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Jazz’s
cool queen gets hot with Swing Fever
October 2, 2015, by Andrew Gilbert, BERKELYSIDE.
Denise Perrier’s theme song could be
“Travelin’ Light,” as the supremely stylish San Francisco jazz singer
continues to follow her wanderlust to the
wide corners the world. Since
she first lit out to tour Australia some five decades ago, Perrier has
performed in more than two dozen countries, a tireless itinerary that means
she’s often introducing herself to new generations of Bay Area jazz fans
when she gets back home. You can catch her Saturday at the
California Jazz
Conservatory with
Swing Fever, but then she’s off for San Miguel de Allende in
Mexico, followed by her first trip to Cuba in December.
Like so many
of her previous foreign connections, Perrier got the chance to fulfill her
longtime desire to sing in Cuba by being in the right place at the right time. A
few months ago she was performing at
Bird & Beckett, the
invaluable San Francisco bookstore and venue in Glen Park, where she met the
great Cuban poet, translator and essayist
Nancy Morejón
and
“we ended up at the Sheba Lounge singing in Spanish together,” Perrier says.
“She talked with the minister of culture and got me this invite.”
Perrier knows how to make a lasting impression. With her velvety contralto and unerring sense of swing, she’s equally at adept at interpreting American Songbook standards with a piano trio in an intimate cabaret as she is belting out blues backed by the Junius Courtney Big Band (though she’ll be in Havana for the JCBB’s next gig at Yoshi’s on Dec. 15, so the estimable Rhonda Benin is stepping in).
She’s been working with Swing Fever since the turn of the century, regularly performing with the group on first and third Tuesdays at the Panama Hotel in San Rafael (as well as Pier 23 and Sausalito Seahorse). Founded and led by trombonist Bryan Gould, the combo has long served as a smart showcase for the best singers in a region known for producing exceptional vocalists, starting with the great Mary Stallings. Before Perrier took over the vocal spot Swing Fever boasted singular singers Paula West, Kim Nalley, Brenda Boykin and Jackie Ryan. For Saturday’s gig, the band features tenor sax great Noel Jewkes, guitarist Jeff Massanari, drummer Tony Johnson, and bassist Dean Riley, a Bay Area jazz mainstay since 1945 (!).
Part of what
makes Perrier such a beguiling singer is the way her dry sense of humor and
supple phrasing reveal layers of irony in familiar standards. “She does the
blues great, but I really think she’s a standards singer,” Gould says. “With
Swing Fever the blues make up about a fourth of her repertoire and the rest is
mostly Gershwin and Arlen. I really believe in songs, and we pay a lot of
attention to the lyrics. It’s straight out of Ella and Billie and Sarah.”
Quotes
Perrier is one of the great m
musical gems who calls San Francisco
home. We who live here are blessed to see her perform and hear
her rich and sultry contralto voice when she is not traveling
nationally or internationally. Her voice is matched by her
wonderful and elegant stage presence, as she stirs her audience
with the passion and moving interpretations she brings to jazz
standards and blues classics alike. You will kick yourself if
you've put off seeing the classy Denise Perrier perform, asking
yourself, "What took me so long? "-
Christine Harris
"Ms Perrier boasts a gorgeous
instrument; call it a burnished contralto.
When she sustains a tone, it remains unswerving. Yet when she
decides to go for a high note, she can leap an octave with ease
and vocal strength."
--- Harvey Siders, Jazz Times
“Denise
has this wonderfully warm voice....Listening to
her is like sipping the best glass
of wine you ever
had
in your life. You savor every note that
comes
out of
her mouth.”
- Dee Spencer, pianist and professor of
music.
"Denise has everything a singer should: sound, soul,
swing and
feeling.
And she's a party!"
-- Houston Person, tenor saxophonist
"Denise
Perrier is more than a good singer. She is a
complete
entertainer, who
is able to take a song and
make it her own."
--
Clifford
Brown, Jr. radio host, KCSM
"She's the real deal, right in
there with Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah
Washington."
- Bryan Gould, founder of big band Swing Fever
"A commanding singer with
a big, warm voice and a stylish delivery."
-Donna Kimura, Jazz Reviews
"Perrier’s work is
big, rich, melodic, and hits home with
a remarkable punch. She has that swirling,
dancing, ingratiating intimacy usually
associated with
Continental
vocalists…a real pro,"
- Phillip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner
THE PERFECT NIGHT, WHERE EVERYTHING WENT RIGHT !!! "
Dan C.
I saw her at a day club (Spatz) at Fishermen's wharf in the 80's. And on the radio and thought, why don't I finally buy her cd, especially a 5 star cd?Great tunes; ELLINGTON MEDLEY-ALL OF ME-UNTIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG-AINT MISBEHAVIN'/. . WRITE MY SELF A LETTER-POLKA DOT'S&MOONBEAMS LET A SONG GO OUT OF MY HEART-I'LL TAKE ROMANCE-SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET-MORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY-BIG LONG SLIDIN' THING (KINDA A MILLIE JACKS TYPE OF SONG;'R' RATED)
Her tentet is super great! Big time energy! At least 4 of the musicians in the past year's, I've seenin-person. The audience is part of the excitement.
She has a Shirley Horn tone which I like. THIS ONE WILL BE PLAYED MANY TIMES TO COME !!!
THE GREATEST LIVE ALBUM I'VE EVER HEARD !
Jim M.I was astonished when I first put this CD on my CD player one Monday morning while working in my home office and found myself instantly transported into musical nirvana by Denise Perrier and her fantastic supporting band. I've heard a lot of great live performances, including Sinatra at the Sands which has until now been my benchmark for great live performances, but this superb live recording at Yoshi's jazz club in San Francisco tops them all ! In this SUPERLATIVE live performance Denise Perrier proves beyond any doubt that she is one of the greatest pop/jazz singers of our time. Her timing, vocal inflections, phrasing and song selection are all simply outstanding ! Where do I sign up for the fan club ? Do yourself a eat big favor and buy this CD while it is still in print
I've listened to this CD 100+ times since that first Monday morning and still can't get enough of it. This is a musical masterpiece of the great American songbook by a truly GREAT artist !
Denise Perrier Is The Best! Lavay Smith & Chris Siebert
I am so pleased that Denise Perrier has a new album out, because she is one of the great Jazz singers of our time, and any album by her is a treasure! "Live At Yoshi's" is an exceptional album because we get to hear Denise in her element, with a live audience and a swingin' band, including the great Harold Jones on Drums. I love the way she sings "All Of Me", swingin' like crazy, and I love the way she eases into "On The Sunny Side Of The Street". And she just kills it on "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". Denise is a great Jazz singer who is also one of our great interpreters of The Blues-check out her take on "Big Long Slidin' Thing". She is a master story teller. Every song on this album is smokin'! I also have to say that as a Jazz singer myself, Denise is one of my biggest inspirations. You will love this album!---Lavay Smith