Eugenie Jones: Eugenie

Eugenie Jones seems to be another one of those singers who did not start out as one but got there as soon as she could. Make no mistake, she ended up in the right profession, self-confessedly in the tradition of Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln. Jones writes as well, and several of her own songs, "Starlight Starbright," "Hold Back the Night," "It's OK," "Nothing Better" and "Say What You Will" round out a recording of a selection of classics by Duke Ellington, Earle H. Hagen, Nat Adderley, Aretha Franklin, and Nina Simone, among others. Soul jazz, gospel-inflected, burned out and bluesy: it is all here. Someone might be tempted to call this jazz for a wintry day, but it would probably work just as well on a summer's night as well. Jones is that kind of singer, a storyteller: some days turn out well, while others do not. What makes it all work is a supple voice, plenty of good musicians, and a knowing, if sometimes world-weary voice of experience. Given the tenor of life in post-pandemic America, Jones leaves a listener with plenty to think about. Or to simply float with, if the mood strikes.

In a business crowded with singers, Jones may be something of a fresh face, but she is hardly a newcomer. With four releases to her credit dating to 2013, this Seattle-based performer may well be a bit of a diamond-in-the-rough. Her strength, good chops aside, is a very strong style that colors virtually all her performances. Sometimes a singer's signature sound can ironically limit his or her audience: listeners mistake a powerful style for a lack of variety. In Jones' case, she is indeed a powerhouse, but not unsubtle, for she can do both "Natural Woman" and "Work Song" with ease and conviction. With such good players in her band—like bassist Lonnie Plaxico—giving them a bit more space—as she does in "It Don't Mean a Thing"—might add a bit of contrast. It will not hurt her performance a bit. Not surprising, perhaps, original instrumentals like "Work Song" and Harlem Nocturne adapt easily to Jones' vocal performance. Trumpeter Gil Defay and saxophonist Rico Jones are certainly worth their chorus, or even more, because they raise the temperature and add to the music's interest.

Ella Fitzgerald taught us hip tunes make for hip singing, and Eugenie Jones is nothing, if not hip.