Press
"Because We're Night People" CD Reviews
October 2018
Recent Listening: van Nuis & Luxion
By Doug Ramsey, Rifftides
"A highlight among 2018 vocal albums...Throughout, she sustains long notes perfectly in tune...distinctive...delicious...just the right blend of sadness and wit...This will have a long stay on most listeners’ shelves."
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Singer van Nuis and pianist Luxion may not be household names outside of Chicago, but their taste and wide range of musicianship have them perennially in demand in the Windy City. In thirteen ballads dealing with after-hours life and culture, the pair’s intimate collaboration makes this a highlight among 2018 vocal albums. Luxion’s participation means that it is also an important recording for listeners who cherish fine piano playing. His keyboard touch and inventive harmonic transitions have Ms. van Nuis floating through a program that includes classics like “You And The Night And The Music,” old songs like Ruth Etting’s 1931 hit “Moonlight Saving Time” and newer classics including Henry Mancini’s “Dreamsville” and his lesser known “Shadows Of Paris.”
The two are distinctive in “Black Coffee,” which is delicious for Ms. van Nuis’ bluesy bending of the words “around” and the song’s ending title phrase. She gives Meredith d’Ambrosio’s “The Piano Player (A Thousand And One Saloons)” just the right blend of sadness and wit. Throughout, she sustains long notes perfectly in tune, supported by Luxion’s flawless accompaniment. The audience at Chicago’s PianoForte piano store applauds with not so much as one whoop, holler or look-at-me histrionics of the kind that spoils so many live recordings. This will have a long stay on most listeners’ shelves.
January 2019
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal International
"Van Nuis is not as well known internationally as should be the case although she has a devoted following in Japan. An exceptionally gifted singer, she has a light yet subtly textured sound and is always delightfully melodic...filled with many memorable moments, notably in Van Nuis’s interpretation of the lyrics; these are clearly very important to her and she delivers them with admirable sincerity."
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Much admired in Chicago, Van Nuis is not as well known internationally as should be the case although she has a devoted following in Japan. An exceptionally gifted singer, she has a light yet subtly textured sound and is always delightfully melodic.
Her chosen repertoire here includes familiar yet far from overdone material, including songs by respected nightclub artists such as Tommy Wolf, Bob Dorough, Fran Landesman, Matt Dennis and Tom Adair. There are also standards, including “Black Coffee” and “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep”. To all of these songs she brings warmth and affectionate understanding.
The material is themed in that all the songs speak of the night and it is in Chicago’s nightspots that this duo has most often worked over the years and their rapport is constantly evident. A previous album by Van Nuis on this label, Lessons Lyrical, was also a duo; on that occasion a studio set with her husband guitarist Andy Brown.
For this live set, Van Nuis and Luxion are at PianoForte before an appreciative (and very well-behaved) audience. In settings such as this, Van Nuis is clearly at ease even though the duo is a format offering no hiding place for a singer. Here, the simplicity of the format is filled with many memorable moments, notably in Van Nuis’s interpretation of the lyrics; these are clearly very important to her and she delivers them with admirable sincerity.
Luxion worked for some years in Europe, including a spell with Chet Baker, and his skill as an accompanist, a difficult aspect of a pianist’s role, is evident throughout this set and his solos are inventive and fluent.
March 2019
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Lissette Corsa, Jazziz Magazine
"Van Nuis exudes tenderness and sensual warmth with her phrasing...her voice delicately tinged with nostalgia...a collection of spellbinding sonic snapshots that movingly capture the intricacies of life...brimming with beguiling intimacy and mystery...pure magic."
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Recorded live at Chicago’s PianoForte, Because We’re Night People more than lives up to its name. Solely accompanied by pianist Dennis Luxion, singer Petra van Nuis pays tribute to the night with songs that are as nuanced as the varied nocturnal shades they inhabit. Over the course of 13 elegant tracks, the duo becomes effortlessly complicit in conjuring the seductive contradictions that emerge as the sun sets.
Van Nuis and Luxion bring out the best in each other as they reimagine classics such as “You and the Night and the Music,” and reinvigorate obscure songs like Henry Mancini’s “Shadows of Paris,” which plays during the opening credits of the Pink Panther flick A Shot in the Dark, and “Night People,” from the short-lived 1959 Broadway show The Nervous Set.
