Tessa Souter

Vocalist Tessa Souter dazzled listeners with her excellent debut album, Night Of Key Largo, which was awarded the Swing Journal Gold Disc. With her next album, Beyond the Blue, Souter embarked on an ambitious task: writing lyrics to well-known classical compositions and performing them in a jazz setting. Being a gifted writer, Souter herself wrote the lyrics for all but three of the songs. For this release, Souter is supported by outstanding New York-based jazz musicians. She sings gracefully and intelligently, using her beautiful voice to the fullest.

On her stunning recording, Obsession, Tessa Souter presents a multicultural banquet, that reflects her own conjoined African, Indian, Caribbean, and English bloodlines, as well as her American present. Co-produced by Tessa Souter and Sue Edwards, Obsession (Souter's third CD as a leader), features guitarist Jason Ennis, bassist Gary Wang, drummer Conor Meehan, violinist Todd Reynolds, vocalist Ansel Matthews (backing vocals on two tracks) and accordion player Victor Prieto.

Vocalist Tessa Souter dazzled listeners with her excellent debut album, Night Of Key Largo, which was awarded the Swing Journal Gold Disc. With her next album, Beyond the Blue, Souter embarked on an ambitious task: writing lyrics to well-known classical compositions and performing them in a jazz setting. Being a gifted writer, Souter herself wrote the lyrics for all but three of the songs. For this release, Souter is supported by outstanding New York-based jazz musicians. She sings gracefully and intelligently, using her beautiful voice to the fullest.

Since arriving in New York City, Tessa Souter has built a dedicated following. She was a relative latecomer to jazz, taking time out to raise a family at a young age and work as a journalist before studying at the Manhattan School of music and privately with vocal great Mark Murphy, though she has developed into a formidable singer in a relatively short time. Souter's gorgeous, natural vocals never show pretension or gimmickry, while her taste in songs is amazingly wide-ranging and occasionally risk-taking. For these 2008 sessions, her accompanists include the brilliant pianist Kenny Werner (who works especially well with vocalists), saxophonist Joel Frahm, Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, veteran first-call bassist Jay Leonhart, and the in-demand drummer Billy Drummond. Souter's lush treatment of "Close Enough for Love" captures the essence of this beautiful standard (a favorite of the late Shirley Horn and many others).

Jazz singing is all about freedom, and for Tessa Souter, that liberty involves crossing borders and delving into other cultures for the wisdom they contain. In her work you’ll hear echoes of Africa, South America, and the Caribbean, of folk and Arabic music, all filtered through a post-bop jazz sensibility. Her clear, penetrating voice has a searching quality and a sense of unrest.

Since arriving in New York City, Tessa Souter has built a dedicated following. She was a relative latecomer to jazz, taking time out to raise a family at a young age and work as a journalist before studying at the Manhattan School of Music and privately with vocal great Mark Murphy, though she has developed into a formidable singer in a relatively short time.

Since arriving in New York City, Tessa Souter has built a dedicated following. She was a relative latecomer to jazz, taking time out to raise a family at a young age and work as a journalist before studying at the Manhattan School of Music and privately with vocal great Mark Murphy, though she has developed into a formidable singer in a relatively short time.

Beyond the Blue finds Tessa Souter s crystalline voice and visceral authenticity in rare form as she leads an all-star jazz ensemble on 12 superbly imaginative arrangements of songs from the classical canon. Souter gives ample space to the extraordinary soloists, making it especially satisfying for lovers of instrumental jazz. Truly a one of a kind record!

Venus brings you another compilation of tunes from their family of great jazz musicians. This is the seventeenth volume release of Venus Records' SACD sampler. Featured artists include the New York Trio, Peter Bernstein Plus 3, Tessa Souter, Sayaka Tsuruta, and many more!