It is rare to encounter, an all-female, professional jazz vocal ensemble. The quartet Säje (pronounced like "beige") not only has established itself in this genre with a Grammy nomination, but they raise the bar for all vocal groups. The singersSara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Erin Bentlage and Johnaye Kendrickare practically telepathic in synchronizing their phrasing. Any big band would be ecstatic to inject fluid horn hits the way these ladies do. In addition, they transform a potential limitation of female quartetsmodest range when compared to soprano/alto/tenor/bass groupsinto captivating arrangements that blend pretty much every closed interval one can write. This recommendation features Michael Jackson's groove: "I Can't Help It." Co-composition kudos go to Stevie Wonder for sophisticated changes such as A13b5 to Abmaj7sus4 under the verse.
Contact Scott Lichtman on All About Jazz.
Jazz/fusion keyboardist & autograph collector in Stamford CT.
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