...a stunning project...held together by the highly original mind of Ms. Swiggett.
For her second OA2 release, Seattle pianist, composer and vocalist Nelda Swiggett invited veteran Seattle Symphony violist Rachel Swerdlow and cellist Walter Gray to augment her long time trio, with bassist Chris Symer and drummer Byron Vannoy, for a collection of original compositions. Creatively unfolding melodies with supple harmonies create unique soundscapes and the illusion of a larger ensemble. "...generally starting out calmly and melodically, but unveiling deeper layers of excitement and intrigue as the songs develop. There's a lot to listen to here, and almost all of it is excellent." - All Music Guide.
Track Listing:
1. Thanks to Solomon 6:21
2. Hewett's Blues 6:27
3. Three for All 5:34
4. Now or Never 5:21
5. Blue-Eyed Painted Lady 5:01
6. Go Together 6:10
7. Rainy Days 4:08
8. Ruby Knows 5:10
9. A Tune with a View 6:24
Performers:
Nelda Swiggett - piano, vocals, compositions
Chris Symer - bass
Byron Vannoy - drums
Rachel Swerdlow - viola
Walter Gray - cello
Production Info:
Produced by Nelda Swiggett
Recorded & mixed by David Lange
at David Lange Studios, Edgewood, WA
March 10 & 11, 2013
Mastered by Ross Nyberg
at Nyberg Mastering, Issaquah, WA
Cover art painted by Sue Christiansen
All other photos by Steve Korn
Design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Blue-Eyed Painted Lady
emusic (Dave Sumner)
Gorgeous jazz-with-strings recording by pianist & vocalist Swiggett, who offers a set of tunes with a warm electricity and a fluidity of motion that just carries the listener along. Along with her standing trio of drummer Byron Vannoy and bassist Chris Symer, Swiggett recruited a cellist and violist from the Seattle Symphony, and that pairing resul ...
Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
A jazzbo trio mixes it up with a couple of local (Seattle) classical luminaries for a rolling thunder of a set that smokes along mightily with elements of pop and progressive rock in it's grooves as well as it's jazz base. Delightfully left of center, this is a fearless set that pushes boundaries and keeps on going. Smart stuff for smart listener ...
All About Jazz (Editor)
Swiggett has a unique touch and intensely appealing pianism, and a voice with a depth similar to that of Abbey Lincoln (there are other voices that come closer, but the earthiness is equivalent). Clever and fun listening.
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All About Jazz (C. Michael Bailey)
Pianist Nelda Swiggett follows her confident and successful This Time (OA2 Records, 2010) with an expansion of her original piano trio into a piano-string quintet, minus the violin plus a drummer. This expanded format suits Swiggett's orchestral compositional leanings well and provides an intriguing and successful combining of nightclub jazz and c ...
Jazz Weekly (George W. Harris)
Pianist/vocalist Nelda Swiggett leads a chamber jazz team of Chris Symer/bass, Byron Vannoy/drums, Rachel Swerdlow/viola and Walter Gray/cello through some exciting, quirky and swinging originals. Tensile and dramatic pieces such as "Thanks To Solomon" or the boppish "Hewett's Blues" have the leader using either lyrics or wordless vocals with ...
Earshot Jazz (Jeff Janeczko)
Pianist and composer Nelda Swiggett's latest offering, Blue-Eyed Painted Lady, is a 9-track disc of original compositions played skillfully by her "stringtet" – that is, her piano trio (Chris Symer, bass; Byron Vannoy, drums) augmented by violist Rachel Swerdlow and cellist Walter Gray, both of the Seattle Symphony (Gray was also a founding membe ...
WHPK (Lofton A Emenari)
Under The Radar: 3 Recordings that merit considerable attention. Over the past year many recordings pass my desk, some good, some not so good. Here are 3 that did not gain appreciable wider recognition and acclaim in the mass market media yet are hall marked distinctively for speaking directly to our collective human condition. 1. Joseph Daley-Port ...
