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| Vocalist Milton Suggs to release "Pure Intention" (Imani Records) Vocalist Milton Suggs, joined by pianist Michael King to release "Pure Intention, " his debut recording for Imani Records. Milton Suggs - Vocals Michael King - Piano A vocal-piano duo with vocalist Milton Suggs and pianist Michael King. This album features the music of some jazz's most revered musicians and composers, such as Horace Silver, Cedar Walton, Lee Morgan, with lyrics penned by Milton Suggs. Release Date: July 12th, 2024 (Imani Records) Milton Suggs' aptly titled Pure Intention, his Imani Records debut and first album since 2016, admirably showcases the 40-year-old singer's considerable skills in the realms of lyric writing and interpretation. Joined by the gifted pianist Michael King, a fellow Chicagoan and long-time bandstand partner, Suggs tells stories set to melodies by harmonically sophisticated, upper echelon composers like Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Buster Williams, Cedar Walton, Larry Willis, Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Garrett, along with imaginative "covers" of the O'Jays' "Cry Together" (Gamble & Huff) and Frankie Beverly's "Golden Time of Day". Throughout the proceedings, the protagonists remain faithful to unlocking the messages encoded therein, while sustaining an animating spirit of improvisation and dialogue. A smooth baritone like his early role models Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, also Chicago-born, Suggs phrases with the fluidity of the instrumentalists he honors, with exemplary diction, proceeding deliberately at all tempos to ensure he conveys the tale as it needs to be told, while also channeling the emotional transparency of Chicago Soul hero Donny Hathaway, and the go-for-broke spiritual energy of the 360-degree-oriented AACM singer Luba Rashiek. With Pure Intention, Suggs circles back to the format of his first recording, a duo encounter with Chicago piano legend Willie Pickens, his godfather, titled Just Like Me: Music of Ellington and Strayhorn, on which Suggs, then in his late twenties, delivered the lyrics with subtlety and erudition, referencing different Ellington singers in his own manner. He began to focus on vocalese after moving to Chicago in the early ̛ 00s to "gain respect" at demanding Windy City jam sessions run by tenor sax legends Fred Anderson and Von Freeman, and at the same Green Mill Tavern gathering where Kurt Elling made his name in the early ̛ 90s. Pure Intention is Suggs' first release since The Truth Inside, released in 2016, on which he framed his voice with a mid-sized ensemble including such Chicago-based generational peers as Marquis Hill and Christopher McBride. During the interim, he's shifted his focus in favor of parenting his young daughter, working as a teacher and data specialist, while also writing and creating and doing occasional gigs. Part of his motivation for documenting his development circa 2023 in this naked, unforgiving format is the inherent freedom and flexibility that it allows. Suggs also seeks these qualities in his relationship with Imani Records. "I'm looking for zautonomy, for relationships with good energy and like-minded artistic values, " he says. "I had Imani in mind because I think that's Imani's strength." "I ran to this record, " Imani Records owner Orrin Evans says. "Milton reminds me of Andy Bey, who I had the pleasure of playing with. I love his energy and spirit. I'm excited about the opportunity to put out a simple duo record that I know will get some airplay and put him in another light. Very few singers could do a duo tour with just a piano player. It amazes me that Milton is such a quiet person, but you close your eyes, and all this beautiful stuff comes out." ~Ted Panken About Milton Suggs Milton Suggs's voice and approach to music are a reflection not only of his direct lineage, but of the many great voices in Black American music and culture from the past century and beyond. Firmly rooted in the blues Milton sports a rich baritone with the breadth and power reminiscent of singers like Joe Williams, is able to emote with the soulful intensity of singers like Donny Hathaway, and achieve a velvet palette suggestive of Nat King Cole. Milton possesses a unique ability to evoke emotion with a masterful sense of phrasing and dynamics. A gifted composer, arranger, and lyricist, Milton's music is both honest and inventive, drawing inspiration from a number of influences while forging a singular identity. As a visionary artist, Suggs seeks to pave new roads within the vast traditions that were laid before him for it is the spirit, struggles, triumphs, and stories from the many generations that preceded him that make up the foundation upon which his own artistry stands. Voted repeatedly a top 10 rising star male vocalist in Downbeat Magazine's annual critc's poll, the recognition of Milton's talents have continued to grow throughout his years as a fixture in Jazz working with artists and bands such as the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Orrin Evans, Wycliffe Gordon, Ulysses Owens, and Marquis Hill among others. Milton has also been consistent with his own efforts as a recording artist, producing four albums to date and continually developing new projects with new ensembles. Born in Chicago, IL, a third generation musician, Suggs recognized music as a gift from a young age; it was later that he would accept it as a calling. While growing up in Atlanta, GA, though continually exposed to music of varying styles, it was with his church choir at the age of seven that Milton garnered his first experiences with singing and performance. While in elementary and middle school, he gravitated toward the upright bass, the instrument of his father and namesake, and later played the alto saxophone and drums; however, it was not until after high school that he committed to the pursuit of music as his life's work. Returning to Chicago, he began studying piano with the legendary Willie Pickens, while also honing his craft as a vocalist and performer. In 2012 Milton moved to New York where he immediately took to performing throughout the city, and soon branching out internationally as a performer and educator. Presently, Milton Suggs continues to blaze a trail as a vocalist, composer, and educator touring throughout the world as both a collaborator and leader, embracing each opportunity to explore new creative terrain and further the legacy left by his predecessors. write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |