EN SE DE

  • The Darkling Thrush

    SRCD0005

    Artist: Sasha Dobson

    Label: Smalls Records

    Sasha Dobson (vocals), Chris Byars (tenor sax, flute, clarinet), Gary Pribek (alto sax, flute), Mark Lopeman (baritone sax, clarinet), Richie Vitale (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Mosca (trombone), Sacha Perry (piano), Neal Miner (bass), Andy Watson (drums).

    Taking a frustrating spin around the radio dial today, one might well ask: what has happened to the art of the jazz singer? For years now, it seems the jazz category has been the object of a hostile takeover by the music conglomerates, who fill the airwaves with a steady stream of overproduced easy listening music from a succession of pop and cabaret singers, conveniently recast to fit the stereotype of the jazz singer. But the resulting music rings hollow to our ears, lacking the depth, conviction, and finesse of the real thing.

    Enter Sasha Dobson. As the daughter of two of the San Francisco Bay area's most notable jazz musicians, the late pianist Smith Dobson and singer Gail Dobson, Sasha has understood jazz as a way of life since day one. As a consequence, she doesn't just sing; she can really play.

    Sasha arrived on the Smalls scene about five years ago, at first singing during late-night sessions. Over the years, vocalists by the score came around to Smalls to develop their craft on such sessions. As with any instrumentalist, those with a special gift were extremely rare. But Sasha, sounding like a great horn player you never knew but wish you had, stopped cats dead in their tracks. It wasn’t long before she ...