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| Susan Getz Returns to Plush Room Wonderful Bay Area vocalist Susan Getz will perform at the famed Plush Room in San Francisco's York Hotel, Thursday through Saturday, March 30 through April 1. These Plush Room performances represent a noteworthy accomplishment for the up-and-coming singer. Other than nationally-known chanteuses Paula West and Wesla Whitfield, Getz is the first Bay Area artist to be invited into the prestigious music room for a weekend residence this year, an honor normally reserved for the likes of Jane Monheit and Rita Moreno. The Thursday night show, by the way, will be Susan's Birthday Bash. Come prepared for cake and special guests. Getz is riding a wave of popularity brought about by the rousing indie-success of her 2005 debut recording, Jazz Boxx, an online smash at popular music sites like iTunes, AllAboutJazz and Amazon. Her haunting original "Say Goodbye to Love" became a featured download at AllAboutJazz in January and has since logged more than 20 downloads per day. NPR Director Robin Hilton chose Susan's version of the Beatles hit "The Long And Winding Road" for his "All Things Considered" virtual open-mic. Susan's debut CD Jazz Boxx has received airplay and glowing reviews across Europe, the U.S. and Brazil. Another sign of her growing reputation is the number of top-flight Bay Area players, like bassist/bandleader Marcus Shelby and saxophone dynamo Howard Wiley, who have been showing up in the band at her shows. A compelling stylist, Getz sings jazz standards and her intriguing originals with a smooth, straightforward grace and ready warmth. She generally stays close to the melody, foregoing vocal flourishes in favor of a quiet, smoldering passion. It's no surprise that her strongest musical influences--Astrud Gilberto, Elvis Costello, Chet Baker and Peggy Lee--are themselves masters of understated emotion. Getz's return to the Plush Room, honor that it is, is really no surprise, given the popularity of "The West Coast Cool Revival, " a recent series of performances she offered over the past several months at high-profile Bay Area venues including Bruno's, The Purple Onion, Shanghai 1930 and Zebulon's. These intriguing shows incorporated rural spirituals into the hipster cool style of the 1950's and 60's in order to explore, as Getz explains, "the relationship between music, spirituality and community." Backing Getz at the Plush Room will be the top-flight trio pianist David Michel-Ruddy, bassist Lorenzo Farrell and drummer Jemal Ramirez--all long-time collaborators with the singer and major contributors to her accomplished, enthralling sound. They'll be offering selections from Jazz Boxx, the West Coast Cool Revival, and Getz's new, soon-to-be released CD, The Green Eyed Girl. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |