blog post Katie Malloch's Jazz Picks: Ballads Blues & Bey

There are many beautiful voices in jazz, but only a few that make chills run up your spine. Andy Bey's voice is one of them...

I vividly remember the first time I heard Andy Bey sing. It was on a compilation CD, put together by pianist Fred Hersch as an AIDS fundraiser.

The first piece on the album began with piano, and then a gorgeous voice, dark and shivery, began to sing "Nobody Else But Me." It had swoops of perfectly controlled falsetto, and a seeming bottomless basement of sound, a loving growl that knocked me off my feet. I was hooked on Andy Bey.

And it turns out he'd been around for a while! Bey was born in Newark New Jersey in 1939, and was a largely self-taught pianist and singer, appearing on talent shows like "Startime Kid" in the early '50's, and singing with his sisters, Salome and Geraldine. A trip to Europe was supposed to last 6 months, but Europe adored the group, and they stayed for 5 years, because of performances like this one:

From the early '60's to the mid-'90's, Andy Bey was virtually unknown to a wide audience. He worked with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, and with pianist Horace Silver, but both gigs left him with a low profile. Those who heard him, though, knew his vocal power; John Coltrane cited Bey as his favourite singer.

Starting in the mid-90's, Bey made a series of boldly simple recordings that focused on his startling voice and perfect self-accompanying piano work. As he expresses in this article in Jazz Times magazine in 2004, he's serene about his simple lifestyle, and his music. Suddenly, with the release of his album 'Ballads Blues & Bey', everybody was buzzing about this "unknown" jazz singer. Here's a min-profile, and stunning performance:

Do yourself a favour, and check out Ballads Blues & Bey. Since he recorded it in '96, Andy Bey has made a whole series of fine recordings, and tours regulary, but if you're a new fan, BB&B is a great place to start!

Katie