A jazz guitar and voice duo album, pure and organic featuring Radha Thomas singing 10 standards from her soul with master guitar players Reg Schwager, Pete McCann, Paul Meyers and Tom Dempsey.
LINER NOTES BY SCOTT YANOW
Jazz has been an international music ever since recordings became widely available in the early 1920s. Radha Thomas, who was born in India but has also lived for extended periods in New York, serves as proof that world-class jazz artists come from every country where musical creativity is encouraged. She made a strong impression with her recordings Bangalore Blues and the EP Vocalese: A Tribute to Chet Baker, and now As I Sing, a set of duets with several different guitarists, is her latest accomplishment.
Radha has had several overlapping careers. Early in her life she sang with a very popular rock band (Human Bondage). She has been a journalist, written four books, hosted a weekly jazz radio show, led the Radha Thomas Ensemble, performed at many European jazz festivals, and in one year during the pandemic filmed and recorded 52 videos for the internet.
Duets can be the most difficult setting for singers for there is nowhere to hide, every note is important, and the contrast of sound with silence is an essential skill. Radha, who performed duets with pianist Aman Mahajan on Bangalore Blues, sounds quite comfortable yet stimulated by the guitarists on As I Sing. She has a soft and alluring voice, is an imaginative scat-singer with her own style, and is quite versatile. Whether it is performing heartfelt ballad singing (her aching long notes on Benny Golson’s “I Remember Clifford” are particularly memorable), creating melodic variations as on the second chorus of “It Could Happen To You,” or effortlessly handling the interval jumps on Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz,” she clearly has her own voice.
As I Sing matches Radha on various songs with four different top-notch guitarists: Reg Schwager, Paul Meyers, Tom Dempsey and Peter McCann. Schwager, who was born in the Netherlands, has been one of Canada’s top guitarists during the past 40 years, working with everyone from Peter Appleyard and Rob McConnell to Diana Krall, Mel Torme and Chet Baker. Paul Meyers, a part of the New York jazz scene since 1980, has also worked with a long list of greats including such singers as Annie Ross, Jon Hendricks, Andy Bey, and Karrin Allyson. Tom Dempsey, who has recorded seven CDs as a leader, has performed with such notables as Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, George Coleman, and Kenny Barron, while Peter McCann has appeared on over 100 CDs, led seven of his own, and has had musical associations with many major jazz artists including Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Patti Austin, and the Maria Schneider Orchestra.
What each of these guitarists has in common is that, with their sophisticated chordings, inventive single-note lines, and impeccable timing, they function effortlessly on As I Sing as a one-man orchestra. Whether accompanying Radha, taking concise solos, or interacting with the singer, they each prove to be a perfect musical partner.
Radha Thomas is heard throughout this project at the peak of her creative powers. Performing a set of ten of her favorite standards, she makes each song her own. Among the highlights are her scatting on a partly-disguised rendition of “Summertime,” the charming interpretation of “It Could Happen To You,” the ease that she displays while singing the potentially tricky Clifford Brown melody “Daahoud,” a very appealing rendition of Artie Shaw’s “Moon Ray” with McCann, and her close interaction with Schwager on “Autumn Leaves,” although each performance is worthy in its own way.
As I Sing is well worth several listens.
Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 12 books including The Jazz Singers
Radha Thomas
One of India’s leading and most widely recognized figures in jazz, vocalist Radha Thomas has been creating her unique sound for many decades. Transitioning from early rock & roll and Indian classical roots to present-day jazz as well as her own original compositions, Thomas loves bebop, especially vocalese, which she writes and sings a lot.
Thomas left India in the mid 70s, having been selected by Jazz India, a leading jazz promotion organization, to perform across Europe and go to NY to learn jazz. She lived, performed and recorded for almost 20 years in NYC. Some of the musicians whith whom shes performed or recoded with include Ryo Kawasaki, Michael Brecker, Anthony Jackson, Harvey Mason, Leon Pendarvis, Alex Blake, John Abercrombie in some of NYC’s most famous jazz clubs and concert halls. It also included an experimental trio with bassist Frank Tusa and Miles Davis alum Badal Roy, where Thomas was featured soloist.
When she returned to Bangalore, she was empaneled by ICCR (the Indian Council for Cultural Affairs, India’s key cultural agency) to be a jazz ambassador for India. She has performed with her own band ‘UNK The Radha Thomas Ensemble’ (I Only Have Eyes For You) and in a piano-and-voice format (Bangalore Blues) all over India.
More recently, when Covid struck, from her home in Bangalore, India, Thomas turned to the internet and virtual collaboration with jazz musicians world-wide. In a single year she recorded 52 jazz videos both with her original music and jazz standards along with some of the world’s most talented musicians from Russia, Poland, Italy, USA, Germany, England, India and India.
When she returned to India, she was empaneled by ICCR (the Indian Council for Cultural Affairs, India’s key cultural agency) to be a jazz ambassador for India. She has performed with her own band ‘UNK The Radha Thomas Ensemble’ (I Only Have Eyes For You) and in a piano-and-voice format (Bangalore Blues) all over India.
She hosted a weekly jazz show on Radio Indigo in Bangalore. She is also the author of several books, a dog rescue activist and host of the podcast ‘The Indie Dog.’
Reg Schwager / https://www.regschwager.com/
One of Canada’s leading jazz artists, Reg is a four-time winner of Canada’s National Jazz Award for ‘Guitarist of the Year,’ and is on five Juno Award winning albums. In 2021, he was invested to ‘The Order of Canada’ for his indelible contributions to the Canadian jazz scene as a leading guitarist and composer.” From 1994 to 2004 he performed world-wide as a member of the legendary George Shearing Quartet.
