Lizz Wright is a woman of class and pure, pure music. She sings, and she sings well, her voice carrying the weight of legends before her. As a self-proclaimed woman from the “swamps of Georgia,” she came a fair distance to perform for the first time at Festival International de Jazz de Montréal on June 29. Along with her longtime friend and accompanist Kenny Banks Sr., Wright performed a wonderful 10-piece set of both originals and jazz standards in the intimate space at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe within the Place des Arts complex.
Lizz Wright & Kenny Banks Sr.
As a lifelong member of the church, her voice was made for gospel and soul. Her uniquely rich contralto voice and slight vibrato reverberated through the theatre as she sang a mellow version of Clarence Carter’s “That Old Time Feeling” as well as Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s “All The Things You Are.”
Given her stature, I was surprised to see that she did not have a fuller band playing with her. Perhaps it made her shine even more, with only Banks’ piano to tether her powerful vocals. Banks himself easily set the mood from the beginning of the evening, taking his sweet time improvising the start of Jesse Greer and Raymond Klages’ “Just You, Just Me.” He had an effortless airiness in his playing, and added a touch of humour to almost every piece through his voice and the piano itself.
Under Banks’ instruction, Wright has flourished into a very capable pianist as well, experienced in her cover of “Grace” by Rose Cousins. Unfortunately, “Seems I’m Never Tired Lovin’ You” by Carolyn Franklin (sister of Aretha Franklin) didn’t seem to be on the program for the night. I highly recommend watching her insane control and hypnotic voice exemplified in her live video rendition of this song online.
Wright and Banks have worked together for over 25 years now, and their mutual love for each other is evident in their synergy and ample words of admiration for each other. In fact, the pair are releasing Nearness, a duo album, in September of this year.
Lizz Wright & Kenny Banks Sr.
From the album, Wright sang a haunting version of the single “Soon I Will Be Done,” a traditional African-American spiritual, with Banks on the organ. In her words the spiritual, typically about death, used to frighten her. Now, it’s a promise to herself to let go of the archetype of the woman the world expected her to be, and instead to commit to giving the best offering of herself through God and love.
Wright was an exquisite new find for me at this jazz fest. Diction, control, maturity, heart: she had it all and never sang excessively for the sake of the show. Just when I was taking note of what might have first seemed to be a slightly limited low range, she came back with an last encore of another spiritual: “Deep River.” Longingly slow and deeply, deeply emotional, it was a complete shock to the audience to discover her almost operatic tone and easy octave jumps compared to her vocalism the rest of the evening. With the whole audience holding their breaths in utter silence, I can confidently say this piece was the most memorable vocal performance I have witnessed all year. I’m counting down the days to September 25, when Nearness drops and I can experience Lizz Wright and Kenny Banks Sr.’s “Deep River” once again.
For more on Lizz Wright visit www.lizzwright.net
