Vancouver native and student vocalist Laura Swankey
performed a daring 45 minute set of forward thinking vocal jazz in which
instead of singing straight lyrics, she treats her voice like a well oiled
instrument. She is more reminiscent of
singers like Betty Carter and Norma Winstone, especially through her wide
selection of original material and the way she does “vocalize” musically and
very effectively.
Despite showing 15 minutes late for the recital, I was encouraged
and blessed to hear that students such as Laura Swankey ensure that the future
of creative jazz music is alive and well, and there are options to succeed
versus the MTV route where fame and fortune is definitely fleeting.
Backed by a stellar band of student musicians such as Mike
McCormick on guitar, Connor Walsh on bass, drummer Mark Ballyk and trumpeter
Morgan Gardner, they provide a very modern, fresh foil for her explorations and
compositions. I managed to catch her
original piece “Quiet”, a straight-8th’s piece where she does an
avant-garde, free jazz introduction before getting into gear with her quintet
mates. Morgan’s trumpet was very
complimentary and probing, Mike McCormick provided excellent comping patterns
and a moving solo, Connor Walsh kept effective time while playing around with
it for a little while and Mark Ballyk provided colour, movement and musicality
on the drums. The piece segued into a
one-chorus reading of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark”, which was highly emotional
and even brought tears to my eyes since she conveyed the timeless lyric and
melody so well.
Upon hearing her recital, I wish nothing but the best for
Laura Swankey as she pursues her professional musical endeavours as a vocal
artist. She is a creative force to be
reckoned with, and she is a very unique vocalist that has something worthwhile
to say. I have heard (and worked) with
MANY singers, and the majority in my opinion are just safe and under the
radar. Laura Swankey is a vocalist that
blows the radar off the roof and takes her music into very vital and otherworldly
directions.
LAURA SWANKEY’S BANDCAMP PAGE:
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