Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
While writer Ted Panken, right, didn’t play Ella Fitzgerald for the Blindfold Test with Janis Siegel, the vocalist passed with flying colors!
(Photo: Janis Siegel)Midway through February, Janis Siegel hosted DownBeat for her first-ever Blindfold Test in the living room of her Greenwich Village apartment, filled with CDs, vinyl, scores and numerous photographs, memorabilia and bric-a-brac from various points along the timeline of her singular career — including her 15th leader album, an inspired 10-tune Cy Coleman tribute titled The Colors Of My Life, sung in duo with pianist Yaron Gershovsky.
Dianne Reeves/Christian McBride Big Band
“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” (Without Further Ado, Vol. 1, Mack Avenue, 2025) Christian McBride, arranger; Dianne Reeves, voice; Carole King, Gerry Goffin, composers.
[immediately] Dianne Reeves with Christian McBride. It starts off like it might be “Maiden Voyage,” but it’s not. I think she’s recorded this before. Very nice reharmonization. Great arrangement and orchestration. Dianne’s voice has an unmistakable depth and authority. She’s singing it simply. There’s no melisma, no pyrotechnics. It’s straight to the heart. But she hears all those inside chords, and plays with the melody using those intervals. She’s very rhythmically sophisticated. Where she places the note is masterful. 5 stars.
Jo Lawry
“317 East 32nd Street” (Acrobats, Whirlwind, 2023) Lawry, voice; Linda May Han Oh, bass; Allison Miller, drums.
I like to hear sopranos who have a full sound. Is it Jo Lawry? It’s with Allison Miller and Linda May Han Oh. I’ve been a fan for a long time. I love Jo’s voice. She has incredible pitch, right in the middle of it, and fluid scatting, not necessarily the bebop language, but in her own more modern syllabic way. 4 stars.
José James
“38th And Chicago” (1978, Rainbow Blonde, 2024) James, vocals; Chad Selph, keyboards; David Ginyard, bass; Marcus Machado, guitar; Jharis Yokley, drums; Pedrito Martinez, congas, percussion.
José James. He reminds me of D’Angelo and that neo-soul vibe. He has a beautiful, breathy, sexy voice. He has a beautiful falsetto. He also sings jazz standards beautifully, as on his Billie Holiday record. Snappy dresser, too. Is this new? I liked the arrangement, the Latin funk flavor. I like the harmonies that he adds. 4 stars.
Alicia Hall Moran
“I Like The Sunrise” (Heavy Blue, Yes, 2015) Moran, voice, piano; Mary Halvorson, Brandon Ross, Thomas Flippin, guitar; Tony Scherr, bass; Marika Hughes, cello.
Duke Ellingon’s “I Like The Sunrise.” It’s a very good piece for classical singers to attempt because of the melody. Duke liked to work with operatic sopranos, like Kay Davis and Alice Babs. Was that Renee Fleming? 3 stars. I didn’t feel the beauty of Ellington’s music coming through. The lyric implies to me that there’s the energy of the dawn, and the sun is coming out. This sounded dark. Not hopeful, like a new day.
Kurt Elling/WDR Big Band
“Speak No Evil” (In The Brass Palace, Big Shoulders, 2026) Elling, vocal, lyric; Wayne Shorter, composer; Tim Hagans, arranger; Bob Mintzer, conductor.
Kurt Elling. This is Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil.” It’s Kurt’s lyric. The big band is great. I like how he’s holding straight tone on the ends of those phrases. His enunciation is very good. This is awesome. 5 stars. Kurt has pushed vocalese into the future. He has an amazing instrument, with so many colors he plays with, growls and squeaks, all perfectly calibrated. He’s a very good writer and a deep thinker. He has a lot going on in his head, and I love that it just comes out. He’s also a great entertainer, urbane and witty. If the audience just wants a nice interpretation of a standard, he can do that. His energy seems boundless. He’s on top of contemporary male vocalists.
Becca Stevens
“Wild Eyes Open” (Maple To Paper, GroundUp, 2025) Stevens, guitar, vocal.
Becca Stevens. She’s probably playing guitar, too. She’s a storyteller. In her higher register she has the breathy quality you hear in a lot of young women singers these days, especially in the pop world, but she has a lot of substance in her lower register. Is this is from a new album? It’s very good. It’s a real talent to write simple language that goes straight to the heart without abstract metaphor and poetry. 5 stars.
Aimée Nuviola/Gonzalo Rubalcaba
“Lagrimas Negras” (Live In Marciac, 5Passion, 2021) Nuviola, voice; Rubalcaba, piano.
Sounds like a young singer. I love the piano. She’s definitely full throated, with a Celia Cruz kind of presence. I don’t know her. The pianist is so conversant with those rhythms, it has to be someone born in Cuba who’s also a jazz player. Their interplay is so tight and feels so spontaneous. It’s fascinating to hear someone improvise within those rhythmic frameworks. To hear this mastery is really stunning. 5 stars. I would listen to that again. She’s great.
Kate Kortum
“The Best Is Yet To Come” (Wild Woman Tells All, Bandstand Presents, 2026) Kortum, voice; Tyler Henderson, piano; Jared Beckstead-Craan, bass; Max Marsillo, drums.
Kate Kortum. This is good. Her voice has a lot of dimensions and colors she’s playing with. Echoes of Ella and Sarah, certainly. Nice young pitch! And the vibrato at the end of the phrase, very nice — but not too much. And personality in her voice. She could straddle the worlds of cabaret and jazz. I think she got a very good education at the Frost School of Music; a lot of great singers came out of that program. 5 stars.
James Brown
“It’s Magic” (Soul On Top, Verve, 1969/2004) Brown, voice; Oliver Nelson, arranger; Louie Bellson Orchestra.
“It’s Magic.” I know it, though I don’t do it. This is an older Black female vocalist. No? I’ll go out on a limb and say I think it’s James Brown. Beautiful. You don’t often hear James Brown doing this. But man, can he can do it! He’s still deeply within his own style of feeling the rhythm and vocal squeaks and squeals and all that stuff. Who’s the arranger? Oliver Nelson and James Brown! And Louis Bellson! Amazing. 5 stars. DB
The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.
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