Jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton returned to Omaha for After Blue: The Joni Mitchell Project at the 1200 Club at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Two shows were presented on Friday, March 27th, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., the first show to a nearly sold out venue. Audience members responded with enthusiastic applause to presentations of Joni Mitchell's material by Sutton and her trio.
Jazz in the Afternoon host Chris Cooke recently spoke with Tierney Sutton about “After Blue” in addition to her work as a jazz vocal instructor and her sources of inspiration, which include Joni Mitchell.
Tierney Sutton's voice is a spiritually inspired vehicle capable of deep emotional expression. Born in Omaha in June 1963, she is deemed “a serious jazz artist who takes the whole enterprise to another level” by The New York Times. A six-time Grammy® nominee as both a recording artist and arranger, Sutton earned her fifth consecutive Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her 2013 album, After Blue, an intimate, jazz-inspired re-imagining of the music of Joni Mitchell. Her two performances in Omaha will feature songs from that album performed in a trio format with guitar virtuoso Serge Merlaud and internationally acclaimed cellist Mark Summer.
Tierney Sutton has performed in Omaha previously and also in Brownville, Nebraska. She has also performed in recent years at The Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Jazz At Lincoln Center. She appears on film and television soundtracks as well as on television commercials for brands such as BMW, Yoplait Yogurt and Coke. Her work in the Tierney Sutton Band has led to her selection as Jazzweek’s Vocalist of the Year, in addition to creating a series of exceptional jazz recordings.
Recording engineer: Mike Hansen.