LIVE AT TULA'S
by Roman St. James, JazzReview.com
Live At Tulas is the latest release from jazz vocalist
Greta Matassa and its absolutely fantastic. Recorded, as the title
implies, live at Tulas
Restaurant and Nightclub on December 13, 2002, it features pianist
Randy Halberstadt,
bassist Clipper Anderson and drummer Gary Hobbs. This group is everything
that you could want in a jazz band hard swinging, fearless, sensitive,
endlessly creative and technically brilliant. Not a single note rings
false on this album, an enormous achievement for a live recording.
Matassa has been a longtime fixture in the Seattle jazz scene. She built
her career in the Pacific Northwest area and has been voted Best
Jazz Vocalist In The Northwest four times by the readers of Seattles
jazz magazine Earshot.
Completely self-taught, she caught the jazz bug while very young and
dropped out of high school to pursue a music career. Initially she had
trouble finding jazz work and began singing in heavy metal cover bands
until she blew her voice out and was forced to quit. She then began
singing in wedding bands, where she made some solid jazz connections
and began a career that continues to flourish to this day, with no end
in sight.
Matassas voice most reminds me of Carmen McRaes; not the
higher-pitched McRae of the 50s, but the smokier, more burnished
McRae of the 80s. Yet she has a great range that allows her to
color her sound in a myriad of ways. The influences of Billie Holiday,
Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Anita ODay are clearly evident,
but thats to be expected no female jazz vocalist worth
her salt can ever really avoid incorporating some of the contributions
of these legends into their artistic expression. But what truly makes
her great is her ability to move beyond these influences and create
her own personal sound.
This album consists entirely of covers The Shadow Of Your
Smile, Ive Got You Under My Skin, Save Your Love For Me (check
out the magnificent bass solo!), Tenderly, etc. but if
you think you might be bored hearing one more version of Night And
Day, think again. Matassa and gang have the uncanny ability to breath
new life into these old chestnuts. I also need to give a big nod to
producer David Keefer. Sonically speaking, this is one of the best live
recordings Ive heard in quite some time. Absolutely superb all
around. Im so used to hearing live recordings with too much bass,
not enough drums or too much reverb on the vocals that I almost forgot
what a live recording should sound like. Its nice to be reminded.
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