Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Cathy Segal-Garcia: The Jazz Chamber

Cathy Segal-Garcia: The Jazz Chamber

By Jerome Wilson
November 2, 2018
View read count

On this album,

Cathy Segal-Garcia

vocals
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Cathy Segal-Garcia, a vocalist and educator on the Los Angeles jazz scene, comes up with something special, working with a chamber orchestra and a group of jazz musicians to produce a wide-ranging program that veers from lush romanticism to complex jazz-funk.

On much of the disc, Segal-Garcia's thick, classically formal voice, combined with a full string section, presents a lilting hybrid of jazz and light classical music. On first hearing it sounds a bit too sugary but as you listen more, the maturity and warmth of Segal-Garcia's voice reveals itself. This approach works best on a waltz version of "Star Eyes," the light samba groove of "High Trapeze" and "This Moment," a lovely lyric version of the Vince Mendoza composition "Ambivalence." It goes slightly overboard, though, on a duet with

Mon David

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Mon David, "Cinema Paradiso Theme," that sounds like it escaped from an operetta. A duet in Portuguese with

Kate McGarry

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Kate McGarry on

Dori Caymmi

guitar
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Dori Caymmi's "Velho Piano" provides stronger drama and "Sleep In Peace," a lullaby Segal-Garcia sings backed by just a string quartet, is beautiful in its simplicity.

That material alone would make a worthwhile romantic vocal-album. However there are also two remarkable, extended tracks, arranged by

Bevan Manson

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Bevan Manson, that take this set to an entirely different place, back to the deep, mysterious experimental-fusion of early

Weather Report

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Weather Report and Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi.

Bennie Maupin

woodwinds
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Bennie Maupin's "Message To Prez" is a collage of strings, piano, woodwinds, the wordless scatting of Segal-Garcia's vocal improv group, Fish To Birds, and Maupin's own bottom-rattling bass clarinet. It flows for almost 13 minutes, alternating between bright vocal babble and hovering tensions among the strings and reeds. The other surprise is a medley of two songs out of

Les McCann

piano
1935 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Les McCann's repertoire, "Universal Prisoner" and "Compared To What," where Segal-Garcia brings in

Tierney Sutton

vocals
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Tierney Sutton as a duet partner.

On the first song they trade ominous lines about the confusions of modern man over a lightly swinging bed of reeds and vibes with prickly atonal accents. Then they begin "Compared To What" by scatting over a sinister cloud of flutes, brass and vibes before

Edwin Livingston

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Edwin Livingston's heavy funk bass leads them into the familiar lyrics. Their voices get harder and stronger singing these angry words over nagging minor key harmonies—and occasionally dropping in their own lines like "This is the oddest time" and "What do we have to compare it to?" The two vocalists alternate lyric singing with soaring, wordless scat over skeletal funk rhythms before ending with quotes about loving intentionally and moving forward with purpose through dark times.

The breadth of this album is pretty amazing. It has formal chamber music sitting side by side with swirling experiments in rhythm and melody. It's like a classical recital that alternates works by Mozart and Stravinsky. Cathy Segal-Garcia and her collaborators are to be congratulated on pulling off a daring mesh of ideas.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Star Eyes; Velho Piano; Time After Time; High Trapeze; Cinema Paradiso Theme; Message To Prez; This Moment; Universal Prisoner-Compared To What; Sleep In Peace.

Personnel

Cathy Segal-Garcia

vocals

Bevan Manson

piano

Dori Amarilio

guitar

Dennis DREITH

arranger

Adrianne Duncan

piano

Emile Hassan-Dyer

vocals

Ashley Maher

vocals

Cecily Gardner

vocals

Mon David

vocals

Tracy LJ Robertson

vocals

Kate McGarry

vocals

Tierney Sutton

vocals

Bob Sheppard

saxophone, tenor

Bennie Maupin

woodwinds

Chuck Findley

trumpet

Joe La Barbera

drums

Edwin Livingston

bass

Brian Kilgore?

percussion

Kenny Wild

bass

Nick Mancini

vibraphone

Cathy Segal-Garcia: vocal; Kate McGarry (2), Mon David (5), "Fish To Birds" (6) (Cathy Segal-Garcia, Ashley Maher, Emile Hassan Dyer, Cecily Gardner, Mon David, Adrienne Duncan, Tracy Robertson), Tierney Sutton (8): guest vocal; Rob Lockhart, Bob Sheppard, Jeff Driskill: flute, saxophone; Greg Huckins: flute, bass clarinet; Bennie Maupin: bass clarinet (6); Catherine Del Russo: oboe; Phil Feather: oboe, alto flute; Chuck Findley: trumpet, flugelhorn; Amy Hershberger, Ben Hudson, Rafi Rishik, Susan Rishik, Irina Voloshina: violin; Jennie Hansen, Alan Busteed: viola; Andrew Shulman, Armen Ksajikian: cello; Tom Rizzo, Dori Amarillo, Jamie Rosenn: guitar; Edwin Livingston, Kenny Wild, Dominic Genova: bass; Joe LaBarbera, Matt Gordy, Steve Hass: drums; Brian Kilgore: percussion; Lolly Allen, Nick Mancini: vibes; Bevan Manson: piano; Mitchell Manker: French horn.

Album information

Title: The Jazz Chamber | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Dash Hoffman Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

All Over the Map with Losen Records
< Previous

October Birthday Salutes
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.