Tierney Sutton & San Gabriel 7 GOOD PEOPLE

May 2, 2024

TIERNEY SUTTON & SAN GABRIEL 7

GOOD PEOPLE

JRL-SGS Records

Chad Edwards, piano/keyboards; Chris Gordon, piano; Steve Gregory & Serge Merlaud, guitar; Jonathan Pintoff & Trey Henry, acoustic bass; Randy M. Drake, drums; Scott Breadman, percussion; Kye Palmer, trumpet/flugelhorn; Glen Berger, alto, tenor & Soprano saxophone; Dan Boissy, alto saxophone/flute; Jay Mason, baritone & tenor saxophone; flute; Alex Budman, alto saxophone; James Lewis & Paul Stocker, trombone; Elizabeth Wilson & Varty Manouelian, violins; Cara Pegossian, viola; Armen Ksajiksian, cello.

Tierney Sutton has picked up her pen to write lyrics for several songs on her current album release. I’ve heard (in person) and admired Sutton’s jazz vocals. I never thought of her as a composer or lyricist. With this project she expands her horizons, becoming a singer/songwriter. She mixes philosophy, love songs, and fun into a stew of thought-provoking lyrics, with the able accompaniment of the San Gabriel 7 who bubble with energy beneath her vocals.

They open with the title tune, “Good People” that deals directly with racism in America, referencing redlining, Emmett Till, the racist application of the G.I. Bill, urban planning, and the violent backlash against prosperous Black communities all over America.

Tierney explains, “No doubt there are thousands of ‘Emmett Tills’ (the Scottsboro Boys, The Groveland 7, The Central Park 5). These historical facts felt like smelling salts that woke me up to what had been hiding in plain sight all my life. ‘Good People’ is a song about me, about my people (white Americans) and the things we continually repeat so that we can think of ourselves as Good People.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLq6CqzmTvY

A song called “The In Between” has a pretty melody and a lyric Sutton has penned that addresses the concept of ‘Us’ and ‘Them.’ She describes a place where we meet, all together as human beings called, ‘the In Between.” Glen Berger’s soprano saxophone is jazzy and sweet, with Sutton dancing vocal pirouettes above his solo. Kye Palmer adds a velvet smooth trumpet solo to their mix.

“Where’d I put My Keys?” is a great song title. It’s set to Serge Merlaud’s blues melody. The Sutton lyrics are well-written, but Tierney doesn’t really sing the blues. Like jazz, the blues has a unique swing and rhythm. When she doubles the horn line, then she’s ‘swinging.’ Pianist, Karen Hammack, composed a song that was played at Tierney’s wedding to Serge Merlaud. Trey Henry put lyrics to it and “The Wild” became one of the artist’s favorite songs on this project. On the tune “Ten,” Tierney sadly remembers ten women executed by the government of Iran for choosing to practice a different faith. Sutton composed the music and wrote the lyrics for “Happy Goodbye.” That quickly becomes one of my favorites on this project. This is the Tierney Sutton I am used to hearing sing, swing, and scat.

Here is a thought-provoking album, allowing Sutton to explore her composing talents and share some surprising revelations about life and love.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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