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Säje: I Can't Help It

By Scott Lichtman
May 22, 2024
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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 singers—Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Erin Bentlage and Johnaye Kendrick—are 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 quartets—modest range when compared to soprano/alto/tenor/bass groups—into 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.

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