selections from her new recording venture, The Erik Satie Project, in the same space (Sep. 24).