Spotlight On: Tessa Souter

Performing two sold-out shows over the weekend at The Jazz Club in Soho, London got

the welcome return of one the city’s own sisters, the jazz singer Tessa Souter. Seducing audiences with a fully packed repertoire of classics and original material, this daughter of an English mother and Trinidadian father, offered up a glimpse of her soul and passionate style that combines Flamenco and world music.

Lingering on lyrics and notes, she transforms familiar songs into new experiences, like dipping them in chocolate fondue. Of her set, my favourite was her rendition of classic rock favourite White Room by Cream, because she brought attention to all the beautiful poetic verse and stunning imagery contained in the song, making us pause, be in the songwriter's moment, and wonder about being “in the white room with black curtains near the station.”

Her interpretation of other compilation choices offered a night of rich musical story-telling,

with highlights that included The Island by Alan Bergman, Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles and her signature number Listen Love, which is also the title of her CD. With her voice as her brush, Tessa painted the audience vivid pictures and dropped countless images of beauty, love and sometimes sadness into our minds. Her expressive body movements match the impressive notes she carries and her show hails back to the bygone era depicted in Casablanca when the film’s stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman begs the pianist to "Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake." Tessa will give you that feeling of being somewhere that is dripping with glamour, gorgeous décor and plenty of dry martinis on the offer. Joined by her drummer Winston Clifford for one number was a highlight of the evening, with him backing her up with beautiful vocals.

Only A Lifetime Of Good Times And Bad Can Let You Sing With This Kind of Depth

Getting her start ten years ago, she’s an artist that has quickly earned praise, accomplishing success that some have to plod along for a lifetime before achieving. Now making her base in New York City’s Harlem, clearly the jazz influences that ooze out of the cracks in the pavement in her adopted home have made their mark on this artist’s vision. Having seen Tessa first perform in New York City about five years ago, I thought she was very experienced, someone who had been delivering mouth-watering lyrics from the earliest days of urban jazz. As it turns out, I was lucky to catch one of her first performance ventures when she was just beginning her new journey to become a professional jazz singer. Tessa hit a turning point, following a long career as a writer, and a busy time raising her son, and decided to focus on her strongest dream that had nicked in her head for many years – to sing. It is rare when any of us have the chance to realize that we are, in fact, actually doing what we dream about all the time, as a fulltime pursuit. Along the way, she’s earned the attention of major music critics, receiving positive reviews and the respect of jazz legends, some who have helped wean her talent:

"Extraordinary authenticity. Musical sophistication. A must-see for lovers of world class jazz vocalizing." -Los Angeles Times

 "Talented English jazz singer who runs her set through various kinds of territory."-New York Times

 "British-Caribbean jazz vocalist Tessa Souter brings new life to time-honoured standards, while also mining a creative spark from the unlikeliest quarters.'"-TimeOut New York

Soul jazz singer Jon Lucien said of her CD Listen Love. "Magnificent! I couldn't stop playing it over and over. She blew me away!"

Tessa Souter Performs at The Jazz Club, Soho, London, 15th February 2008

Observing Tessa’s personal journey has been fascinating to watch, and very inspirational to anyone who is trying to accomplish anything creative that doesn’t follow an obvious path. Tessa shares her own personal inspirational journey in her book Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better, available for purchase here. Still a correspondent journalist for prestigious titles, Tessa’s by-line appears in top media outlets from time to time, with her occasionally serving as The Guardian’s Brit-Eye-View to New York City, with her penning articles in between gigs on her increasingly busy touring schedule.

Tessa comes to London at least twice a year to perform, and is on stage regularly in New York and San Francisco, so sign up for her mailing list at www.tessasouter.com to catch her next show. You can also find her on MySpace at www.myspace.com/tessasouter. In London, Tessa usually performs at The Jazz Club, a respected London venue that plays host to many jazz legends who keep this style of music alive for its millions of fans, having opened in the basement of the Pizza Express restaurant on Dean Street in 1976. Pizza Express’s venues showcase live music for hundreds of fans, with also performing at Pizza On The Park, near Hyde Park.

Here’s Tessa Souter’s full biography:

Born in London 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. And it's not just the critics who admire her. 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."

Listening to Tessa Souter,

I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com