Band's total far exceeds its parts

"O God! Make of me a hollow reed from which the pith of self hath been blown so that I may be a clear channel through which Thy love may flow to others."

Singer Tierney Sutton has always led a cohesive ensemble.

That was so when she performed at the Spoleto Festival USA in 2002, and from all indications, it's even more true this time around.

The Tierney Sutton Band will kick off the festival's Jazz & More series today at the College of Charleston's Cistern. The performance will be repeated there Saturday.

Her soulmates in the band again this year are Christian Jacob, piano; Kevin Axt, double bass, and Ray Brinker, drums. She has had the same band for 15 years, making it a seamless whole that hums organically with scintillating synergy.

The sum is lush and far exceeds the parts.

In an e-mail conversation earlier this week, Sutton, a member of the Baha'i faith, called their art improvised music.

"I like to tell people we strive for music that is at once challenging and accessible," she said. "And ultimately we hope the audience experiences transcendence. When we are doing it right, we experience this."

Although she doesn't characterize her band's music as jazz, it offers a pure jazz experience.

By virtue of playing well enough to rise above the ordinary, the players share that in real time with the audience.

The band's performances and records prove that Sutton's labeling of its music is dead-on.

It is most adept at reinventing songs in the players' own way that is full of swing and sheer delight.

Series producer Michael Grofsorean, who was turned on to Sutton by jazz giant Ray Brown years ago, knew he would be bringing the band back after the 2002 show. It also confirmed for him what he thought its music was about.

"She has a beautiful voice and presents a lyric with clear articulation and intelligence, but there was more than this, a melding of her voice with the other instrumentalists into a single substance."

This stood out even more when I heard them live in 2002, and it secured a return visit for them in my mind.

"In the time that's passed since then, they've kept on the course they set for themselves early on, one based on a collaborative approach to reinventing songs, relentlessly deconstructing, reconstructing, arranging and rehearsing, until they've effectively created new works," Grofsorean said.

An examination of the band's body of work reveals that it is indeed a master of reinvention.

You would come across two versions of some songs, done in completely different ways with regard to attributes such as tempo and timbre, with both being stunning in their own right and having at the same time shared elements and distinct differences.

Performing at Spoleto suits Sutton and her band just fine.

"I love this type of festival. It is perfect for what we do since we see art and inspiration as something that crosses all kinds of borders of style and medium.

"We talk a lot in the band about writers, filmmakers, and musicians of all styles. I think it's perfect to have improvised music (jazz) represented since it's one of the great fruits of our country."

The day before the 2002 performance, Sutton's band did a workshop for music students at the Charleston County School of the Arts.

The band was gleefully received by the students and staff, teaching and performing at the same time.

Al Fraser, a retired Charleston educator and author of a biography of Dizzy Gillespie (also a Baha'i who Sutton said greatly inspired her) showed up for the seminar.

After the band wailed for the students, Fraser was heard to say, "She can really holler," a strong compliment in jazz parlance, meaning she can swing and deliver a lyric.

The band, fresh off a gig in Bogota, Colombia, is sure to bring that and more tonight.

Jack McCray is a freelance writer in Charleston. Reach him at jackmccray@aol.com.