Carmen Lundy Quartet
Unlike most vocalists in the jazz realm, this Miami-born diva doesn't always rely on material from The Great American Songbook during her sets. Instead, Carmen Lundy always includes as many of her own compositions as she can both when recording and playing live – something she has done consistently since the release of her 1985 début, Good Morning Kiss, released while she was making her name around the New York jazz scene. The CD was reissued in 2002 at fans' insistence, and featured her singing alongside the likes of late pianist John Hicks and Latin jazz percussionist Ray Barretto.
Lundy does not shy away from the works of the masters – she has included standards such as Cole Porter's “Night And Day” and Duke Ellington's “In A Sentimental Mood” on many of her recordings over the years (she has a new arrangement for “Nature Boy” on her latest CD, Come Home) but she definitely concentrates in her own material, which has been covered by colleagues such as Kenny Barron and Ernie Watts.
She also tends to innovate when on stage, often featuring two bass players (one on electric, another on acoustic) and Latin-tinged percussion that is adapted into a contemporary jazz format. As a vocalist, she seems unable to hit anything less than the perfect note, doing so in a seemingly effortless manner, to the delight of her fans, who have the very rare opportunity of hearing her come home where she rarely plays. Now this is a show that deserves to be supported and shouldn't be missed. --- Ernest Barteldes
The Carmen Lundy Quartet performs on Friday, April 18 at 8 PM at The Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd in Ft. Lauderdale. Tickets are $ 30. For tickets, call 954-462-0222 or visit http://www.browardcenter.org
