Tierney Sutton Band

Peter Haas | October 27, 2015

Tierney Sutton Band

Birdland, NYC, October 20, 2015

Reviewed by Peter Haas for Cabaret Scenes

“Get cool, boy!” And she did! That lyric line, from West Side Story, kicked off a program that was original, edgy, and kept her audience leaning forward to catch the constant surprises of her jazz interpretations. The performer: Tierney Sutton, returning to Birdland to a packed house to open a three-night engagement. Featured with her, in exhilarating, fast-driving arrangements, were three of her band of more than 22 years: Christian Jacob on piano, Kevin Axt on bass and Ray Brinker on drums.

Seated on a stool, her arms seeming to gather her interpretations from the air, Sutton treated her listeners to such favorites as: “I’ll Be Around,” in slow, sweet scat style; a finger-snapping “I Get a Kick Out of You,” in an arrangement with an intricate piano solo by Jacob; “Fly Me to the Moon,” featuring a driving drum solo by Brinker that squeezed out the song’s classic romanticism; “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” as Sutton caressed the lyrics, followed by a Chopinesque piano solo by Jacob; and Sting’s “Consider Me Gone,” with more strong helpings of scat.

More followed in similar style, as Sutton, now wanting a song in a major key, performed an ultra-fast “The Song Is You”—attention-grabbing with a brilliant piano solo as part of a band arrangement so speedy that the number at first was difficult to identify until she poked through it with a warm patch of its familiar lyrics.

A comparative comfort zone of more favorites, delivered in Sutton’s unique and friendly style, included a group of Irving Berlin numbers: “Let’s Face the Music and Dance”; a syncopated “Cheek to Cheek”; and—performed as if she were retrieving the lyrics from the air—“Blue Skies,” backed by a pounding instrumental. Following: a bop-fast “Old Devil Moon,” featuring, respectively, bass and drum solos reflective of the spirit of a fun-house mirror.

With familiar songs turned inside out to become fresh, as never heard before, Tierney Sutton kept her audience rapt and delighted. In combination with Birdland’s warm hospitality and good food, you’ll want to be sure to catch her next time.

Tags: American Songbook, Birdland, Blue Skies, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, cheek to cheek, Chopin, Christian Jacob, Clubs, Composers, Consider Me Gone, Fly Me to the Moon, Great American Songbook, I Get a Kick Out of You, I’ll Be Around, Irving Berlin, Kevin Axt, Let’s Face the Music and Dance, lyricists, Musicals, Nightclubs, NYC, Old Devil Moon, Peter Haas, Popular Song, Ray Brinker, Revues, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Standards, Sting, Supper Clubs, The Song Is You, Tierney Sutton, Tierney Sutton Band, Venues, Vocalists, West Side Story, What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?