A Tribute To Helen Merrill With Vocalist Suzanna Smith at Musically Minded Academy

Vocalist Suzanna Smith and her band celebrate the work of Helen Merrill, giving special focus to Merrill’s debut classic ‘Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown.’ Arranged and produced by Quincy Jones and released in 1955, the album features a fine collaboration between Merrill and Brown. The album had a direct influence on Smith’s early repertoire, as did Merrill’s warmth of timbre, acute sense of phrasing and soulful quality on Smith’s vocal style. For this concert, Suzanna Smith and her band will perform compositions from this recording as well as representative samples from the wide spectrum of Merrill’s discography....

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Vocalist Suzanna Smith and her band celebrate the work of Helen Merrill, giving special focus to Merrill’s debut classic ‘Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown.’ Arranged and produced by Quincy Jones and released in 1955, the album features a fine collaboration between Merrill and Brown. The album had a direct influence on Smith’s early repertoire, as did Merrill’s warmth of timbre, acute sense of phrasing and soulful quality on Smith’s vocal style. For this concert, Suzanna Smith and her band will perform compositions from this recording as well as representative samples from the wide spectrum of Merrill’s discography.


The San Francisco Examiner calls Suzanna Smith “a jazz singer with sass and style to spare.” Her outstanding debut ‘Halfway Between Heaven & Love’, released by her label (Ink Pen Records) and co-produced by Kitty Margolis, highlights her sage treatments of standards and her talent for crafting successful original compositions and new lyrics to instrumental songs. Contemporary influences include jazz vocalists (as well as friends and mentors) Karrin Allyson and Kitty Margolis and her partner, the esteemed jazz vocalist Kenny Washington. Smith is also a creative force behind The Sound Room in Oakland and her newest project, The Peggy Lee Project, features an ongoing exploration of the work of Peggy Lee, with special emphasis on Ms. Lee’s original compositions.


http://suzannasmith.com

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