Recording of the Week, Veronica Swift - Confessions

Veronica Swift is a jazz singer from New York, who at the age of 25 already has a list of credentials that would be the envy of an artist twice her age. Raised by musician parents, the late pianist Hod O'Brien and the singer/educator/author Stephanie Nakasian, Swift first appeared at Jazz at Lincoln Centre when she was just 11, and in 2015 she earned second place in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition. She has toured with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra including Chris Botti; collaborated with Michael Feinstein and enjoyed a string of engagements at A-list clubs like Birdland, Jazz Standard, Dizzy's Club and Jazz Showcase.

Confessions is Swift’s first recording for Mack Avenue, and although she has released CDs in the past, this feels like her official debut album, and is a broad showcase of her prodigious talents. Accompanied by the Emmet Cohen Trio (aside from three tracks with the Benny Green Trio), Swift is given the sophisticated backdrop her agile voice deserves. If you enjoy jazz vocals firmly within the tradition of Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, through modern interpreters like Claire Martin, this set should appeal, offering up a nice mix of up-tempo tunes alongside ballads. A youthful vitality powers standards like Gypsy in My Soul, and something of the madcap spirit of Blossom Dearie is invoked on I’m Hip, a tune penned by family friend Bob Dorough, who was something of a mentor when she was growing up. Swift’s own song, the bittersweet I Hope She Makes You Happy, bodes well for future original material.

The message of self-empowerment at the heart of André and Dory Previn’s You’re Gonna Hear From Me has a ring of authenticity to it in Swift’s plucky interpretation, with suitably droll accompaniment from Emmet Cohen, Russell Hall on bass and Kyle Poole on drums keeping things zipping along nicely. Personally, I find scat singing can either be incredibly irritating or delightful (in small doses), and Swift’s judicious application throughout Confessions strikes a tasteful balance. On the whole this an appealing collection from an artist I look forward to following in the coming years.