Swing: Alexis Cole, Part 1

By Marilyn Lester**** Vocalist Alexis Cole is one of the few females in the jazz world to be able to claim first rate singing ability along with piano chops. You can count them on one hand—the late Barbara Carroll, Diana Krall, Lenore Raphael, Daryl Sherman. These great ladies of swing form a rarified circle of talent, and within it, Cole is equally prodigious at both skills. She could leave the piano behind tomorrow and still have a successful career as a vocalist. Recently, she finished a residency at the Smoke jazz club, which ran from January 27 through March 31, entitled Sunday Supper with Alexis Cole, with sets at 5 pm, 7 pm and 9 pm.

At the last set of her March 24th performance, she was supported by a trio of ultra-swinging cats: Steve La Spina on bass, Kenny Hassler on drums and Don Braden on tenor saxophone and flute. The synergy among them was galvanizing, achieving the aim jazz musicians strive for—producing a tight sound that’s “in the pocket.” Each had liberal opportunity to solo and hearing the masters demonstrate their expertise was a special treat. La Spina is one of the most melodic bassists around and Hassler one of the most subtle and out of the box, creative drummers. Braden’s tone is smooth. His work on a dreamy “Yesterdays” (Jerome Kern/Otto Harbach) was a flawless echo of Cole’s artistry, with some passages reminiscent of an undertone of call and response. The result was a haunting delivery of the 1933 tune. Braden also had a particularly exhilarating spotlight moment with a creative improv on “Get Out of Town,” Cole Porter’s 1938 work. Porter’s sly, ironic lyric was handled incisively by Cole—her interpretive ability is spot-on, matched by an overall superb musicality and pleasing vocal timbre.

The set opener established the tone of the evening right out of the gate. In “Bye Bye Blackbird,” a 1926 standard by Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon, Cole demonstrated terrific phrasing and pacing ability and a light but powerful touch on the keys, including a creative riff of Duke Ellington’s “I’m Beginning to See the Light” woven in. Cole has that feeling for jazz, that primal sense of swing. It can’t be taught; great jazz artists are naturally born with it.

Eclectically, part of the repertoire involved two Disney classics. The first was “A Whole New World” from 1992’s feature Aladdin, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. With Braden on flute, the arrangement had a depth that elevated the piece to lilting, soaring heights that transcended the typically sappy deliveries of this number. The same was true for “Some Day My Prince Will Come” from the 1939 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, composed by Frank Churchill with lyrics by Larry Morey. This is a tune, though, that’s long been favored by jazz artists, such as Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans and Miles Davis, because of the atypical chord structure that underpins the melody. Cole kept the pace zippy and fun. “Social Call,” a number written in 1955 by Jon Hendricks and Gigi Gryce, was a special request and was easily handled by Cole tripping through the vocalese rhythmic pattern. Ending a thrilling set was an uptempo “Come Back to Me” from the 1965 Burton Lane-Alan Jay Lerner Broadway musical, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.

Alexis Cole is a performer on the rise. Since 2016 her career has gained new momentum, including gigs at The Carlyle, Carnegie Hall, Birdland, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Blue Note, among others. She’s performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Boston Pops and the Detroit Symphony and has been featured on NBC’s “NY Morning Show” and in magazines Downbeat, Jazz Times, Swing Journal, All About Jazz and more. She’s also head of the vocal program at the conservatory at SUNY Purchase and is a Jamey Aebersold-sponsored clinician.

Alexis Cole, jazz artist, is one to watch.