Daily Yomiuri: Dawn of the divas

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Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20050324woa3.htm

Dawn of the divas

Frank Spignese Special to The Daily Yomiuri

The lexicon of Western music would be inconceivable without the contributions of the numerous chanteuses and songbirds that have stirred the pot over the past century. From Ma Rainey to Bessie Smith, from Billie Holiday to Carmen McRae, female vocalists have not only helped shape the music, but in the eyes of the more pedestrian public they are the very face of jazz itself.

How sad then, when in the '80s and '90s the female jazz vocalist seemed to go the way of the dodo. With the exception of Cassandra Wilson, there weren't any major stars to emerge during this time. Disillusioned jazz fans were so desperate for a contemporary torchbearer in the mid-'80s that sophisticated soul singers such as Anita Baker and Sade were temporarily embraced.

That was then.

Since the dawn of the new millennium, a number of new voices have risen up, not only reminding us of the sacredness of the songstress, but reassuring us that there is uncharted territory for her to explore.

Japan is about to be blessed by a visit by a handful of these leading ladies. Over the next few weeks four female singers, each with their own unique ability and approach, will be performing here.

Diana Krall is a probably the singer most responsible for reminding the public of the vitality that exists in the solar system of jazz standards. A gifted pianist as well as a singer, she coos the classics with a flirtatiousness that brings to mind the sedate but smoky delivery of Peggy Lee or Julie London.

At first glance she may seem a female Harry Connick Jr., but aficionados will attest that she owes far more to the great Nat King Cole.

She swings, not like the King Cole of the early '50s "Unforgettable," but the seminal King Cole Trio of the 1940s. Few musicians today balance such instrumental and vocal prowess.

Originally from British Columbia, she approaches each song with a blase urbanity that suggests the dives of downtown Manhattan, rather than the rustic quietude of suburban Vancouver. Her latest album, The Girl in the Other Room, finds here composing her own tunes for the first time, many in collaboration with her husband, Elvis Costello.

Long Island native Jane Monheit is the least known of these divas, but she is surely the singer most likely to appease the purists.

She exudes an anachronistic elegancy, a throwback to another age. On stage, she stands solitary, dressed to kill, seducing the microphone with a suggestiveness that will leave every salaryman in view drooling in his Dewar's.

She can sing too.

Monheit interprets the standards with an unexpected world weariness that belies her 26 years. Like early Bob Dylan or Frank Sinatra she successfully fools the listener into believing that she has lived every line of every lyric. She has attracted the attention of a number of big names, collaborating with the likes of Ron Carter and Michael Brecker.

Her choice of tunes is especially inspired. Instead of rehashing well covered material, she dips deep into the barrel of the great songwriters. Her recent album, Taking a Chance on Love, features beautiful versions of two lesser-known Cole Porter tunes--"Why Can't You Behave?" and "Do I Love You?"--alongside old war horses such as "Over the Rainbow" and "Embraceable You."

Norah Jones is the biggest of these new divas. Her recent chart-topping success is not only reassuring in a time of such vapid commercialism, but she has also helped to redirect attention to more organic artists. All of the musicians mentioned here have received some indirect boost from her success.

Although she, too, is a mere 26 years old, her sultry singing and understated piano playing helped move 18 million copies of her 2002 album Come Away With Me. Riding the success of its surprise hit single, "Don't Know Why," the album put Blue Note records back on the charts.

While some pundits will claim she is more jazz-infused than actual jazz, one need only to listen to her readings of Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" or Duke Ellington's "Don't Miss You At All" to hear that she is capable of covering the classics.

South Carolinian singer-pianist Angie Stone is cut from slightly different cloth. Eschewing standards and focusing more on original songs, she takes the personas of earlier soul/jazz priestesses and interpolates them for a new century.

Her father, a gospel singer, raised his daughter in the Baptist Church, often taking her to sacred music performances and revivals. She has a Hear-Me-Talking-To-You lyrical approach that could only come from the Deep South.

Stone could easily slip into the slicker contemporary groove of Mary J. Blige or Alicia Keys, but she isn't bling-bling enough to please the masses. Her R&B is righteous and bold, reminiscent of early Roberta Flack or a more streetwise Nina Simone.

Her latest album, Stone Love, is her most successful yet, balancing passionate ballads with barn-burning beats. While labeling her jazz would be a stretch, she possesses a command of song and stage that puts her squarely in the company of the greats.

Also of note will be a visit next week by Stone's soul-sister, Erykah Badu. Badu is in a universe all her own, with a new world Nubian-ness that sets her apart from the pack. Firmly rooted in the neo-soul/alternative hip-hop trenches, she has a tortured, voice cracking way with ballads that leads lovingly back to Billie Holiday.

Lady Day must be smiling down from heaven. Her disciples are singing sweeter than ever.

Diana Krall will perform March 24-25, 7 p.m. at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, (03) 3402-5999.

Angie Stone will perform March 24-26, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Blue Note in Tokyo, (03) 5485-0088; March 30-31, 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Blue Note in Osaka, (06) 6342-7722.

Jane Monheit will perform April 1, 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., April 2, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Blue Note in Osaka, (06) 6342-7722; April 4-6, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Blue Note in Tokyo, (03) 5485-0088.

Norah Jones will perform April 8, 7 p.m. at Nagoya Congress Center Century Hall in Nagoya, (052) 241-8118; April 9, 6 p.m. at Ishikawa Koseinenkin Kaikan in Kanazawa, (076) 224-4141; April 11-13, 7 p.m. at Osaka Koseinenkin Kaikan in Osaka, (06) 6341-4506; April 15, 7 p.m. at Hiroshima Koseinenkin Kaikan in Hiroshima, (082) 249-3571; April 16, 5 p.m. at Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama, April 18-19, 7 p.m. at Tokyo International Forum, Hall A near Yurakucho station, Tokyo, April 20, 7 p.m. at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, (03) 3402-5999.

Copyright 2005 The Yomiuri Shimbun