Jazz vocals is a lot like college classrooms; they seem dominated by a surfeit of women in attendance. So, when a guy comes around that doesn’t sound like a Buble’ clone, he gets my attention.
Michael Stephenson gets that attention. First, he also doubles on tenor sax and has a nice vintage Sonny Stitt sound, using it well on the jivey take of Ray Charles’ “Greenbacks” digging deep on the sole instrumental “Did You Call Her Today?” and tender with pianist Julius Rodriguez on the gorgeous “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”. His voice is a light tenor, and works perfectly on the aria with Rodriguez during “For All We Know” but also hep with bassist Alexander Claffy on the finger snapping “Sweet Lorraine” and “On The Street Where You Live”. Trumpeter Benny Benack III supplies a New Orleans growl to Itay Morchi’s backbeat for Stephenson on the sweaty “Aint That Love”, while his tone is a perfect set of drapes for the singer on the soulful “When A Many Loves A Woman”. Stephenson stretches out a cool heart ache to Morchi’s cymbals on Marvin Gaye’s What’s Happening Brother”, displaying a range of emotion rarely seen these days. Check this guy out-any LA gigs coming up?
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