By Andrew Poretz …
When this reviewer saw Tawanda blow the roof off the joint with her stunning performance of Cole Porter’s “Too Darn Hot” at the Bistro Awards on April 17, it was like witnessing the birth of a star. With her Chelsea Table + Stage show but three days away, plans were canceled, reservations made, and we strapped ourselves in for the ride. We were not disappointed.
Undoubtedly, Tawanda gets compared to rising star Samara Joy, the darling of Jazz at Lincoln Center and Birdland who, as Tawanda did in 2021, won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition in 2019. Tawanda had a much-lauded Birdland debut in 2022. In her voice and style, a young Sarah Vaughan comes to mind, though Diane Reeves might be more apt a comparison. One thing is certain: this gal has chops. Her voice is supple, powerful and perfect, with a rich bottom, an excellent range and a lovely tone. With her exotic, movie-star looks and a commanding presence, it is also nigh impossible to take your eyes off Tawanda.
The star arrived on the stage dressed in a gorgeous silver and turquoise, skintight dress, with silver sandals that added several inches to Tawanda’s already statuesque form. She was backed by the topnotch trio of pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tim Horner.
Tawanda opened her set with an extended arrangement of the song that captured my attention at the Bistros, “Too Darn Hot.” She added some tasteful scat on “Exactly Like You,” with a smooth delivery and excellent control. Here, we first saw Dean Johnson’s outstanding work, with pulsating bass lines and a call-and-response solo with Tim Horner. Throughout the set, his playing was consistently innovative and exciting.
An ethereal arrangement of “Wild is the Wind” (Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington) evoked the wind, giving Tawanda ample room for interpretation. Mr. Ridl’s sparse, tasteful playing was unobtrusive, yet just right.
Tawanda and the trio took Bobby Hebb’s R&B hit “Sunny” through multiple rhythmic changes and modulations. On a jazz blues arrangement of Bill Wither’s “Grandma’s Hands,” Tawanda showed some vulnerability, telling a personal story, and acknowledging those “grandparents” she has invited into her life.
Tawanda, who grew up in New Mexico on the Texas border, has a mother from Germany and her father from Mozambique. Her diction is precise and, surprisingly, she has no discernible accent. It would be a challenge even for Professor Henry Higgins to ascertain her unique “fusion of intoxicating backgrounds” (quoting her website) from her speaking voice.
The star took things up a notch or two with an interesting pair of arrangements. On “Every Time I See a Butterfly” (Les McCann), Tawanda sang much of it accompanied only by the piano, with Mr. Ridl’s playing standing in for a butterfly’s wings. For “Baltimore Oriole,” a luscious, slow ballad, she sang with only drum accompaniment to the break.
Surprisingly, while the set was promoted as a celebration of her new album, Smile, she performed only one song from the CD, a fine “What a Little Moonlight Can Do.”
A delightful highlight was “Dance Me to the End of Love,” one of the late Leonard Cohen’s greatest compositions. Tawanda gave this tune the feeling of a Paris blues number, and it was quite effective.
Though Tawanda rarely mentions songwriters, she credited the beautiful jazz standard “Skylark” to composer Hoagy Carmichael, but not lyricist Johnny Mercer. This would not bear a mention were it not for the backstory of the song, which Mercer wrote after his ill-fated romance with the too-young Judy Garland. It is a useful context for any singer to have for this song.
Tawanda finally showed her sassy side in “‘Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do,” the century-old blues standard. Here, she seemed to invoke Pearl Bailey at her prime. It was a great end to a terrific set.
There is no doubt in this reviewer’s mind that Tawanda is going to be a huge star. She has all of the ingredients—vocal and rhythmic chops, an imposing presence, and knowledge of her craft—to make it as a top pop star. (Her physical attributes do not hurt.) As a jazz singer, she is impeccable. Still, she is not quite there when it comes to her emotional connection to the material or the audience, or in her ability to really let loose and just be. Her scat is fine, but never comes off as improvisational; there is not enough risk-taking on stage, and at times it felt like she kept her audience at a distance. But Tawanda is young, just a little green around the edges. When this powerhouse trusts herself to “go there” . . . watch out!
Tawanda took place on April 20 at Chelsea Stage + Table in the Hilton Fashion District Hotel (152 West 26th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues) www.chelseatableandstage.com.
Photos: Tracey Yarad except where indicated
