© Andrea Canter
When I first met vocalist Nancy Harms in about 2005, she was
just breaking into the Twin Cities Jazz scene after a few years teaching music
in Milaca, MN,
not far removed from her childhood in Clara City, MN or her college days at
Concordia in Moorhead.
Now in an urban environment with a vibrant jazz community, she quickly grew in
both skill and confidence, and by 2009 she had a debut recording (In the Indigo) that could easily pass
for a third or fourth effort, filled with hints of a future filled with
singular interpretations and new inventions. A few weeks visiting New York and she knew
she had to leave the Minni-apple for the bigger fruits of Jazz Mecca. She was young
enough, sufficiently unencumbered, and wise enough to recognize what she could
lose leaving the smaller pond, and what she could gain in more challenging,
more diverse surroundings. We almost have everything an artist could want in
the Twin Cities. Almost. Vocal musicians seeking to stretch the creative envelope
have few role models relative to instrumental artists, at least within the even
loosely defined arena of jazz. Nancy
was still fond of standards and swing. But she heard other approaches and
needed more.
Two years later, Nancy Harms is starting to receive
recognition for that exploratory spirit that has been driving her forward,
compelling her to seek out master classes, to sit in every chance she gets, to
interact with a diverse array of both young and veteran musicians. She came to
the Dakota this spring with one of her new projects, Double Bass, Double Voice,
an unlikely combination of two vocalists (Nancy and Emily Braden) and an
acoustic bassist (Steve Whipple); the harmonies were as unique as the whole
idea of it, regardless of the tunes to which their experiments were
applied. Simultaneously, she has been
working with one of the most creative young pianists on the New York scene, Jeremy Siskind, now in a
fascinating trio with another young hotshot, saxophonist/clarinetist Lucas
Pino. Lucas too has Minnesota
connections, having played with South High alums Chris Smith and Javi Santiago
at the Brubeck Institute.
Siskind’s new project, Finger
Songwriter, melds his graduate work in Comparative Literature and his
Eastman School of Music education in jazz theory and performance. Setting
poetry and prose texts to new compositions, Siskind sought just the right
voices, finding them in Harms and Pino. Following their official CD release at
the Cornelia Street Café in the Village, the trio hit the road for a short
tour, landing at Jazz Central last weekend for their Twin Cities debut. Perhaps
the very intimate space of Jazz Central was the most perfect setting for music
that seems to defy all boundaries while remaining totally accessible, totally
engaging.
Putting piano and saxophone together in duo is increasingly
popular, with some favorite pairings including the late James Williams and
Bobby Watson, the late Hank Jones and Joe Lovano, George Cables and the late
Frank Morgan, Joey Caldarazzo and Branford Marsalis. Adding the human voice
brings more than a new timbre; it doubles the beauty and the artistic reach of
the horn. At least that is the result with Finger
Songwriter. Listening to the recording, there are many moments when the ear
(at least, this ear) can not
distinguish lingering notes from Pino versus Harms. Adding the visual element
of live performance, I was startled to find myself in the same zone of
uncertainty—what is the source of that note? Most in sync with Lucas on
clarinet, there were moments at Jazz Central where those two voices became one
instrument to play against the often obtuse, always melodic wanderings of
Jeremy’s piano.
A few familiar standards snuck into the set list that
largely covered compositions from their recording. Siskind one minute suggests the
subdued lyricism of Fred Hersch, only to turn around and hint at the bluesy side
of Keith Jarrett or the abstract swing of Jason Moran. Pino, who started on sax before adding
clarinet to his arsenal, is a master of both, but I predict his glorious clarinet
will be his ultimate weapon. And who would have recognized his experience on
bass clarinet was limited to a few months?
Nancy
couldn’t finish the evening without a run at “Bye Bye Blackbird,” which has
become her signature. But it is an ever-changing signature. Even back on In the Indigo, she was taking
significant liberties with rhythm and melody; one can trace her trajectory by
lining up subsequent versions, each new presentation more fascinating than the
last—a change-up in phrasing that alters the essence of the storyline, a
melodic variation or a note clipped or extended that changes the mood, a shift
in tempo that wakes up the ear. Like a painter mixing a new palette before
starting the next canvas, Nancy takes “Blackbird” – and everything else that
crosses her path—and adds a new drop of color, changes the direction of her
brush strokes, alters the texture of the surface, continuously creating new
images. Her growth is apparent in the company she keeps, in the artists who bring
her to their projects… in every new performance of “Blackbird.”
It was great to have her back in Minnesota. But she belongs in New York. At least for now.
Maybe one day she will return and be that role model for young and restless
vocalists here.
