| When Debbie Deane came
on stage at Blues Alley, the
multi-talented Brooklynite
– who grew up listening to
Carole King, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and
Steely Dan – found herself among friends.
After earning a degree in English literature
at Harvard University, Deane embarked on
her music career, studying jazz intensively
at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and
honing the piano skills that she continues
to display as a singer-songwriter. She moved
back to Brooklyn where she lived in a “jazz
den,” a rental in Park Slope, which became an
incubator for burgeoning jazz musicians.
The title song of her recent album, “Grove
House,” was inspired by a President’s Day
weekend visit |
to Musgrove Plantation in
Georgia. Fellow guest and best friend, LouisaBenton, inspired the line “2 cool chicks in the
Grove House.” The CD, released in June of this
year, is Deane’s debut on RKM Records, a label
run by jazz saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Fuse
Magazine wrote that Debbie Deane “joins Joni |
Mitchell in the realm of modern songwriting”
– and her well-crafted, literate songs, with their
jazz and soul influences and seductive hooks,
are the reason why.
At Blues Alley, Debbie presented two sets
which displayed her vocal artistry on piano and
guitar. She was accompanied by Jim Whitney
on bass and John Mettam on drums. It was
John’s birthday, and he received a rousing
“Happy Birthday” serenade.
|
NIGHTLIFE
