Marianne Solivan

Break’s Over

Imani

Marianne Solivan is a gifted singer who has a great stage presence, a sense of humor, and a flair for both nuance and the dramatic. I can attest to the above having witnessed her performance last fall at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival in Cape May, NJ. As she was then, on her newest release, “Break’s Over,” her fifth full-length, she is backed by pianist Brandon McCune and drummer Jay Sawyer. To boot, she brings aboard the legendary bassist, Buster Williams, who is especially strong when accompanying vocalists. Solivan may be a new name to many of you but her resume is dotted with plenty of A-list musicians.  This past December she performed with label owner Orrin Evans at the historic Deer Head Inn, a show that I unfortunately missed. She has also performed and recorded with Christian McBride, Peter Bernstein, Jeremy Pelt, Gregory Hutchinson, Johnathan Blake, Lewis Nash and others. Solivan was educated at both Berklee and The New England Conservatory of Music and is currently an Assistant Professor of Jazz Voice a Syracuse University. She is equally adept fronting big bands and smaller combos, the likes of what you hear on this effort.

Solivan mixing standards and originals on “Break’s Over,” sometimes writing lyrics, writing both the music and lyrics, or co-writing in these eight deeply emotional tracks. She begins with “Open The Door,” a ballad by the vocal innovator Betty Carter. Solivan digs in with great expression behind Williams’ swinging bass line and simpatico support from McCune and Sawyer (mostly on brushes).  Immediately one gets a sense of Solivan’s astute phrasing and elastic range, also feeling free to improvise as McCune and Sawyer have worked with her consistently in the past few years. She presents her sensual side in Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Zingaro” in which she substituted her own lyrics for those of the iconic Brazilian composer. She infuses some phrases with scatting in this challenging piece which only the most talented singer could pull off. Sawyer’s subtle time keeping is spot on and McCune displays his nimble touch in his extended turn. She brings drama to Richard Rodgers’ “Look No Further,” beginning the piece only accompanied by Williams’ sterling bass lines before McCune and Sawyer join in, transforming it to bright swinger.

The most tender “Moonlight To You” is a co-write of Marilyn Simpson with lyrics from Nancy King, yet another example of Solivan tackling expressive material with aplomb. McCune’s shimmering and dynamically controlled solo is among his best on this outing. As she did in her Exit Zero performance, she sings in both Spanish and English on “First Desire,” wherein she wrote the music with lyrics from Frederico Garcia Lorcia. Williams takes a brief turn midway, followed by McCune in this dreamy piece. Sawyer initiates “Spark,” a full Solivan original  and title track from her 2015 album, re-imagined for this outing. This one illuminates her command of shifting tempos and improvisation, building to a explosive crescendo and finale.

Solivan wrote the lyrics to Randy Weston’s “Little Nile,” changing the name of the tune to “We Must Love.” This piece, like some of the others marries drama with romance, and is obviously a feature for McCune. Hints of Abbey Lincoln echo through this album standout. Closer “The Other Half of Me,” from Jack Lawrence and Stan Freeman has that late night jazz club feel with Solivan’s vocal floating over the simpatico accompaniment, quite different from the pop version of the song, popularized by Bobby Darin in the early ‘60s. The song also appeared in the 1964 Broadway musical “I Had a Ball.”

If you haven’t already, get acquainted with Marianne Solivan, one of the most expressive singers in this increasingly competitive field of female jazz vocalists.

– JIm Hynes

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