Since her captivating debut in 2009, jazz vocalist Sylvia Brooks has displayed a gift for inhabiting different personas, with a subspecialty in film-noir inspired femmes fatale. On this – Signature (Rhombus Records) – her fourth album, she embraces the most challenging role of all, defining herself with a set of beautifully crafted original songs. Her evocative lyrics and emotionally direct delivery imbue the music with hard-won authenticity. Whether looking back with wry affection on her walk-on-the-wild-side youth or lamenting a lost love, Brooks brings bracing honesty and poise to the material.
When Jazz Meets Classical: Musicians Who Bridge Two Timeless Traditions
Although the borders between jazz and classical music might look well defined, some of the greatest jazz musicians in history have played so freely, so defensively, as to create inspired work that exists somewhere in between. Indeed, the rich history of jazz that’s...
