Bay Area Vocalist Tiffany Austin
Debuts June 2
With "Nothing But Soul,"
To Be Released by Con Alma Music
On the New CD, Produced by Howard Wiley,
Austin Reimagines Compositions by Hoagy Carmichael
CD Release Concert at SFJAZZ Center's Joe Henderson Lab
June 12
May 13, 2015
The Los Angeles
native, currently based in Berkeley, worked with producer Howard Wiley
to adapt and expand on her November 2013 SFJAZZ "Hotplate" concert for
which she reimagined compositions by the great American songwriter Hoagy
Carmichael. Nothing But Soul is made up of six Carmichael tunes -- "Baltimore Oriole," "Stardust," "Skylark," "I Get Along Without You Very Well," "Georgia on My Mind," and "Sing Me a Swing Song (And Let Me Dance)" -- as well as two non-Carmichael numbers that he recorded as a vocalist: Henry Sullivan and Harry Ruskin's "I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)"; Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line"; and "Tête-à-Tête,"
a wordless a cappella duet by Austin and Wiley based on the chord
changes of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation." Tiffany was joined for the
recording by bassist Ron Belcher, drummer Sly Randolph, pianist Glen Pearson, and producer Howard Wiley on tenor saxophone.
"Hoagy is a treasure
trove of classics," says Austin. "When I looked at his catalog, I
realized that I'd been hearing, singing, and even piano-plunking away at
his tunes for a great chunk of my life -- 'Heart and Soul,' for
instance! I wanted to share that wonder of finding treasures in plain
view with other folks, while adding some other musical flavors to the
recipe. It's also fascinating to me that Hoagy achieved his law degree,"
adds Austin, who earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of
California Berkeley's Boalt School of Law in 2012, "and still decided to
pursue a career in music. Whatever your calling is, there's something
in your bones that tells you there is nothing that will make you happier
in life. And it takes a lot of courage to follow it."
"As I worked in those
styles I could hear a different quality coming out in my voice, and I
wanted to explore that further," says Austin, who also received lyric writing commissions and recorded for television, film, and album projects during this period.
"I also fell in love
with Japan, and when I left there it was with tears in my eyes," she
adds. "I was struck by how the artisans I met would not settle for
anything but the best of themselves and their craft, and would work with
such patient diligence. That work ethic resonated with me, and I find
myself summoning up memories of Japan when I brace myself for big
challenges."
In 2009, Austin
returned to the United States to attend U.C. Berkeley Law School, with
an emphasis in entertainment law and copyright. After graduation, she
found herself at a crossroad. "I could have gone into a law firm, which
can be rewarding, particularly if you're helping an underserved
community, but my calling has always been to do music," Austin says. "I
don't just want to make decisions based on money. I want to feel
connected to my art and my community. I want to really be in touch with
my soul.
"Although cliché, it's
true," she continues, "that law school teaches you how to think, how to
work efficiently, how to teach yourself, and how to be tenacious. Since
graduating, I've started my own music company (Con Alma Music),
put together my album, deepened the study of my crafts (vocalist,
lyricist, songwriter), and began independently studying harmony. I feel
like every bit of my education and experience has come together, in a
marvelously unlikely way, to make me an artist."
In Northern California
Tiffany has appeared at the SFJAZZ Center, Yoshi's in both Oakland and
San Francisco, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco, and
the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and in January 2014 traveled to New York
to perform with choreographer Nicole Klaymoon's Embodiment Project at
Jazz at Lincoln Center. Besides working with innovative local
bandleaders Marcus Shelby and Howard Wiley, Austin has sung with the
bands Orgone and MoonCandy, and has recorded with, among others, Orgone,
The Monophonics, The Droptones, and on UnderCover Presents Sly and the
Family Stone's Stand! tribute project.
Photography: Bill Reitzel
Web Site: tiffanyaustin.com
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Media Contact:
hudba@sbcglobal.net
510/234-8781
