March 15, 2025
Emerson Hall, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
Atlanta, GA – USA
Kim Nazarian &Lauren Kinhan, sopranos; Peter Eldridge Cummings, baritone; Darmon Meader, tenor, musical director; Tony Nalker, piano; Ian Ashby, bass; Chris Latona, drums.
Cole PORTER: “It’s Alright with Me”
Walter DONALDSON/Gus KAHN: “Love Me or Leave Me”
Jesse GREER/Harold ORLOB: “Reminiscing”
Ivan LINS/Ronaldo MONTEIRO DE SOUZA: “Madalena”
Duke ELLINGTON/Sid KULLER: “Bli-Blip”
Dave BRUBECK: “Blue Rondo”
Oliver NELSON: “Stolen Moments”
Mario CLAVELL: “Invitación”
Ivan LINS: “Aqui, Oh”
LERNER and LOEWE/ John LENNON & Paul McCARTNEY: “Almost / In My Life”
John COLTRANE: “Moment’s Notice”
Hoagy CARMICHAEL: “I Get Along Without You Very Well”
Lauren KINHAN/Peter ELDRIDGE: “The World Keeps You Waiting”
Vincent ROSE/Al JOLSON & Buddy DeSYLVA: “Avalon”
Mark Gresham | 26 MAR 2025
Renowned for their distinctive vocal arrangements blending elements of jazz, Brazilian, R&B, and other musical styles, New York Voices performed a 90-minute this past Friday evening in Emerson Hall at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. Their bright and brassy interpretations frequently reimagine classic songs by integrating jazz sensibilities and multi-layered harmonies, transforming the original pieces into fresh, dynamic experiences that showcase their signature blend of intricate harmonies, rhythmic complexity, and cross-genre exploration.
This concert featured the vocal quartet of sopranos Kim Nazarian and Lauren Kinhan, baritone Peter Eldridge Cummings, and tenor (and saxophonist) Darmon Meader, the group’s musical director. Their instrumental backup was a standard jazz trio: pianist Tony Nalker, bassist Ian Ashby (Nazarian’s son), and drummer Chris Latona.
Opening with Cole Porter’s “It’s Alright with Me,” from the 1953 musical Can-Can, the group set an energetic tone with their signature tight harmonies and swing-infused phrasing. The song is featured on New York Voices’ 2019 album Reminiscing in Tempo, an arrangement crafted by Meader, characterized by what he calls a “big fat swing” style and a bigger band, but this performance at Schwartz with a piano trio still drove the style home and set the tone for the evening. You can hear that in the fully-scored arrangement in this YouTube video:
As heard in that video, New York Voices’ studio albums are more fully scored; Friday’s performance with just the jazz trio had a bit edgier, spontaneous, and authentic feeling in this live context. Ashby had some great opportunities for bass solos, Meader occasionally picked up his tenor sax and played, and Cummings gave Nalker a momentary break by taking to the piano for a number.
New York Voices continued with selections such as Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn’s “Love Me or Leave Me” and Jesse Greer and Harold Orlob’s “Reminiscing,” highlighting the ensemble’s ability to navigate classic jazz idioms with both polish and spontaneity.
The Brazilian influence in the program was evident in “Madalena,” composed by Ivan Lins and Ronaldo Monteiro de Souza, as well as Lins’ “Aqui, Oh.” Both pieces featured rich vocal textures and rhythmic interplay, drawing on the traditions of samba and MPB (“Música Popular Brasileira”). Similarly, Mario Clavell’s “Invitación” brought a Latin jazz flavor, with its fluid melodies and syncopated rhythms.
New York Voices also paid tribute to jazz greats with Duke Ellington and Sid Kuller’s playful “Bli-Blip,” Dave Brubeck’s complex “Blue Rondo,” and John Coltrane’s fast-paced “Moment’s Notice.” The group’s interpretation of “Bli-Blip” emphasized the composition’s whimsical call-and-response structure, with each vocalist taking turns delivering syncopated phrases and scat that captured the humor and wit embedded in Ellington’s music. Their take on Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo” was a rhythmic showacase, as they navigated the composition’s shifting time signatures. Meanwhile, Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice” provided an opportunity for the ensemble to lean into the bebop and hard bop traditions.
The evening included an inventive medley combining Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner’s “Almost Like Being in Love” with John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “In My Life,” fusiing Broadway and pop influences. The group’s original material was also featured, with Kinhan and Eldridge’s “The World Keeps You Waiting” adding a contemporary touch to the setlist.
Closing with Vincent Rose, Al Jolson, and Buddy DeSylva’s “Avalon,” New York Voices maintained their signature energy, leaving the audience with a rousing finale. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- New York Voices: newyorkvoices.com
- Schwartz Center for Performing Arts: schwartz.emory.edu
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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