Jazz Musician of the Day: Tierney Sutton

Born: June 28, 1963
In a world of overnight sensations, jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton’s success has come from the road less traveled. A decision in the mid ’90s to move to Southern California from her New England home resulted in a decade-long collaboration with her current band mates. A Wisconsin-born choir girl, unexposed to jazz until college, Tierney eventually found the best of the best--collaborators with their own impressive jazz pedigrees, from Natalie Cole to Diana Krall, from Ray Charles to Randy Brecker--pianist Christian Jacob, bassists Trey Henry and Kevin Axt, and drummer Ray Brinker.

Ten years and six critically acclaimed CDs later, Tierney and her band demonstrate what collective consultation and dedicated teamwork can achieve. Reviewers repeatedly say that audiences experience a rare and powerful harmony, achieved by humble performers at the top of their game. The road less traveled in an impatient world.
A versatile studio singer as well as premiere entertainer, Tierney’s voice was recently featured on Lions Gate’s hit film The Cooler, starring William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. She can also be heard in Paramount’s Twisted, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Andy Garcia and Ashley Judd. And in 2004, Tierney and her band scored the independent feature film Blue in Green, which was released by the Unica Project. Tierney’s unique voice is also regularly featured in commercials representing such organizations as BMW, Coca Cola, Dodge and J.C. Penney.

Educated at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Tierney became a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition in 1998. Her first solo CD, Introducing Tierney Sutton (1999), was released to rave reviews and nominated for a 1999 Indie Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Complete on  >  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=4739


Live performance with Ray Brinker drums; Christian Jacob piano; and Kevin Axt bass