While the session is mostly down-tempo, fresh ideas and creative harmonic transitions keep the set charged with electricity and anticipation, as piano and voice create atmospheres brimming with beguiling intimacy and mystery. Van Nuis exudes tenderness and sensual warmth with her phrasing over Luxion’s languid lines on “While My Lover Sleeps.” On “Dreamsville,” Luxion’s serene, lyrical piano cushions the singer’s wistful rumination, her voice delicately tinged with nostalgia as she repeats the lyric “faraway.” Sonny Burke’s “Black Coffee” ripples with bluesy undertones that have the singer gliding fluidly atop Luxion’s rumbling riffs, while “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” poignantly closes the album with an expression of gratitude as sleep begins to descend and the nighttime slowly turns to day.
Van Nuis and Luxion weave a collection of spellbinding sonic snapshots that movingly capture the intricacies of life under the cover of darkness. The results are pure magic.
November 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By George Fendel, High Standards Jazz
"One of those rare recordings that just grabs you and holds on until the last note...like Lady Day, Blossom Dearie and very few others, Petra conveys the meaning of a lyric in a very direct manner...a singer who gets it and puts it across to the listener...I hope to hear more from Petra and would suggest this to her: don't change a thing."
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I'm almost always? affected and sometimes amazed by certain characteristics of some singers. First of all, let's look at the songs of choice. If a few "unlikelies" or delicious obscurities make the list, I have to look more closely. Petra van Nuis has underground items like "Night People", a tune I associate with June Christy. Or how about "The Piano Player (A Thousand And One Saloons)", a gem from singer-pianist Meredith d'Ambrosio. Or consider a delight from Bob Dorough, "Small Day Tomorrow". And while we're at it, there's the intro, rarely sung, to "Street Of Dreams" (which was new to me!). And hats off for "Moonlight Savings Time", a nearly forgotten day brightener that I seem to recall from Billie Holiday. And most importantly, like Lady Day, Blossom Dearie, Lynne Jackson and very few others, Petra conveys the meaning of a lyric in a very direct manner. Other songs in this intimate, live performance include "Dreamsville", "No Moon At All", "The Night We Called It A Day", and "Black Coffee". The accompaniment is limited to the solo piano of Dennis Luxion, who is subtle and a picture of perfection. This is one of those rare recordings that just grabs you and holds on until the last note. Petra van Nuis is a singer who gets it and puts it across to the listener. I hope to hear more from Petra and would suggest this to her: don't change a thing.
February 2019
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By j. Poet, DownBeat Magazine
**** (Four Stars) "Van Nuis has a warm, intimate singing style, marked by playful phrasing that dances around a lyric to emphasize its emotional content...the vocalist imbues the longing and hopelessness of the lyric with a palpable sense of anguish."
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Petra van Nuis has a warm, intimate singing style, marked by playful phrasing that dances around a lyric to emphasize its emotional content. Her musical partner here, pianist Dennis Luxion, has a similar penchant for breaking a melody down into luminous fragments that keeps things moving at a sprightly pace. The album title is taken from Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman's lyrics for “Night People,” a humorous text contrasting the lives of the hipsters who hang out in jazz clubs with day people who never “take the time to have fun.” Van Nuis sings the tune with a jaunty, almost tongue-in-cheek delivery that’s augmented by Luxion’s gently swinging asides and a sparkling solo. They take the same lighthearted approach to “Small Day Tomorrow,” another celebration of ironic hedonism, with Luxion’s bluesy keyboards supporting van Nuis’ wistful singing.
The performances are just as compelling when the duo directs their feet to the melancholy side of the street. Luxion’s stately left hand runs heighten the drama inherent in “The Night We Called It A Day,” while van Nuis drifts into the loveless darkness that accompanies an unexpected breakup. On “Black Coffee,” the vocalist imbues the longing and hopelessness of the lyric with a palpable sense of anguish, lightened a bit by the way she elongates vowels to imply she hasn’t give up all hope of a reconciliation. As he does throughout the album, Luxion provides a sensitive counterpoint to van Nuis with his bedrock rhythms and dynamic right hand trills.
