On January 2nd, 2007, New York-based vocalist/composer Fay Victor will release her fifth recording as a leader,
Cartwheels Through The Cosmos (ArtistShare AS 0061). Recorded without overdubs, the all-original program documents the vibrant and inclusive sound of her working quartet, the Fay Victor Ensemble, featuring guitarist Anders Nilsson, bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Michael "TA" Thompson.
"As boldly inventive as she is bewitching, vocalist Fay Victor is a compelling presence on any bandstand," writes jazz critic and author Bill Milkowski in the liner notes. "A fearless improviser, accomplished songwriter and provocative lyricist...Fay's verse is free flowing, extremely vivid and thought provoking in the tradition of poets like Jayne Cortez, Sonia Sanchez or Paul Haines (Carla Bley's collaborator on their jazz opera
Escalator Over The Hill). Her lyrics on pieces like 'Stray Dogs,' 'Exchange Rate,' 'Pillow On My Ear' and 'Earth' are particularly potent and stand on their own as evocative poetry apart from the music that the words are so skillfully wedded to. This time out, Fay and company take it up a notch or two."
Ms. Victor has been steadily gaining notice since her return to America in 2003, following seven years in the Netherlands refining her personal style as part of Amsterdam's eclectic jazz scene. Armed with a distinctive voice, a diverse mix of non-jazz influences ranging from blues to modern classical, and a diva-less focus on creating a complete ensemble sound, she has evolved from an interpreter of jazz standards to a creative force in her own right. Critics have called her "a thinking person's jazz vocalist" (C. Michael Bailey, AllAboutJazz.com), "a true original" (Christopher Loudon,
JazzTimes) and "a vocalist imbued with the best elements of past matriarchs like Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter with an ear-tilted toward Euro-improv innovations" (Derek Taylor, DustedMagazine.com). "Fay Victor," adds the
All Music Guide's Dave Nathan, "has all the tools to be a major player in the jazz vocal scene."
Learn more about Fay Victor at
http://www.fayvictor.com
Hear four tracks from
Cartwheels Through The Cosmos now at:
http://www.myspace.com/fayvictorensemble
Linear Mode