He has led bands playing all of Canada’s major jazz festivals and stages and has performed with Canadian greats Diana Krall, Oliver Jones, Dave Young and Peter Appleyard. He has appeared in 100s of albums
He performs Daahoud, Jitterbug, Summertime, I Fall In Love Too Easily and Autumn Leaves with his trademark virtuosity.
Pete McCann / https://petemccann.com/
Recently returned from Manhattan Transfer’s final world tour, Wisconsin’s Pete McCann is one of NYC’s most sought after guitar players, having been on the scene for over 30 years. Hailed both for his jazz chops and sophistry combined with tender playing, McCann has played guitar on over 100 CDs and performed in every possible setting and combo you can think of. Some of his past gigs include Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Patti Austin and the Mahavishnu Project. Currently he is a part of many groups including Kendra Shank, Paul Jost, Joe Fiedler, Spin Cycle, Melissa Stylianou, Ben Kono, Brian Woodruff and others.
He plays: Moon Ray and Social Call in his own, unmistakable voice.
Paul Meyers / https://www.paulmeyersguitar.com/
Freelancer, sideman, bandleader and teacher in New York City since 1980, Meyer has been associated with jazz greats such as Jon Hendricks, Geri Allen, Harry Allen, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Ray Drummond, Eliane Elias, Clare Fischer, Sonny Fortune, Eddie Gomez, Annie Ross, Wynton Marsalis, Bill Mays, Rufus Reid and Steve Wilson. According to James Gavin, NY Times Meyers is “one of the most eloquent jazz guitarists since Kenny Burrell.”
He performs ‘I Remember Clifford’ with Thomas delicately, intimately and with the kind of sensitivity only he can.
Tom Dempsey / https://tomdempseymusic.com/bio
A distinct voice in the New York Jazz Scene, Dempsey has been seen with jazz virtuosos such as Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Jim Hall, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Tal Farlow, Buddy Montgomery, George Coleman, Kenny Barron, Roy Haynes, Jack McDuff, Bobby McFerrin, Gerald Wilson, Mel Torme, Richard Wyands, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Dave Brubeck. He has performed all over the world and on radio and TV in the USA. Dempsey is also a sought-after teacher and is associated with Jazz at Lincoln Center, SUNY New Paltz, Rutgers University, and the New York Jazz Academy. He has authored many jazz books. He is currently a Professor of Music at The City University of New York-LaGuardia Community College.
He performs ‘Just Friends’ with cutting precision.
A FEW NOTES FROM ME
In a way, making an album like this is crazy when you’re so far away from NYC. the heartbeat of jazz. But I guess both the city and the music are part of my soul now, so there was nothing to do but sing.
I’ve loved all the tunes I’m singing on this album for a long time and each one means something special. I’ve tried to bring a little ‘me’ into each song, writing vocalese lyrics, changing up the melody… that sort of thing.
The idea of using multiple guitar players came from Susheel Kurien, a film-maker who made the critically acclaimed documentary, Finding Carlton. It traces the story of a jazz guitar player in India in the 60s and 70s. It was a great idea and gave me the opportunity to collaborate with Reg Schwager from Canada. My friend, the great British jazz singer Clare Foster, introduced me to him online. She and I both shared a history of music with the late guitar player Ryo Kawasaki.
Besides jazz my other passion is rescuing dogs and India has too many of them to count. My soulmate from Switzerland, Beat Kaestli who is a jazz-singing-dog-training person, introduced me to Pete McCann, Paul Meyers and Tom Dempsey. Something about singers and jazz guitar players. Meant to be together.
We recorded the album over some 4 months through a bout of Covid (me) and other sundry obstacles. All virtual, and all thanks to IrealPro, an app that lets singers change key and tempo at will. Very useful tool for sending files back and forth, so that you never have to speak to each other, except through the music. There is something ultimately pure about that.
I recorded myself in my home studio in Bangalore, India, mostly at night. Covid forced me to learn how to use recording technology, and this is mighty cool.
Yura Romaniv did the mixing and mastering in Lviv, Ukraine, under the worst possible circumstances. Rockets flying, bombs blasting and people getting annihilated. But he says the music keeps him sane. Since his country is at war, it has been difficult to seize moments of quiet and calm to finish the work involved. But working in bits and pieces, from ‘safe’ places, he completed the job. Very often he would wake up bleary eyed, not because of a night of partying, but because of the bomb alert alarms and sirens that kept him awake.
Oh lastly, I haven’t met anyone in the cast of characters on this album. I do hope I can one of these days.
ALBUM CREDITS
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: Asha Thadani, one of India’s leading women photographic artists. Nominated for the Henri Cartier Bresson Award in 2015, she has held several exhibitions world-wide. Her work has been auctioned at Christies. Thadani’s photography combines both fashion and narrating the human condition. http://www.ashathadani.com.
RECORD LABEL: Produced by SubContinental Records, Arun Natrajan, Proprietor, Www.subcontinentalrecords.com
RECORDED AT: Milton Street Studio, Bangalore
MIXING & MASTERING: The album was mixed and mastered at Yuko Soundscape Studios, in Lviv, Ukraine by Yura Romaniv (gtr.mezzo@gmail.com), who besides being a sound engineer, is also an accomplished jazz pianist.
COPYRIGHT © RADHA THOMAS 2024
Radha Thomas 