Listen Love by Tessa Souter

" said the Los Angeles Times, in a rave review of her California debut at the Catalina Bar and Grill in 2002. The Philadelphia Inquirer raved about her "amazing" debut CD Listen Love and her "crystal-clear voice with diamond-cut phrasing and slight tinge of melancholy." And it's not just the critics who admire her. Soul jazz singer Jon Lucien said of Listen Love. "Magnificent! I couldn't stop playing it over and over. She blew me away!" Her one-time mentor Mark Murphy says of her, "She is a complete musician … extraordinary and moving." Sheila Jordan says, "She’s at the top of my list of great talent. I love her voice. She really moves me." Howard Johnson says she is "an important musician... whose brilliant lyrics and songs make her stand out from the pack so very much, not to mention how well she sings other people's material."

Taught to sing at the age of three by her mother, Tessa took up the guitar at 12. She was encouraged in her early teens to pursue a singing career, but took a detour - early motherhood, university and journalism. In 1992, she moved to San Francisco, where she wrote for the British press, including Vogue, Elle, The Guardian and The Times, and became one of the original six members of The Writer's Grotto, along with Po Bronson (who cites her in his best seller What Should I Do With My Life), Ethan Canin, Ethan Watters, Josh Kornbluth and David Munro. After moving to New York in 1996, she started sitting in at jazz jams, before winning a scholarship to study at New York's Manhattan School of Music in 1998. She left to study privately with jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy. Since her professional debut in 1999 Tessa has performed with some of the world's jazz greats, including Mark Murphy, Joe La Barbera, Marvin Sewell, Larry Koonse, Latin Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria and jazz tuba legend Howard Johnson. WNPK Radio FM says: "It's hard to believe she only recently became a vocalist, because she sings with the authority and passion that usually comes from long experience." To quote Los Angeles-based guitarist Larry Koonse, "Tessa Souter has all the qualities I value most in a musician: great time, beautiful phrasing, gorgeous sound, a respect for silence, an emotional connection to the moment, and a wonderful ability to tell a story. She is the 'real thing' in every way." www.tessasouter.com www.sonicbids.com/tessasouter

What People Are Saying About Tessa's Music:

"Magnificent! I couldn't stop playing it over and over!"

JON LUCIEN, SOUL JAZZ VOCALIST AND COMPOSER

"Talented English jazz singer who runs her set through various kinds of territory."

NEW YORK TIMES

"British-Caribbean jazz vocalist Tessa Souter brings new life to time-honored standards, while also mining a creative spark from the unlikeliest quarters -- Sting's 'Fragile', Pharoah Sanders' 'The Creator Has A Master Plan', even Rodrigo's 'Concierto de Aranjuez.'"

TIME OUT, NEW YORK

"On her amazing album Listen Love, she delivers powerful versions of nonstandards such as Pat Martino's "Willow" and Pharoah Sanders' complex "The Creator Has a Master Plan," in addition to her originals, all delivered in a crystal-clear voice with diamond-cut phrasing and a slight tinge of melancholy. She's a gem."

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

"Unlike many jazz singers, who either emulate the brassy blasts of a trumpet or the gymnastic lines of a saxophone, Souter uses the sustained waves of a violinist. Her voice is sinuous and elastic, stretching and caressing a melody with an actress' sense of the emotional meaning of each lyric."

PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER

"You'll burn a finger holding a torch to her."

DAILYCANDY.COM

"Her rendition of Pharoah Sanders's 'The Creator Has a Master Plan' proves that it's possible to be spiritual and sensual at the same time."

NEW YORK SUN

"Dazzles and stuns with her vocal expertise."

WNTI-FM RADIO

"... pliable, lush-toned voice ... comfortable with musical paraphrase, harmonically adept ... Souter, whose musical sophistication gives her a significant advantage in the competitive clamor surrounding the current world of ambitious female jazz artists, also has the rare quality of authenticity."

LOS ANGELES TIMES (LIVE REVIEW)

"Listen Love marks the debut of an important new jazz singer."

WPKN-FM RADIO

"You'll be hearing more from this lady."

LOS ANGELES WEEKLY

"... fearless, self-assured and consciously singular ... sense of daring combined with skill."

WORCESTER MAGAZINE

"An Afro-British-Caribbean stylist who proves that the jazz singer's repertoire is no longer limited to the Great American Song Book. Direct and soulful. Plus she's the only singer who can make sense of the 60s free-jazz flower child anthem, 'The Creator Has A Master Plan.'"

VILLAGE VOICE

"Unique ... elegant ... a voice that is both strong and sensitive at the same time."

RUSSELL DAVIES, BBC RADIO 2

"She is a complete musician whose range of music, expression and dynamic presentation are remarkable and very moving - completely capturing her audience."

MARK MURPHY, DOWNBEAT'S MALE JAZZ SINGER OF THE YEAR

"Sensuous, womanly, wrapped in an aura of high-60s glamour that's equal parts Paris, New York and Rio."

JOSEPH HOOPER, JAZZ CRITIC

"It is rare to find someone so musical who can sail through challenging material with such ease."

JAMES GAVIN, AUTHOR, BIOGRAPHER OF CHET BAKER

"A beautiful voice and a beautiful soul to go with it. A very very special talent ... at the top of my list of great talent. There aren't many, but Tessa Souter is a natural born singer."

SHEILA JORDAN, JAZZ VOCALIST

"Her brilliant lyrics and songs make her stand out from the pack so very much, not to mention how she wonderfully handles other people's material. And she creates a mood and an atmosphere when she takes the stage."

HOWARD JOHNSON, JAZZ TUBA PLAYER

Average Customer Review: