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Tianna Hall: Sid, Barney, Duke & Billy
The modern Houston jazz scene is dominated by a more benign but no less talented "mafia" that includes Hall's fellow vocalists
Jacqui Sutton
vocals
Danielle Reich
vocals
Larry Slezak
saxophoneb.1946
Woody Witt
saxophoneb.1969
Henry Darragh
pianob.1976
Carol Morgan
trumpetb.1968
Hall has just released her fourth recording, Two For the Road (Self Produced, 2012) and is expecting her second child with husband, software engineer Matthew Hitchens. She remains busy in the Houston area, performing in a variety of venues'
All About Jazz: Houston is a rich incubator of musical talent, from Rodney Crowell to
Wilton Felder
saxophone, tenor1940 - 2015
Tianna Hall: Growing up, I was a self-confessed nerd. My first two CD purchases were together: a compilation of Luciano Pavarotti performances and the original broadway cast of The Who's Tommy (RCA, 1993). I loved musical theater and opera and poured over both genres nearly obsessively. I was also exposed a great deal to big band era music and the crooners of the
Frank Sinatra
vocals1915 - 1998
Shirley Horn
piano1934 - 2005
Jimmy Scott
vocals1925 - 2014
Nancy Wilson
vocals1937 - 2018
AAJ: Your community of jazz musicians in Houston seem a tight-knit bunch. Besides the obvious, how do you support one another in what has to be a challenging market in which to work?
TH: We are blessed to have an amazing online social network and jazz community through JazzHouston.com. I happen to also help run the site along with fellow jazzers Andrew Lienhard and Henry Darragh, and our friend and jazz photo journalist Pin Lim. It allows us to help promote each others shows, support live jazz venues and interact socially online. I don't know how I would have ever gotten so involved in the community here in Houston without it.
AAJ: Your recordings, including Two for the Road, focus a great deal on standards from the Great American Songbook. What things do you consider when selecting a standard to perform or record? What composers of the American Songbook speak to you loudest? TH: I nearly always center the selections around a special ballad that rips my heart out. They are most definitely my favorite songs to sing. The rest of the tunes always seem to fall into place based on what I've been performing on the bandstand night to night. I'd have to say that the composers that speak to me the most would be tough to narrow down to one:
Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
Billy Strayhorn
piano1915 - 1967
Henry Mancini
composer / conductor1924 - 1994
Cole Porter
composer / conductor1891 - 1964
AAJ: On Two for the Road, you go beyond the "standard" standards, addressing more recent and disparate compositions. Radiohead's "Creep," Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" are not jazz business-as-usual. Do your regularly incorporate newer, non-jazz songs in your recitals and how do you choose them?
TH: With the first two selections, I finally felt brave enough to give a musical nod to some of the popular music from my high school/middle school days. There was very little on the radio or of the music my friends were listening to that I had even a remote interest in. These were two songs that I always found very interesting and the 10cc song was a suggestion from my bassist on this album, " data-original-title="" title="">Agustin Bernal. He had a great concept for it and I immediately loved it.
AAJ: You are a recent mom about to become a recent mom-times-two. Has motherhood changed the way you listen to music, particularly in what you might consider now as possible material that you may not have considered before motherhood?
TH: I actually recorded my third album while very very pregnant [laughs]. Being the mother of a toddler has certainly changed a great deal of what I listen to since he's more interested in Sid the Science kid, Barney and Kipper the dog than
Sarah Vaughan
vocals1924 - 1990
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Bill Evans
piano1929 - 1980
Selected Discography
Tianna Hall and the Mexico City Jazz Trio, Two For The Road (Self Produced, 2012)
Tianna Hall, Never Let Me Go (Blue Bamboo Music, 2011)
Tianna Hall and Danny McKnight, Ballads and Bossas (Self Produced, 2010)
Tianna Hall and the Mexico City Jazz Trio, Lost In the Stars (Self Produced, 2007)
Photo Credits
Debora Smail
Tags
Tianna Hall
Catching Up With
C. Michael Bailey
Kari-On Productions
United States
Texas
Houston
Bryan Anthony
Jacqui Sutton
Danielle Reich
Larry Slezak
Woody Witt
Henry Darragh
Carol Morgan
Wilton Felder
frank sinatra
Shirley Horn
Jimmy Scott
duke ellington
Billy Strayhorn
Henry Mancini
Cole Porter
Agustin Bernal
Sarah Vaughan
John Coltrane
Bill Evans
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