| Tessa Souter | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 3, 1956 [1] London, England |
| Origin | San Francisco, California |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | singer, songwriter, journalist |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Nara Venus Motéma Music |
| Website | tessasouter.com |
Tessa Souter /ˈsuːtər/ is an English and Trinidadian singer-songwriter based in New York City, one of New York's leading jazz vocalists.[2] Her music has Spanish, Northern African, Middle Eastern, Indian, Brazilian, flamenco, and Celtic influences.[3] She has also worked as a journalist, writing for such publications as The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, Elle, Vogue, and The Sydney Morning Herald.
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Tessa Souter was born in London on April 3, 1956, to a Trinidadian father and an English mother.[4] Her mother paraded her about like Shirley Temple when she was young.[5] She studied piano from the ages of 8-12, until her piano teacher heard her voice and encouraged her to pursue singing. She learned guitar by ear, and began writing songs, but she rebelled not much later, running away from home at age 15,[6] becoming pregnant at 16, and entering into a short-lived marriage as a result.[7] In spite of devoting her life to her son, once she got into school, she was able to go to college, eventually earning a B.A. with honors in English literature from London University, deciding that journalism was a safer career for a single mother than performing artist. An interview with Stefan Lorant brought her to Massachusetts, then San Francisco (in 1992, after her son entered college),[8] where she worked as a housecleaner and freelance journalist.
In 1994, she was one of the founding members of the Writer's Grotto, through which she first sang in public, at the Mint Karaoke Bar, urged on by her then-current boyfriend. Singing brought her to New York, where she won a scholarship to Manhattan School of Music, dropping out after one semester to pursue her career. Mark Murphy hired her to run his workshops in exchange for mentoring her.
She has performed at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center), The Blue Note, Joe's Pub,[9] The Jazz Standard, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, The Kitano, London's Pizza Express, Dean Street, Pizza on the Park, and Ronnie Scott's, among others.
In spite of a relatively short career, she has worked with such jazz artists as Steve Kuhn, Joe Locke, Gary Versace, David Finck, Kenny Werner, Ron McLure, Billy Drummond, Gene Bertoncini, Lew Soloff, Santi Debriano, Joel Frahm, John Hart, Essiet Essiet, Jay Leonhart, Marvin Sewell, Romero Lubambo, Gwilym Simcock, Nikki Iles, Asaf Sirkis, Winston Clifford, Lekan Babalola, Howard Johnson, Joe LaBarbera, and Larry Koonse.
Souter's musical influences include Carmen Jones, Captain Beefheart, Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Sarah Vaughan. Her biggest jazz influences are instrumentalists, specifically Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and Milton Nascimento.
Souter's regular band consists of Jason Ennis (guitar), Gary Wang (bass), and Conor Meehan (drums).
According to Victor L. Schermer of All About Jazz, Souter "uses dynamics and inflections to convey a deeper sense of meaning that the songs imply, and she does it with great attention to details that most singers overlook. This contemplative aspect, along with her unique style, precise articulation and her well-trained, stunning voice, make Souter a vocalist to reckon with and one whose development should be followed with great interest."[10]