Picture in Black and White

by Tessa Souter

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“A beautiful, spiritual album. . . Picture in Black and White feels like the kind of journey saxophonist Wayne Shorter has taken us on with albums such as JuJu and The Soothsayer.” Jazzwax

“Exploring her mixed heritage, the expat with a penchant for Wayne Shorter raises songs to the level of poetry.”
Sunday Times Magazine, Top Ten Jazz Record of the Year

“Rarely do vocal CDs leave such a strong impact after a single hearing. This is an easy choice for the top vocal jazz CD of 2018.” New York Jazz Record

“Souter’s expressive warmth, impassioned eloquence and unfailingly beautiful timbre are an ever-present backdrop to this singularly powerful collection. [It is] impossible not to be transfixed by the inventiveness and potency of Souter’s artistry.” Jazzwise

Sankofa is a word in the Akan language of Ghana meaning reach back and get it as well as: It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot. "On the one hand, you think it doesn't matter what you are, only who you are. But, somehow, having the DNA test, even simply wanting to know, made me feel closer to them. In the spirit of Sankofa, the songs on this album are messages to and from my ancestors," says Tessa, whose DNA test revealed seven African countries in her genetic makeup, as well as Carib Indian, Scandinavian, Irish, English and Scottish.

Includes unlimited streaming of Picture in Black and White via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

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	1.	Kothbiro 04:17
	2.	Contemplation/Ancestors 04:06
	3.	A Taste of Honey 03:31
	4.	Dancing Girl/Where the Streets Have No Name 05:04
	5.	Ana Maria's Song (Ana Maria) 03:39
	6.	Child of Love 04:10
	7.	Picture in Black and White 03:42
	8.	You Don't Have to Believe 03:45
	9.	Reynardine 04:26
	10.	Siren Song 05:52
	11.	Lonely Woman 05:15
	12.	Nothing Will Be As It Was 03:03

about

Top Ten Jazz Record of the Year, Clive Davis, London Times
#1 Best Jazz Vocal CD of the Year, Ken Dryden, New York Jazz Record/NPR Critics Poll
#1 Best Jazz Vocal CD of the Year, W. Royal Stokes, NPR Critics Poll
#1 Best Jazz Vocal CD of the Year, Jay Hunter. WVCR 88.8 FM
Jazz Album of the Week, London Evening Standard
Jazz Album of the Week, London Times

Inspired by her discovery, at age 28, that her birth father was black, having been brought up to believe he was white - and the son of a Spanish flamenco dancer - Tessa Souter’s Picture in Black and White is the second of her albums to be a London Sunday Times magazine Top Ten Jazz Record of the Year.

A meditation on roots and identity via the music of Wayne Shorter (who granted her shared writing credit on 'Ana Maria'), Milton Nascimento, Ayub Ogada, U2 and more, the album is a riveting journey tracing the artist’s “musical DNA” from Africa to the Caribbean, Celtic Britain and Andalusian Spain.

Whether performing at philharmonic halls (as per her sold out concerts in Russia) or intimate clubs, Tessa is an extraordinary live performer, heralded by the Los Angeles Times and Time Out New York as "world class" and a "must-see." A six-time festival favorite at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, where her most 2017 appearance was billed in advance by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle as "the one show not to miss" over the entire nine-day festival.

Find out if Tessa is playing at a venue near you by visiting www.tessasouter.com/gigs

QUOTES/

“Exploring her mixed heritage, the expat with a penchant for Wayne Shorter raises songs to the level of poetry.” LONDON SUNDAY TIMES

“A remarkable journey to the interior of the human heart.” ALLABOUTJAZZ

“Souter’s expressive warmth, impassioned eloquence and unfailingly beautiful timbre are an ever-present backdrop to this singularly powerful collection . . . It is impossible not to be transfixed by the inventiveness and potency of Souter’s artistry.” 4 OUT OF 4 STARS, JAZZWISE

“A beautiful, spiritual album. . . Picture in Black and White feels like the kind of journey saxophonist Wayne Shorter has taken us on with albums such as JuJu and The Soothsayer.“ JAZZWAX

“A masterpiece.” ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE

MORE QUOTES HERE tessasouter.com/picture-in-black-and-white-reviews/
BUY ALBUM HERE tessasouter.com/records/picture-in-black-and-white/

credits

released October 5, 2018

Band: Yotam Silberstein (guitar), Yasushi Nakamura (bass), Keita Ogawa (percussion), Adam Platt (piano), Dana Leong (cello), Billy Drummond (cymbals/ drums)

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about

Tessa Souter New York, New York

From her Flamenco-tinged debut, Listen Love (2004), to Beyond the Blue (Motema, 2012) - featuring her lyrics to jazz versions of classical gems - Anglo-Trinidadian vocalist, Souter explores music mostly untouched by other vocalists. A Downbeat Critics Poll Rising Star, Beyond the Blue made the London Times Top Ten Jazz CDs of 2013 - on a list including Ahmad Jamal, Gregory Porter and Stacey Kent ... more