JAZZ VOCAL PRODIGY ANAÏS RENO RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM
Lovesome Thing, Anaïs Reno Sings Ellington & Strayhorn
Available April 16, 2021 on Harbinger Records
Reno, who grew up in New York City, was taking voice lessons as a recipient of the Renati-Kaplan Scholarship Program at the 92nd Street Y at eight years old when a perceptive voice teacher suggested she learn the song “At Last.” The bluesy song, made famous by Etta James, became young Reno’s entrée to the world of jazz. Reno relates, “When I was eight years old, I didn’t realize I was doing anything special. I didn’t know that singing was actually very complex and that there was a difference between someone who liked to sing and a trained singer. I just knew I loved to sing, and I loved the soulfulness of “At Last.” That led me to listen to jazz extensively. It consumed my whole life.”
Although her father stopped singing professionally when Reno was just two years old, he was instrumental in her growth as a singer, not only teaching her technique, but sharing his love of singing. Reno had been performing in various musical situations, like school shows, events at the 92nd Street Y, and recitals by her mother. When she was 11 years old, she was part of the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program and had the opportunity to perform with the orchestra.
At the age of 12, she began performing at the open mic night at Birdland and soon became a regular at that storied institution. The friendships she made there with the staff and other performers soon became the most comforting aspect of her life. Reno got her first gig as a leader when she was 13, after her mother sent a video of her singing to the booker at Feinstein’s/54 Below. The club was so taken with her talents, they wound up giving her three solo shows with Billy Stritch and Tedd Firth.
Despite her fledgling career, Reno has already racked up an impressive list of honors. She won the 2016 Forte International Competition’s Platinum Award at Carnegie Hall and Second Place at Michael Feinstein’s Great American Song Book Academy competition in 2018. She also came in First Place at the Mabel Mercer Foundation competition in New York City in 2019 and won the Julie Wilson Award in 2020.
Anaïs decided to make her first album when she was 15. She wasn’t sure how she wanted to structure the album, but she had participated in a tribute performance of Ellington’s and Strayhorn’s music at Birdland, and her mother suggested doing a whole album of their music. “At first, I resisted the idea,” says Reno. “But now I can’t imagine it being any other album. It’s a good representation of where I’m at musically and personally. The overall color of the album, a little sad, a little blue, a little romantic, is really me.”
Gianni Valenti, the owner of Birdland, helped Reno assemble the band for the album. EMMET COHEN is an internationally touring pianist and composer who has worked with some of the top names in the jazz world, like Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, and Houston Person, to name just a few. The band also comprises bass player RUSSELL HALL and drummer KYLE POOLE. Reno wanted to add different sounds and textures to the album, so Cohen asked the highly sought-after saxophone player TIVON PENNICOTT to join the project. Reno’s mother, JULIET KURTZMAN, plays violin on “Mood Indigo” and “It’s Kind of Lonesome Out Tonight.” Reno is following in her mother’s footsteps, as the formidable violinist made her debut with the Houston Symphony at the age of 12.
The remarkable thing about Reno is not just her musicality, but her very mature ability to interpret song lyrics. There is a genuine world-weariness to her vocals that belie her youth. Listen to her subtle approach to a contemplative, bluesy song like “Mood Indigo” or a swinging blues tune like “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But the Blues.”
Her resonant voice is as clear as crystal on ballads like “Daydream” and “It’s Kind of Lonesome Out Tonight,” which is one of Ellington’s more obscure tunes. She can also swing like a 1940s big band singer as she so capably demonstrates on “Take the A Train.” And she can even tell a story without words as she does on “Chelsea Bridge” on the “Chelsea Bridge/A Flower is a Lovesome Thing” mashup.
Anaïs Reno is truly a phenomenon. Her sophistication and work ethic sets her apart from most people her age. But it would be wrong to judge her just for being so accomplished at such a young age. It is more appropriate to listen to her stellar performance as a polished artist, regardless of her youth.
LOVESOME THING, ANAÏS RENO SINGS ELLINGTON & STRAYHORN is a sumptuous achievement by an emerging talent who will surely take her place in the jazz firmament in the coming years.
