Madeleine Peyroux is the most recognizable voice in contemporary jazz vocals. It is also easy commentary to say that this voice sounds like it belongs more to the first half of the 20th century than the 21st. However, her success is built not just on this voice, but on her impeccable phrasing, succinct backing backing band, and uncanny ability to recognize a song outside of the boundaries of her genre and then successfully reallocate it into her language. Finally, it is this last performance talent that makes Peyroux quintessentially 21st century.
Personally, I was first introduced to Peyroux's talent when I heard her interpretation of Bob Dylan's You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go off her wonderful 2004 record Careless Love. Like the Bad Plus, Christopher O'Riley, Jason Moran, and other jazz performers who borrow language from the pop idiom, these interpretations shed fresh light on material whose musical worth might have been over looked by the necessities of superficiality in popular music. Nevertheless, because I heard Peyroux sing Dylan, I also learned first hand how staggeringly romantic she can be with material like J'ai Deux Amours, and Don't Wait Too Long.
Her next album, The Blue Room, is set for release on March 5th from Decca Records. The founding idea of this project was to set Peyroux's fresh perspective on the controversial Ray Charles classic Modern Sounds In Country Western Music, but the project soon expanded to include the like minded material of Randy Newman's “Guilty,” Warren Zevon's “Desperadoes Under The Eaves” and John Hartford’s “Gentle On My Mind.” As a teaser for the forthcoming album, Madeleine Peyroux has released a video for Changing All Those Changes. The song was originally penned by Buddy Holly and underneath Peyroux's sultry voice and cultured backing band you can still hear the heartbeat and healthy reverb of Buddy Holly's version.
The album won't be out until March so make sure to keep in touch with the artist via Facebook and Twitter. You can also check these tour dates out below and make sure to keep your calender clear for what is sure to be a not to be missed tour. You dig?
March 20 – Tarrytown Music Hall – Tarrytown, NY
March 22 – Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room – New York, NY
March 23 – Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Allen Room – New York, NY
March 24 – The Birchmere Music Hall – Alexandria, VA
April 2 – Dakota Jazz Club – Minneapolis, MN
April 4 – Northern Lights Theater (Potawatomi Casino) – Milwaukee, WI
April 3 – Dakota Jazz Club – Minneapolis, MN
April 5 – Old Town – Chicago, IL
May 31 – Enwave Theatre & Harbourfront Center – Toronto, ON
June 1 – Enwave Theatre & Harbourfront Center – Toronto, ON