Diane Schurr is one of the major stars in vocal jazz, and while it is true that she has the goods (world class voice, strong pianism and confident stage presence,) they just don’t work for me on many levels.  Her tone, strangely reminiscent of the pop side of the late opera/pop singer Eileen Farrell (a good thing; many jazz and cabaret singers would learn well from her) is pushed sometimes mercilessly to reach all over the scale not taking into account if it made musical or lyrical sense.  This is not to say the music is dissonant or atonal—it is merely anti-intuitive.

Possibly due to decades of singing, her instrument is no longer obeying her will—much of her high voice was pinched and wavering, although occasionally a clear strong note or phrase popped out.  Her lustrous mid-voice was not always on pitch, something that would not matter as much if she were able to make some music with the majority her singing.  One thing Schurr still can control is her band and from the second she was escorted on stage (she is blind and made some good-natured jokes about it), she let them know who was boss by slowing the tempo down from a race to a trot.  The singer's obedient, yet top flight band, consisted of Rod Fleeman (guitar), SCott Steed (bass) and REggie Jackson (drums).

Her set was chock full of good songs, including “The Very Thought of You” and the Mercer/Manilow “When October Goes.”  These lovely ballads lacked emotion, leaving me cold and dissatisfied.  For the blues standard, “Stormy Monday,” she was at her best, offering earthy tone and strong pulsating rhythms.

A perverse marriage of sad chords (“Blue Skies”) to an upbeat lyric is a type of arrangement that has contributed to jazz becoming less of a popular art form and more of a curiosity.  Be creative but as the monkey said, “Straighten Up and Fly Right!”  Sadly, many major jazz festivals feature pop, rock or blues performers at this time—probably because the “jazz” music is just too inaccessible to attract the hordes.

Melody Breyer-Grell
Cabaret Scenes
October 6, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org