All About Jazz, Peter Sanchez
I am not sure why Shea Breaux Wells has been such a well-kept secret, but with her “A Blind Date” release, the cat’s out of the bag; this vocalist can not only carry a tune, but do so in such a compelling manner, it is impossible to ignore. Employing such amazing veteran hands like George Cables, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee and Craig Handy, who is sucker-punchingly good, Wells struts through 10 familiars including a brisk version of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Baltimore Oriole,” Jobim’s warhorse “Corcovado,” Irving Berlin’s wonderful “Blue Skies,” Ellington’s “Caravan,” and Benny Golson’s remarkable “I Remember Clifford.” Handy really burns throughout Wells’ own “Dark Matters.” But Wells is the focus, and rightfully so. Her elegant treatment of “Oh Yes, I Remember Clifford” is silky smooth. Cables introduces Miles Davis’ “All Blues,” followed by Handy’s flute and Wells’ vocalese presentation. Wells has an amazing understanding of Miles’ melody. Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night in Tunisia” is also an eye-opener. Upbeat and dramatic, “Night in Tunisia” features Wells’ flawless vocals and Handy’s heavyweight tenor trading off, both making room for David Weiss’ solid trumpet solo. The bossa “Corcovado” with a flute intro from Handy is sung perfectly. Wells naturally sways throughout the Jobim classic, breathing new life into it along the way. Shea Breaux Wells is someone to actively pursue in live performance, because if her album is any indication, she is a blind date worth investigating. Brava!
Town & Village, ‘Arts Beat’, Barry Bassis
Shea Breaux Wells’ new album is titled, “A Blind Date”, because the jazz singer had not worked with any of the musicians on the album. Flying with no net, they worked out the songs and the arrangements at the sessions. The result is real improvised jazz, establishing Wells as a formidable newcomer.
She certainly has self-confidence, taking on challenging be-bop pieces like Night in Tunisia, I Remember Clifford and Caravan with these superb jazzmen: George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Craig Handy on sax and flute and David Weiss (who also produced the album) on trumpet. She won me over at the start with her sultry rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Baltimore Oriole,” beginning the number accompanied only by McBee before the others join in. Her own composition, “Dark Matters,” featuring a hot sax solo by Handy, is mysterious and sounds like the title song of a movie or television show. Her voice is rich and distinctive and the band members do not hold back. Their accompaniments swirl around while Wells is singing (but never overwhelm her) and then erupt during their solos.
Shea is playing the Iridium on May 21 with an exciting group (David Weiss, Craig Handy, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart and Danny Grissett). Except for Grissett (who subs on the gig for George Cables), this is the band on the CD.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bob Karlovits
Singer Shea Breaux Wells manages to sidestep one of the great flaws in jazz albums. She loads her album "A Blind Date" with familiar songs such as "Blue Skies," "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Night in Tunisia," but manages to give them life. That is primarily because she has a fine voice and sense of song. She also has surrounded herself with a crew featuring pianist George Cables, bassist Cecil McBee, drummer Billy Hart and sax player Craig Handy. She even tosses in an original, "Dark Matters," that fits well into the hard-bop nature of the album. Wells has a strong voice that she is able to restrain nicely on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcovado." Her sense of song also is sincere enough that she is able to put lyrics to "I Remember Clifford" without making them sound hokey. That is true, too, for "All Blues," a song others have butchered vocally.
BIOGRAPHY:
Shea's love of jazz was born many years ago, while listening to her father's albums - Chris Conner, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles and others. While in school, Shea appeared in musicals, sang in the a capella groups, and studied music, eventually joining an alternative rock band in college in Los Angeles. After they split, she began singing solo jazz gigs in the area, as well as performing swing and jazz hits as a member of the ten-piece Little Big Band, as well as working as a studio vocalist. These varying influences of rock, jazz, swing, and more coalesced into a versatile quality in Shea's voice, presentation and also her songwriting skills.
Shea relocated to the Bay Area to record an EP of original songs with Grammy Award winning producer, Michael Rosen. These songs went on to be featured on MTV's Road Rules - creating a soft spot in Shea's heart for the beloved royalty check!
Then, with a move up to Sonoma County, Shea appeared in the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and via her friendship with its artistic director, Jessica Felix, forged some deep connections in the jazz community, both locally and nationally. Ms. Felix introduced Shea to pianist Noam Lemish, which inspired Shea to record her 2006 release, “Piece of the Light”, an album that blends the realms of singer/songwriter and jazz together with original pieces and some fresh cover versions.
Featuring a song, “Soothe Me” that won Honorable Mention in the 2007 West Coast Songwriting Contest, “Piece of the Light” is outfitted with remarkable musicians such as the aforementioned Noam Lemish, as well as Robben Ford, David Ewell, Bill Ortiz, Gautam Tejas and Alex Aspinall. "Piece of the Light" was arranged by Shea and co-produced with Oz Fritz, known for his work on Tom Waits' Grammy Award winning "Mule Variations".
Then, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival again exerted its influence with a great idea posed by Jessica Felix: How's about a jazz recording with some internationally renowned musicians who would be in town for their performance at the Festival? The result is, "A Blind Date", Shea’s appropriately titled new release, highlighting her embrace of the straight ahead jazz genre. Recorded in just two days during the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, “A Blind Date” features the mighty work of George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Craig Handy on sax and flute, and David Weiss on trumpet. This is a raw, diverse romp through standards and then some. Shea contributed an original piece called, "Dark Matters" which lends a haunting, middle-eastern feel to the album. Produced by David Weiss and engineered by Oz Fritz, "A Blind Date" is packed to the gills with electrifying performance from all the musicians. A true jazz lover's gem, this work goes beyond that of the typical jazz singer.
Working with such fine musicians has whetted Shea's appetite for even deeper musical exploration. "To jazz or not to jazz, there is no question!" - Louis Armstrong.
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