November 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Toshiro Kobari, Jazz Critique Magazine (Japan)
"Her signature charm is found in the coexistence of her relaxed feel and cool intelligence...a place where the agony, comfort, and hope of life meet...the world painted is profound...a recommended listen as the nights begin to draw in."
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Recorded this spring is the latest from the Chicago-based Petra van Nuis. Her signature charm is found in the coexistence of her relaxed feel and cool intelligence. The record includes classics such as tracks one, five, nine, ten, and twelve, but its song selection as a whole is refined which makes the exuberance of all thirteen tracks all the more refreshing. Petra explains the third track as “a number which sings the loneliness and boredom of performing night after night at a place where a large amount of liquor is chugged and cigarette smoke enshrouds.” “The listeners who understand,” she continues, “are the slight glimmer” of hope for the pianist performing there. What is painted is not mere love or affection; if one were to expound, it is the plain scenery all come across in everyday affairs. But it is at such a place where the agony, comfort, and hope of life meet. This and the other twelve refined tracks consist simply of vocals and piano but the world painted is profound. A recommended listen as the nights begin to draw in.
November 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz Magazine
"Petra van Nuis gives lyrics the kind of attention and understanding that makes each of them sound special, as if written just for her...a vocal album that rates among the best of the year."
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"Because We’re Night People" is one fine album from vocalist Petra van Nuis and pianist Dennis Luxion. As the title suggests, most of the selections on this collection are taken at a slow, end-of-evening tempo, the exceptions being perky takes on “Moonlight Savings Time” and “No Moon at All.” Among the other tunes are “Street of Dreams,” “You and the Night and the Music,” “The Night We Called It a Day,” “Black Coffee” and “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep,” all familiar tunes. They also dug deeper for songs like “Night People,” “The Piano Player (A Thousand and One Saloons),” “While My Lover Sleeps,” “Small Day Tomorrow,” “Dreamsville” and “Shadows of Paris.” Petra van Nuis gives lyrics the kind of attention and understanding that makes each of them sound special, as if written just for her. Luxion provides the kind of accompaniment that all singers dream of having. Put this combination of singer, pianist and songs together before an enthusiastic audience in a club named PianoForte in Chicago, and the results are just what is present on "Because We’re Night People", a vocal album that rates among the best of the year.
October 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Hrayr Attarian, Chicago Jazz Magazine
"...tender and yearning singing, full of reserved emotion and eloquence...deeply moving and subtly provocative...a satisfyingly multilayered disc that delights more with each spin."
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On the captivating Because We’re Night People vocalist Petra van Nuis and pianist Dennis Luxion collaborate on thirteen, charming, nocturnal themed songs. Van Nuis’ elegant style and rich voice superbly match Luxion’s resonant and lyrical pianism as the two musicians feed of each other’s spontaneity. They delve deep into the essence of each tune giving it a uniquely personal treatment that is as reflective of their own individual artistry as it is of the original composition.
For instance, on Sonny Burke’s “Black Coffee” van Nuis’ unhurried phrasing glides sensually over Luxion’s simmering refrains. Meanwhile the melancholic interpretation of Matt Dennis’ “The Night We Called It A Day” opens with Luxion’s dramatic cascading notes that echo in silence pauses. Luxion continues to embellish the melody with bluesy hints as he underscores van Nuis’ tender and yearning singing, full of reserved emotion and eloquence.
The dramatic and graceful “Night People," from the 1959 Broadway show The Nervous Set, brims with a playful yet tense ambience. Luxion embellishes the melody with a soulful sophistication as van Nuis articulates the words with silky smoothness. Elsewhere Luxion plays darkly shimmering lines, like moonlight on the surface of a pond, on this impressionistic take of Chet Baker’s “While My Lover Sleeps”. Van Nuis sings a warm and passionate lullaby over the pianist’s serene and fluid chords.
Because We’re Night People is an album that is both hauntingly atmospheric and filled with creative substance. Thanks to van Nuis and Luxion’s immense talents and seamless camaraderie the music is deeply moving and subtly provocative. In sum it is satisfyingly multilayered disc that delights more with each spin.
