PRESS KIT

Michelle Nicolle | Songs in the Key of W. ★★★★

Primrose Potter Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre, August 3
THE AGE Review (Jessica Nicholas)

Songs in the Key of W is Michelle Nicolle’s offering of thanks to some of the great women composers in jazz (and beyond). In the intimate Recital Centre Salon on Saturday, Nicolle and her specially assembled quintet presented familiar jazz standards alongside lesser known songs and a handful of original compositions. Even the most well-worn tunes feel fresh and personal when Nicolle sings them. She can embellish a melody or tug at the rhythm of a phrase without detracting from the meaning of a song, making us believe every lyric is her own.

Her arrangements for this new project, too, were subtle but extremely effective, making the most of the flexible two-horn front line (Angela Davis on alto sax and Jon Hunt on tenor sax and clarinet). At times, Nicolle would wrap wordless vocals around the woodwinds to form elegant three-part harmonies, before launching into a scat solo that displayed her remarkable vocal elasticity, sinking to a throaty swagger or slipping upwards to an astonishingly high note.

The evergreen Willow Weep For Me was imbued with a slightly world-weary quality, aided by a languid backbeat from Tom Lee (on bass) and Ronny Ferella (drums) as the song morphed into a soulful rendition of Joan Armatrading’s Willow. Lee and Ferella – both members of Nicolle’s long-running quartet – mirrored the singer’s gestures, phrasing and energy with intuitive ease. Likewise, Davis and Hunt shone in graceful individual solos, but kept the focus on the overall mood of intimacy and quiet warmth.

Between songs, Nicolle chatted to us with characteristic humour and humility, introducing a selection of her own songs almost apologetically. Yet, her originals – some tender and wistful; others more propulsive and dynamic – were as appealing as any of the standards. It’s apt that in this celebration of female composers, audiences have a chance to appreciate the work of one of our own superb female talents, too.

Reviewed by Jessica Nicholas