Katie
Thiroux, an exceptional bassist, captivating singer and gifted composer, is a
West Coast phenomenon ready to be shared with all who love swinging jazz. On
her debut recording as a leader, Introducing Katie Thiroux, it's impossible to
determine what grabs the ear first, her effervescent singing or the delightful
swagger of her oak-solid bass work. What is certain is that both gifts embody
Thiroux's natural affinity for no-nonsense music making of the highest caliber.
Guided in the studio by Jeff Hamilton - the esteemed drummer who here takes on
the role of sharp-eared producer --Thiroux and her seasoned ensemble (guitarist
Graham Dechter, tenor saxophonist Roger Neumann and drummer Matt Witek)
oxygenate American Songbook standards and jazz classics while also introducing
fine new original material.
The
album's opening track, the 1936 Rodgers and Hart gem, "There's A Small
Hotel," immediately presents us with the impressive dimensions of
Thiroux's multidimensional strengths. Her beguiling voice -- light, ever
airborne, always emotionally direct and free of both grandstanding virtuosic
turns and coy blandishments -- remains at the service of the song, while her
muscular and melodic bass playing speaks of her devotion to such giants of the
instrument as Ray Brown, John Clayton, Paul Chambers and Israel Crosby. The
same zeal for straightforward swing can be heard in such riveting vocal tracks
as "A Beautiful Friendship,"
"I'm Old Fashioned", "Shiny Stockings," (the Count Basie
classic, with its infrequently heard lyrics on display), "The One I Love
(Belongs to Somebody Else) -- which transforms itself effortlessly from a
delightful waltz to an uptempo swinger and back again - and an extraordinary
solo bass-and-vocals performance of "Wives And Lovers" (the Bacharach
and David ode to the responsibilities of marital eroticism, offered here with
irony-free conviction) that trains the spotlight on Thiroux's outsized talents.
The
instrumental pieces are equally arresting. The Thiroux originals, "Ray's
Kicks" (an affectionate dedication to Ray Brown, inspired by a pair of the
master bassist's stylish shoes gifted to Thiroux), "RoseBird," a
snappy bop workout built on the framework of both Earl Hines's
"Rosetta" and Charlie Parker's "Yardbird Suite," and the
gorgeous, Ellington-esque ballad, "Can't We Just Pretend," offer up
outstanding improvising from each of the quartet while also exhibiting the
hand-in-glove unity of the band as a whole. "We sat with these tunes for
awhile until everything just clicked with the band, before we decided to record,"
Thiroux recalls. "We immediately recognized an affinity between us -- our
initial encounter as a quartet came together at a jam session that lasted
fifteen hours! We've worked out an
ensemble sound that builds on the special chemistry created by the bass, guitar
and drums; Roger can then come in almost as a guest voice, a singular musical
flavor. It all works because there's no ego involved; we all respect each other
as musicians and people."
Studying
both bass and voice since her pre-teenage years, Thiroux eventually went on to
study at the Berklee College of Music where she performed with Branford
Marsalis, Greg Osby, Dr. Billy Taylor, Terri Lyne Carrington and others. In
2013, a year after receiving her Master's degree in Jazz Studies from
California State University, Long Beach, Thiroux formed her present quartet,
which will be making East Coast appearances in early 2015. For full bio:
http://www.katiethiroux.com/about.html
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