November 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Eiji Kitahara, Jazz Life Magazine (Japan)
"The texture of her delicate, graceful voice is reminiscent of Blossom Dearie’s but uniquely chic and charming...the world created is rich and intimate...the perfect record to listen to after being liberated from work...unwinding both body and soul."
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Petra van Nuis is a Chicago-based singer who started out in vocal music, influenced by her classic pianist father, and later transitioned to jazz upon graduating from college. The texture of her delicate, graceful voice is reminiscent of Blossom Dearie’s but uniquely chic and charming in that she does not strain even at the climax of a song but rather belts effortlessly with non-vibrato. Let such a voice sing to the masterful backing of seasoned pianist Dennis Luxion, and the world created is rich and intimate. It is just the perfect record to listen to after being liberated from work, especially Mancini’s track eleven, unwinding both body and soul.
October 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Lance Liddle, Bebop Spken Here (UK)
"It's been a great year for vocalists, Petra ranks alongside the best of them...The music is fantastic...sensuous sounding...is 11 out of 10 high enough?"
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Amid the hocus-pocus of the many CDs now being marketed as jazz, this album, recorded live at Chicago's PianoForte, is refreshingly sans hocus or pocus. What it does have is focus - focus on a good tune, a good lyric and, an interpretation by two of Chi's finest on some choice material.
I've known of Petra since I raved over a previous album with guitarist and hubby, Andy Brown and this is of the same high standard - like is 11 out of 10 high enough?
Duo albums and gigs seem to have become more and more prevalent these days. Usually, it's for economic reasons. Fortunately, at other times, and this is just such an occasion, it's the artists' desire to create something intimate, personal without the intrusions of drums, basses or horns. Or guitars!
Just as Petra and Andy gelled on her earlier album so does the sensuous sounding vocalist do here with Dennis Luxion.
Almost every duo album these days acknowledges the inspiration of Ellis Larkins, who, on record with either Ella or Ruby Braff, more or less etched the ground rules in vinyl.
Petra and Dennis follow the code. If it ain't broke...
It's been a great year for vocalists, Petra ranks alongside the best of them, and anyone looking for a sympathetic accompanist such as Dennis need only contact the Chicago Local 10-208.
The material is what we now expect from Petra: the known, the not so well known and the delightful surprises.
The music is fantastic, yet the applause is quite low-key. If I'd been present I'd have been a-whoopin' an' a-hollerin'. Petra tells me that our Patti D was present and, PD, not averse to doing a little vociferous applauding herself, makes me wonder if the audience had been asked to show some restraint?
Whatever, once you've got the music on the player I think your response can be accurately forecast - start a-whoopin'!
October 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Keizo Takada, Record Collectors Magazine (Japan)
"A voice quickly becoming cherished by the Japanese audience, the bright and beautiful Petra releases her latest...the applause at the end are the only thing by which one realizes this breathtaking album and its quality sound were actually recorded live...a definite recommendation."
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A voice quickly becoming cherished by the Japanese audience with “Far Away Places” in 2011 and “Try To Remember” in 2018, the bright and beautiful Petra van Nuis releases her latest. Her past duos have been with her husband and guitarist Andy Brown but this time, she is joined by the fellow Chicago-based Dennis Luxion on piano. The 1952-born pianist has performed alongside Chet Baker in Europe from ‘79 to ‘83, also having taken part in his albums. The latest record – its title inspired by “Night People” by Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf, writers also renowned for “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” and “The Ballad of The Sad Young Men” – showcases a night-themed creative interplay, within which shades of Bill Evans appear from Dennis’ superb performance, the vocals and piano perfectly in tune with each other. While a sense of anticipation unique to one-takes is in the air, the applause at the end are the only thing by which one realizes this breathtaking album and its quality sound were actually recorded live at two evening shows. A definite recommendation.
June 2019
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By George Harris, Jazz Weekly
"Van Nuis has a vocal tone that is has a dash of late era Billie Holiday, along with an almost poetic timing to enunciation of lyrics...a rich collection of heartfelt stories...van Nuis’ sandied voice patiently producing moods via nuance and lyric."
