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Back Stage Bistro Award winner (Jazz Vocalist) Andrew Suvalsky has released an ambitious second album, A World That Swings on LML Music. As his jazz and vocal sensibilities mature, he deserves serious praise on several counts: his sharply improvised way with a lyric, an intelligent sense of swing and the inherent musicality of his interpretations. It all makes for an impressive entry by one fairly new to the jazz arena. He also deserves praise for something else: an attribute not rare among jazz crooners who have arrived on the scene in the last decade: building an eclectic repertoire on chestnuts from the Great American Songbook era. He covers standards, contemporary pop and blues.

What sets him apart? The difference is that he makes his interpretations his own with a nod to the greats. While generally avoiding sounding like others, he recalls Curtis Stigers on a high gear reading of “One Note Samba” and a young Michael Murphy on “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise.” The album peaks on a contemporary flavored “Fool On the Hill” (McCartney) and a bluesy, well phrased, “How Deep is the Ocean?” (Berlin) accompanied only by Peter Bernstein’s magical guitar that is expressive and timeless. Cole Porter’s “Night And Day” becomes a classic swing-bop replete with a sassy scat.

Supported by keyboard phenom Bennett Paster, the band informs each cut with a driving intensity laced with sophisticated fun that scales the heights with ease.

CD Reviews November 2008—cabaretscenes.org

—John Hoglund, Cabaret Scenes

If it’s swing you’re looking for, look no further than Andrew Suvalsky’s sophomore collection of the Great American Songbook with the finest songwriters from its heyday, including Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter and Harold Arlen, as well as pop geniuses John Lennon & Paul McCartney and Carole King’s contemporary songs sung with a twist.

Suvalsky swings with the best of them (them being Torme, Sinatra, Vaughan and Fitzgerald) and keeps up with contemporaries such as Michael Buble and Harry Connick, Jr. as if he was born to sing these standards in his own inimitable style. “Lover, Come Back To Me” begins the set and continues the sensational swing of the piano, bass, drum and guitar with the occasional flute and alto sax for one of the best versions of this standard.

I’ve never heard Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth Move” quite this way, and I’m sure Ms. King would be thrilled to hear her smash hit reinvented in such a unique manner. It’s simply sensational. The Beatles’ “Fool On The Hill” was always a favorite of mine and Suvalsky continues my love affair with this song as he embraces it in the way that any Lennon/McCartney song deserves to be treated. Suvalsky also shows off his versatility with a flare for the Latin genre with spicy renditions of “One Note Samba” and “Corcovado (Quiet Nights),” both written by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Of the thirteen tracks, a couple of songs are slowed down to perfection, with sultry versions of “When The Sun Comes Out” and a smashing rendition of Irving Berlin’s masterpiece “How Deep Is The Ocean?” The album closes with one of the most energetic versions of “Night And Day” that has ever been recorded. It’s an all out jazz-fest and we, the audience, are the lucky ones as we feast on one of the sexiest jazz albums to date. Once word gets out about this album, Suvalsky’s name should begin to become as familiar as his aforementioned contemporaries.

—Steven Housman, The Bottom Line

Two years after his acclaimed debut recording and sold-out appearances at New York’s top clubs, including the Blue Note, jazz crooner Andrew Suvalsky is back with his sophomore set, A World That Swings (LML Music).

"Vintage Pop and the Jazz Sides," his 2006 effort, went in a few directions, a common issue with debut recordings where the artist is still defining himself and trying out a few different things. That can be a fun exercise for the eclectic listener, but a bit of a nightmare for the radio programmer. Suvalsky had classic jazz choices like "The Best is Yet to Come" but also things as far afield as the 70s rocker "Love is Alive" (admittedly a minor hit for him).

For this new disc, Suvalsky has wisely chosen to focus on what he does best: swing standards. His one foray into pop, Carole King’s "I Feel the Earth Move" is a jazz rendition all the way.

While he may not have the rounded, vocal richness of Tony Bennett, the emotional depth of Kurt Elling, or the range of Al Jarreau, what he does have in spades is an energetic playfulness. He attacks each song with the excited wonder of a child opening a gift on Christmas morning.

This approach is most evident on the first track, a romping rendition of Hammerstein and Romberg’s "Lover Come Back to Me," which should get some airplay on jazz radio. Another Hammerstein/Romberg number, the rare gem "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is also given an athletic workout.

He displays some sexy scatting on Jobim’s "One Night Samba," the nonsense syllables like personal sweet nothings for the listener’s ear. More common fare like "All of Me," "How Deep is the Ocean" and "Night and Day" are given fresh readings, particularly the latter, which will have the listener bopping around the room.

Suvalsky surprises with his formidable interpretive prowess on the spare arrangement of the Lennon/McCartney ballad, "Fool on the Hill," which features a nice duet of sorts with Steve Wilson’s plaintive-sounding flute. Suvalsky has surrounded himself with an impressive roster of musical talent; it’s to his credit that he is able to keep his vocals at the forefront of such a fine group. Bennett Paster’s piano and organ work and Peter Bernstein’s guitar playing are memorable standouts.

And still under forty years old, his finest years as a jazz singer are still ahead. That’s good news for jazz fans who are looking for an up-and-coming star to latch onto. With this follow-up disc, Andrew Suvalsky is proving that he means to stay around for a while: the best is yet to come.

—Kevin Scott Hall, EDGE International