What makes jazz music so exciting? To me, it’s individual musicians coming together to take chances. When the stars align and you take that fabulous flight with your bandmates, it’s truly a life-affirming moment unlike any other I’ve experienced. For the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of working as part of a quartet with 3 very special musicians who love the standards and swing as much as I do. Louis Heriveaux is a pianist of supreme elegance and
mastery, a jazz voice that I’ve been harmonizing with since we first met 8 years ago. Craig Shaw is a renown bassist in Atlanta who brings joy and genuine soul to his performances. Dave Potter, our world-traveling drummer, is well versed in the traditions of jazz and keeps us moving in time with each other.
Since beginning my career as a jazz singer, I’ve sung on stages at the Atlanta Jazz Festival, The Savannah Music Festival and in front of packed crowds at the High Museum, but for me the music really happens in small intimate spaces where the audience draws in close and becomes a part of what we are creating.
We have a new CD titled If Poets Sing and we’re excited to bring this music to the Velvet Note. We’ll be presenting songs from Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and other great songwriters. Some tunes are classic favorites, others are scenic tours away from the well-worn path, and all of them give us the chance to come together to celebrate in rhythm. Our new CD has the crystal clear sound of four musicians balanced together as a group, without any special effects, just pure musical interaction and great, timeless lyrics that we hope will make you feel like singing too. We can’t wait to bring that sound to you up close at The Velvet Note, one of our favorite listening rooms, and we hope to see you there.
– Laura Coyle