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Piano-vocal duets tell much of the heart of each participant. This one by singer Petra van Nuis with Dennis Luxion is a rich collection of heartfelt stories. Van Nuis has a vocal tone that is has a dash of late era Billie Holiday, along with an almost poetic timing to enunciation of lyrics. Luxion is able to give rich stride tones with a dash of swing as on the bouncy “Moonlight Saving Time” or bop along to “No Moon At All” while giving elegant intros and support to the sweet “Night People.” Van Nuis can be coy and cozy as on “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” but prefers to be intimate and conversant, drawing you into “Street of Dreams” or glimmering like a candle on “You And The Night And The Music.” The two parlay well, listening intently to one another; van Nuis’ sandied voice patiently producing moods via nuance and lyric with Luxion adding the final brush strokes. Pas de deux with song.
March 2019
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Andreas Geyer, Jazz Podium Magazine (Germany)
"A highly nuanced, silky-shimmering voice...singing which can plumb the dramatic depth of a piece with a whispered phrase and colorful articulation...succeeds in transporting the listener into the depths of nightlife with her intimate, highly atmospheric, creative interpretations."
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Petra van Nuis, a jazz singer from Chicago with a highly nuanced, silky-shimmering voice, often works in a duo with her husband, the guitarist Andy Brown. For the present CD, whose titles all have to do with night life, she has teamed up with Dennis Luxion, the sensitive and imaginative pianist. Luxion used to play with Chet Baker in Europe. The emotional, carefully-modulated singing by van Nuis, which can plumb the dramatic depth of a piece with a whispered phrase and colorful articulation, is very skillfully complemented by the darkly shimmering, lyrical lines of Luxion’s piano playing and his impressionistic solos. The interpretation of “While My Lover Sleeps” is magnificent. Van Nuis makes it into a warmhearted and passionate lullaby fitting the pianist’s flowing chords. Most of the thirteen pieces are ballads, only “Moonlight Saving Time” and “No Moon at All” are somewhat faster than medium swing. Together with Luxion, van Nuis ultimately succeeds in transporting the listener into the depths of nightlife with her intimate, highly atmospheric, creative interpretations.
October 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz
"An album that is both hauntingly atmospheric and filled with creative substance...refined grace and emotive vocals. Van Nuis intones a warm and passionate lullaby."
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On the elegant and delightful Because We're Night People Chicago natives, vocalist Petra van Nuis and pianist Dennis Luxion, interpret thirteen night-themed tunes with charm and sophistication. The two musicians are superbly matched, she with her refined grace and emotive vocals and he with his vibrant lyricism. The pair performs a selection of standards in a refreshingly singular style, that is simultaneously true to the original's essence yet deeply personal.
For example, Luxion embellishes the intimate "Night People," from the 1959 Broadway hit show The Nervous Set, with a soulful and dramatic flair. Meanwhile van Nuis articulates the words in her rich voice with silken finesse. Together they create a warm and intimate ambience. Elsewhere, on composer and band leader Sonny Burke's "Black Coffee," van Nuis' unhurried phrasing glides sensually over Luxion's simmering refrains.
Luxion plays darkly shimmering lines, like moonlight on the surface of a pond, on an impressionistic take of trumpeter Chet Baker's "While My Lover Sleeps." Van Nuis intones a warm and passionate lullaby over the pianist's serene and fluid chords. Luxion's dramatic cascading notes open a wistful version of pianist and singer Matt Dennis' "The Night We Called It A Day." Luxion continues to embellish the melody with bluesy hints as he underscores van Nuis' tender singing, full of reserved emotion.
Thanks to van Nuis and Luxion's talents and camaraderie Because We're Night People is an album that is both hauntingly atmospheric and filled with creative substance. The music is poetic, moving and subtly provocative. In sum it is a satisfyingly multilayered disc that delights more with each spin.
November 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Kazune Hayata, CD Journal (Japan)
"Captivating many fans with her sweet-sounding voice reminiscent of Beverly Kenney and Blossom Dearie, she has now managed to outdo herself with her latest album... standards are showcased in a graceful, mature fashion."
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The Chicagoan songstress, Petra van Nuis, has released two intimate duo records with Andy Brown on the guitar. Captivating many fans with her sweet-sounding voice reminiscent of Beverly Kenney and Blossom Dearie, she has now managed to outdo herself with her third and latest album. Welcoming Dennis Luxion, a seasoned pianist known for his performance with Chet Baker, as duo partner, jazz standards are showcased in a graceful, mature fashion. This is an album worthy of a close listen as the nights begin to draw in.
