Back in February, filmmaker Kristian St. Clair wrote to tell me about a new project he was working on. His last one was a spectacular documentary called This Is Gary McFarland. In his email, Kristian also let me know that there were a bunch of clips up on YouTube from a Seattle TV show in the early 1960s that likely featured the earliest known videos and first gigs of guitarists Larry Coryell and Ralph Towner appearing with the Individuals, a local jazz combo.
I took a look. Coryell and Towner were amazing (go here), but my eye went to the young woman in the group on the upright bass. She played with confidence and sang a few songs, including originals. Who was this woman, listed as Tammy Burdett? Curious, I tracked down Tammy on the West Coast and sent her an email asking if I could interview her. Tammy was game and sent along two self-produced CDs of her singing original songs in 2003, 2007 and 2011. She also sent along a package of photos I had asked for to illustrate my planned interview post. The CDs were recorded as demos to showcase her songs for interested singers. All of the words and music and arrangements were by Tammy.
I gave her two CDs a listen and was blown away. The songs were well crafted, superbly arranged and Tammy's voice was terrific. There was a swinging optimism and freshness about her jazz sound, and her original songs were wonderful and could easily have been written for a 1960s or '70s Greenwich Village musical about two young 20-somethings falling in love. Tammy began receiving JazzWax, and we quickly became daily pen-pals.
Meanwhile, I posted my interview with Tammy in March (go here). Sadly, readers couldn't access her music. The CDs she had sent were out of print. So I brought Tammy's music to the attention of Jordi Pujol of Fresh Sound in Spain. Jordi wrote back and said he, too, was as blown away. Her swinging jazz style was unique and overwhelmingly appealing, and her songs were vivid and catchy. Jordi said he wanted to put out Tammy's two self-produced CDs as a single Fresh Sound release. I told Tammy, who was thunderstruck and over the moon. I put Jordi in touch with Tammy.
Now, Fresh Sound has released Fancy Free, Tammy Burdett's two CDs as one. The CD sounds absolutely terrific. There isn't a bad song on here, which should be exciting news for jazz vocalists looking for fresh material that no one else has recorded. Naturally, Tammy is flabbergasted by all that has happened in the past six months. Which just goes to prove that good things still happen to good people.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Tammy Burdett's Fancy Free (Fresh Sound) here.
JazzWax tracks: Here's You Bring Out the Lover in Me...
And here's Bright Lights...
Bonus: Here's Tammy in 1966 with Ralph Tower on piano and guitar and Chuck Mahaffay on reeds and drums on Seattle's Buddy Webber Show...
