Tiffany Austin: Bessie, Billie and Nina: Celebrating the Queens of Swing

Steve Murray | February 13, 2016

Tiffany Austin

Bessie, Billie and Nina: Celebrating the Queens of Swing

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, 1/30/16

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes

Tiffany-Austin-Cabaret-Scenes-MAgazine_212 Tackling the works of legends Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith might seem like biting off a bit more than one can chew, but not for Bay Area rising star Tiffany Austin. Utilizing elements gleaned from all three of her predecessors, Austin infuses their material with a modern, sophisticated jazz/soul sensibility that highlights the strength and clarity of her phrasing.

Austin doesn’t mimic the vocal style of these ladies, choosing to honor the music and add a piece of herself to the material. “East of the Sun (and West of the Moon),” recorded by Holiday in 1952, is re-interpreted as a samba. “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl,” an old Bessie Smith sexually charged hit and reworked by Nina Simone in the 1960s, has some dynamite piano runs by jazz master Adam Shulman. “T’aint Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do” is sassy and defiant as it should be, elevated by the teasing trombone work of Mitch Butler.

Austin delivers two sensational mash-ups, smartly joining the Smith-recorded “Me and My Gin” with Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.” The second mashup blends Holiday’s cover of “Blue Moon” with “I Can’t Help It” (Stevie Wonder). Both pairings work seamlessly and Austin shows her feet are firmly planted in both the timeless sounds of the past and the more modern beats.

A set highlight was her closer, a fearless inspirational version of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,” recorded by Simone. Everything comes together in this number—brilliant piano from Shulman, soulful trombone by Butler and deep rhythms by drummer Sly Randolph. Austin pulls out all the emotions of Simone’s treatise, the power of her spirit and the drive for equality. Austin is the real deal and demands attention by serious lovers of jazz, soul, R&B and pop.

Tags: 'Taint Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do, Adam Shulman, American Songbook, Bay Area, Bessie, Bessie Smith, Billie and Nina: Celebrating the Queens of Swing, Billie Holiday, Blue Moon, Broadway, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, CD, Clubs, Composers, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Gin and Juice, Great American Songbook, I Can’t Help It, I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free, Jazz, Jazz Singers, lyricists, Me and My Gin, Mitch Butler, Musicals, Musicians, Nightclubs, Nina Simone, Popular Song, Revues, San Francisco, Show Tunes, Singers, Sly Randolph, Snoop Dogg, Songbook, Standards, Steve Murray, Stevie Wonder, Supper Clubs, Tiffany Austin, Venues, Vocalists