October 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"Hey world, it’s time you found out what Chicagoans and Japanese already know, Petra Sings isn’t just the name of van Nuis’s website. Pure saloon jazz vocal that would make Sinatra proud he referred to himself as a saloon singer. Killer stuff."
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Hey world, it’s time you found out what Chicagoans and Japanese already know, “Petra Sings” isn’t just the name of Van Nuis’s website. Performing around Chicago in various aggregations, Luxion’s piano is one of her constants and the two of them tear it up here in this set devoted to the quiet side of night in a cabaret feeling duet set. Pure saloon jazz vocal that would make Sinatra proud he referred to himself as a saloon singer, this is one of those sets that will usher your taste into adulthood. Killer stuff.
November 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Dennis Luxion - "Because We're Night People"
By Editorial Staff, Stereo Magazine (Japan)
"An enchanting elegance clothes Petra as she sings in a relaxed tempo, pondering the meaning behind the words."
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Petra is a Chicago-based singer who has released “Far Away Places” and “Try To Remember” in Japan, both duo albums with guitar. Her latest is also a duo but this time with Dennis Luxion, a pianist appreciated by connoisseurs for backing Chet Baker in the ‘80s. An enchanting elegance clothes Petra as she sings in a relaxed tempo, pondering the meaning behind the words. A 2018 record by this very well-suited duo with a ‘50s-esque album cover, on it are a total of thirteen songs including “Black Coffee” and “No Moon At All.”
"Lessons Lyrical" CD Reviews
January 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz
"A splendid recording...engaging as it is imaginative...impeccable artistic synergy...voice and guitar sashaying in unison with sensuality and passion..ardent emotion and hypnotic resonance."
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Chicago based vocalist Petra van Nuis and her husband guitarist Andy Brown have impeccable artistic synergy, something that is superbly demonstrated on their delightful duet album Lessons Lyrical. The 17 standards that van Nuis and Brown interpret are stripped down to their basic melodic elements and are reconstructed with such warmth and intimacy that highlight the beauty at the core of each one.
On the effervescent "Save Your Sorrow For Tomorrow" van Nuis' graceful vocals soar over Brown's energetic chords. Brown's guitar stylings brim with carefree romanticism. While the exotic "Bali Hai" features voice and guitar sashaying in unison with sensuality and passion. Brown takes an expressive and inventive solo that meanders far from the theme and returns to it with breathtaking agility.
Brown opens the dramatic "You're Blasé" with overlapping layers of richly hued and reserved phrases. Van Nuis enters with her haunting and tender singing, making the track truly captivating. Elsewhere van Nuis starts off "You Must Believe In Spring" unaccompanied, filling the silence around her with ardent emotion and hypnotic resonance. Brown joins with sparse strums that coalesce into a pensive and melancholic song.
There are also several playful and light-hearted tunes on this enjoyable album. "Slow Poke" for instance features Brown's folkish lines that flow effortlessly and buoy van Nuis' joyful vocals. Van Nuis articulates with charm and whimsy the humorous lyrics while Brown supports her with is bright and acerbic strings. Meanwhile the amusing "Doctor Jazz" harks back to the early days of New Orleans jazz. This Joseph "King" Olivercomposition showcases van Nuis and Brown's lithe and crisp musical repartee and their respective virtuosity.
This charismatic collaboration between van Nuis and Brown is as engaging as it is imaginative. Lessons Lyrical is a splendid recording that casts these, often performed, pieces in a refreshingly modern light. The complementary and harmonious individualities of both musicians is what makes this release unique.
November 2017
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Devon "Doc" Wendell, Dr. Jazz
"...beautifully romantic, pure and ultimately masterful...swings magically...delicate, dynamic and ethereal...gorgeously under produced...undisturbed by commercial concerns. The soul throughout this recording is just relentless...an essential purchase."
