Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Tierney Sutton at Blues Alley
Tierney Sutton at Blues Alley
BySutton displayed her consummate musicianship as she shaped her voice to emulate each of the instruments' unique shapes and tones.

Audiences had ample opportunity to do just that last Saturday night as Suttonpoised comfortably on a backless stoolmesmerized Blues Alley's packed room with her impressive vocal skills as well as her charismatic stage presence.
Sutton is adept at reading her audience and adapts herself accordingly. Presented with the supper club setting of Blues Alley and its mixed crowd of couples on dates, tour groups, and families out with the kids, Sutton offered a varied set of tunes, and rounded the night out with anecdotes, quips, and personal stories.
Opening with a tune from band mate Christian Jacobs' latest CD, "I Fall in Love Too Easily , Sutton started the night off with a slow ballad that highlighted her ability to interpret lyrics, drawing our attention to their subtletyor at times imbuing them with a sharpness the original may have lacked.
Turning on a dime, Sutton's next piece put her love of camp in the spotlight. Taking off at a rapid tempo, Sutton dashed off a playful rendition of the classic "Devil May Care , displaying her patented ability to singand scatat super speed.
The next two tunes returned Sutton to one of her central passions, interpreting Frank Sinatra. First taking on "Only the Lonely , she then presented an unusual arrangement of "Fly Me to the Moon . On this piece, Sutton, with the aid of her band mates, proved just how completely a classic can be reshaped. In a clever riff on the lyrics, all four musicians moved the tune toward an almost otherworldly landscape made of dissonant combinations and abstract backgrounds.
Transitioning to a series of duetsone with each of her band matesSutton displayed her consummate musicianship as she shaped her voice to emulate each of the instruments' unique shapes and tones. When working with the bass, Sutton's voice glided and bent as if itself bowed. While performing a rapid-fire "Surrey with the Fringe on Top with drummer Ray Berger, Sutton's voice popped and snapped in accord with Berger's punctuated solos and resonate work on the toms, and during the piano duet Sutton blended her voice seamlessly with Jacob's artful lines.
Closing out the night with three more tunes including a tongue-in-cheek take on "I Get a Kick Out of You , an energetic Henderson tune, and an homage to Miles Davis, Sutton came full circle to give the audience another example of her mastery of a diverse repertoire.
Sutton is a dedicated entertainer intent on giving the audience its money's worth, as well as a committed experimenter. The grace with which she is able to blend these two goals is what makes her a dynamic and compelling performer, and this grace kept the audience at Blues Alley calling for just one more tune.
Visit Tierney Sutton on the web.
Related Articles
Sounding Sinatra: Tierney Sutton Performs at the Kennedy Center
Tierney Sutton: An Instrumentalist's Singer
Tags
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz

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.
Washington
Concert Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses
| More...
Washington Concerts
Sep
22
Mon
Michael Sarian Quartet - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues Alley
Washington, DC
Sep
22
Mon
Michael Sarian Quartet - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues Alley
Washington, DC
Sep
22
Mon
Django Jazz Jam Hosted by Michael Harris
The Bluebird
Baltimore, MD
Sep
22
Mon
Monday Night Open Mic
Next Phaze Cafe
Baltimore, MD
Sep
23
Tue
QuinTango - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues Alley
Washington, DC
Sep
23
Tue
QuinTango - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues Alley
Washington, DC
Sep
23
Tue
Bright Moments Jam Session
Keystone Korner Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
Sep
23
Tue
Keystone Konnections Music Industry Networking Event
Keystone Korner Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
Sep
23
Tue
Nightly Jazz
18th & 21st
Columbia, MD
Sep
23
Tue
Ed Hrybyk Trio
Bloom’s
Baltimore, MD

Washington
Concert Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...
Michael Sarian Quartet - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC

Michael Sarian Quartet - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC
Django Jazz Jam Hosted by Michael Harris
The BluebirdBaltimore, MD
Monday Night Open Mic
Next Phaze CafeBaltimore, MD
QuinTango - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC
QuinTango - Argentinean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC
Bright Moments Jam Session
Keystone Korner BaltimoreBaltimore, MD
Keystone Konnections Music Industry Networking Event
Keystone Korner BaltimoreBaltimore, MD
Nightly Jazz
18th & 21stColumbia, MD

Ed Hrybyk Trio
Bloom’sBaltimore, MD