Vocalists Headline 3 Day Jazz Festival in Provincetown

By Henry Duckham

August 10, 2007

Jazz on Cape Cod is alive and well and will be even better when, under

the thoughtful and energetic stewardship of producer/musician Bart

Weisman, the 3rd annual Provincetown Jazz Festival kicks off on August

10. The three day festival in Provincetown, Massachusetts will feature

Shawnn Monteiro and SUEDE. These two vocalists with their distinctive

and compelling styles find their popularity and recognition growing

quickly. They will be backed by some of the Cape’s most distinguished

instrumentalists.

SUEDE, originally from Baltimore and now a Cape resident, is a

multi-talented singer on a fast track to becoming a national celebrity.

Her performances include the best of sophisticated pop and jazz

infused with an authentic feeling for the blues. With a huge voice and

exceptional range which is unusually even throughout the registers,

she is reminiscent of some of the early jazz singers, communicating

warmth, wit, a winning earthiness and an uncommon connection with the

audience. The New York Post wrote: “Voices like hers come along maybe

once in a generation.”

Her credits include a new DVD aired nationally on NPR stations

throughout the country and performances at some of this country’s most

respected concert halls and jazz venues including Scullers in Boston.

An instrumentalist in her own right she can often be heard accompanying

herself on piano, guitar or trumpet. During her Festival performance

she will be backed by a trio with John Harrison III on piano; acoustic

bassist, Chris Rathbun and Bart Weisman on drums. SUEDE will be heard

at the Provincetown Hall on Saturday, August 11 at 8:00 p.m. Lou

Colombo and rhythm section will open the concert.

Fresh from a tour this July in France and Italy, Shawnn Monteiro has

credentials both in her own right and by lineage. Her father was the

late Jimmie Woode, renowned bassist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Her Godfather is the great trumpeter Clark Terry.

A resident of Rhode Island, Shawnn has played many of the most

prestigious jazz venues in this country and many of the best known

overseas. In New York she has appeared at the Village Vanguard, The

Blue Note and the Rainbow Room and her TV and radio credits include

appearances on The Ron Della Chiesa Show in Boston and BET on Jazz.

Latin/jazz musician Mongo Santamaria signed her for his band after

hearing her at a club in San Jose, California. During that two year

tour, as the only vocalist and female percussionist in the group, Shawn

quickly won over audiences with her solid musicianship and warm

projection of a full range of songs. On a landmark CD “One Special

Night” recorded at Scullers we can hear her singing with some of our

most admired jazz artists. including Jimmie Woode, Clark Terry,

drummer Jimmy Cobb and John Harrison III (who will be her pianist at

the Festival). The recording is a compelling mix of standards, blues

and originals and confirms why the Hartford Courant proclaimed that

Shawnn is: “one of the most underappreciated vocalists.”

In addition to her vocal and percussion prowess she is an educator and

serves as an adjunct Professor (In Jazz Vocals) at both Rhode Island

College and Harrt School of Music in Hartford, CT. Shawnn will hold a

Master Class for vocalists at Provincetown’s Fine Arts Work Center On

Saturday, August 11 at 11:00 am. The workshop is open to both auditors

and participants. Her concert will be on Friday, August 10, 8:00 p.m.

at the Town Hall. The Jim Robitaille Group will lead off the concert.

New Bedford based Robtitaille is one of the most individual guitarists

on the scene today. Wider and much deserved recognition came to him

when he won the Thelonius Monk Jazz Composers Competition in 2004. A

fine guitarist he is even further distinguished by his compositions

which incorporate harmonic writing that stretches the boundaries but

always contained within a strong swinging context.

The third day of the Festival, Sunday, August 12 offers a cornucopia

of instrumentalists and vocalists. Held at the Provincetown Theater at

1:00 p.m. the concert will feature a tribute to Herbie Hancock led by

saxophonist Bruce Abbott. Listeners will have the opportunity to hear

four vocalists, each with a different style. Steve Wark, faculty

member of the Berklee College of Music counts Mel Torme and Sinatra as

influences but definitely has his own sound. Vocalists Ann Austin and

Carol Wyeth are well known to Cape audiences for their original and

distinct performances of the swing and modern literature. Lori

Colombo, a recent arrival from Ojai California, gives credence to the

fact that genes count (her dad is Lou) and her warm and poised

performances have already earned her a sizeable following.

At the core of all this activity is the stellar rhythm section with

much sought after pianist John Harrison III, acoustic bassist and New

England Conservatory grad Chris Rathbun and impressario and

percussionist par excellence Bart Weisman.