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“Lessons Lyrical” is the best description for the new album of the same name by jazz vocalist Petra Van Nuis and Chicago jazz veteran guitarist Andy Brown. This stellar duets album is beautifully romantic, pure and ultimately masterful. Nuis’ sultry vocals accompanied by Brown’s soulful and precise guitar accompaniment are the perfect vehicle for such standards as Kurt Weil’s “Speak Low,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” and Arlen & Mercer’s “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home.”
The duo’s take of the Johnny Mandel classic “A Time For Love” is a true album highlight. Brown’s fingerpicking is simply fantastic and Nuis’ vocal delivery is sweet yet melancholy. Brown & Nuis’ rendition of The Gershwin Brothers’ “Who Cares” swings magically. “Try To Remember” is delicate, dynamic and ethereal. The soul throughout this recording is just relentless.
Listening to this recording, you truly feel as if you’re in a real jazz club where the musicians are undisturbed by commercial concerns. You can picture the rhythm section on a break as these two masters take over with their own take on many timeless standards. At times, Andy Brown’s guitar comping is reminiscent of truly great pianist. It’s evident that Brown knows the changes to these compositions intimately. Petra Van Nuis’ subtle vocal style serves the theme of each song perfectly.
If you’re looking for a gorgeously under produced jazz duet recording with two greats serving up their own twist on some of the most memorable classics and standards, “Petra Van Nuis & Andy Brown’s Lessons Lyrical” is an essential purchase.
February 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Hijiri Kanno, Jazz Life Magazine (Japan)
"The quality of her voice is so distinctive, with freshness and a hint of cleverness, perfectly balanced together that it leaves a lasting impression...Her style is delicate, and brings out the essence and original intentions of each song...Her voice produces an intimacy which warms the heart...instills a pleasant sense of nostalgia... It ever so gently moved my soul."
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Chicago-based jazz singer Petra van Nuis sings straight, without vibrato. The quality of her voice is so distinctive, with freshness and a hint of cleverness, perfectly balanced together that it leaves a lasting impression to anyone who listens to it once, adding to her value. Her style is delicate, and brings out the essence and original intentions of each song, making the feel so natural. Coupled with Andy Brown’s exquisite yet discreet and minimalistic guitar technique, her voice produces an intimacy which warms the heart. My personal favorite is track number 13. Petra’s delicate performance instills a pleasant sense of nostalgia, recalling bittersweet memories to the heart. It ever so gently moved my soul.
October 2017
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Lance Liddle, bebop spoken here
"...a voice that makes every day seem like Spring. Flawless and original interpretations of songs, some of which you thought you knew only to find out you didn't really know them at all! There's also a few undiscovered gems as well as some you'd forgotten about. I guarantee they'll never be forgotten again!"
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The Chicago based couple share a rapport that stretches from the breakfast table to the bandstand or, in this case, the recording studio and back again.
That rapport is evident over 17 delightful tracks. No conveyer belt delivery here but instead, a voice that makes every day seem like Spring. Flawless and original interpretations of songs, some of which you thought you knew only to find out you didn't really know them at all! There's also a few undiscovered gems as well as some you'd forgotten about. I guarantee they'll never be forgotten again!
With her all the way, Andy digs deep to give Petra the perfect support with rich, full chords and fill-ins as well as keeping the boat afloat during his own angular solos.
The most 'lyrical lessons' you'll ever learn whether you're a singer or a guitarist or, simply, a music lover.
November 2017
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Bruce Crowther, Jazz Mostly
"Underlying Petra’s light yet sensual vocal sound is a mature understanding of the lyrics...light-hearted yet engaging...performed in a fresh and thoroughly entertaining manner. This album is a real joy and warmly recommended to all who like to hear good songs well played and sung."
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Also youthful in sound is singer Petra van Nuis who is heard here with an attractive selection of songs she and her guitarist husband Andy Brown have chosen. Underlying Petra’s light yet sensual vocal sound is a mature understanding of the lyrics and this especially evident on Weill & Nash’s Speak Low, Mandel & Webster’s A Time For Love, Sievier & Hamilton’s You’re Blasé, Jones & Schmidt’s Try To Remember, Philippe-Gérard & Vannier/Mercer’s When The World Was Young and Legrand & Demy/the Bergmans You Must Believe In Spring.
There are also light-hearted yet engaging versions of Burke & Monaco’s I’ve Got A Pocketful Of Dreams and Oliver & Melrose’s Doctor Jazz. The latter is a venerable classic of early jazz and it is a real pleasure to hear it again, especially as it blends so well with much later songs. Almost all of these songs are familiar, yet they are performed in a fresh and thoroughly entertaining manner. Interestingly, while the songs of Rodgers & Hart have long appealed to jazz artists, those of Rodgers & Hammerstein are less common in the genre. Here, Petra and Andy prove that music by the latter can work very well in careful hands with versions of Oh, What A Beautiful Morning and Bali Hai. This album is a real joy and warmly recommended to all who like to hear good songs well played and sung.
November 2017
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Palmer Moore, Ohio Fingerstyle Guitar Club
"...the bravest project two young musicians could possibly put out in today's market. A quaintly brilliant 'platter' amidst a world becoming increasingly less interested in subdued tender truly artistic music from the heart....deeply talented and endearing to the listener...a touch of pure class...just what this chaotic world needs right now."
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This new CD release "lessons lyrical" by husband and wife team, vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown has got to be the bravest project two young musicians could possibly put out in today's market. A quaintly brilliant "platter" amidst a world becoming increasingly less interested in subdued tender truly artistic music from the heart. Border line inane – deeply talented and endearing to the listener. No drums, no bass, no other instruments, no backing tracks, no pitch correcting electronics – a touch of pure class. Just Petra and Andy - just what this chaotic world needs right now.
So, if this CD is only Andy and Petra where she is singing melodies with her "whispery" voice and he is providing rhythm on his jazz guitar - what can Andy possibly play on the "breaks?" Most guitarists without a backing band would probably die on the solo breaks – however, Andy just happens to be the only protégé of the late finger style jazz guitar legend – Kenny Poole. (Hence, why this review shows up on the Ohio Fingerstyle Guitar Club web site.) Kenny spent his whole life playing solo guitar that included bass lines and chords along with his melodies. Andy must have been listening when Kenny was playing because his "breaks" suffer little from a drop in entertainment value. In fact, I would have loved to have been in the recording studio when they recorded this album because I swear that it sometimes sounds like Petra is teasingly throwing Andy "under the bus" with how she delivers a break to him implying, "Now, what are you going to do with this one?" And, folks, he plays himself out of it every time.
Pour yourselves a glass of wine – kick your shoes off – lay back and enjoy listening to two talented lovers playin' their music to, for, and with each other.
February 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Shoji Ichikawa, Stereo Magazine (Japan)
"Petra is quite distinctive in that she sings American Standards infused with her affectionate voice. Her sweet voice is reminiscent of legends such as Blossom Dearie and Ann Burton."
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Petra van Nuis is a nostalgic singer from Cincinnati. She made her debut in Japan with “Far Away Places” in 2011. Like the first album, the latest release is also a duo recording with Andy Brown, her husband. When you hear of a male-female vocal and guitar duo, Tuck & Patti and Fried Pride may come to mind. However, Petra is quite distinctive in that she sings American Standards infused with her affectionate voice. Her sweet voice is reminiscent of legends such as Blossom Dearie and Ann Burton. Brown’s exquisite skill on the guitar also shines.
November 2017
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Michael Steinman, Jazz Lives
"...her sweet voice, clear diction, and individualistic phrasing set her apart....it's clear the words mean everything to her. She can be tender, rueful, wistful, but she can also romp: her summons to "Doctor Jazz" is a pager that no medical professional could ignore..."
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This is a clangorous world where people have trouble getting their message across, so something gentle is more than welcome. That quality of intelligent gentleness lifts the new CD, LESSONS LYRICAL, by singer Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown, above the ordinary. By "gentle," though, I don't mean soporific — this is not aural Valium — but it comes in the ear like honey.
Don't let LESSONS make you take a step back, however. There's not a hint of the classroom or the ashram here, just songs selected because their melodies and lyrics contain the gentlest of life-lessons to be absorbed, remembered, enjoyed. The title refers to the lessons both Petra and Andy acknowledge with gratitude from their heroes and mentors, the musicians and elders who gave of their life experiences. And you can hear that loving wisdom throughout this CD.
Petra and Andy are a wonderful musical team (they're also married, and they don't bicker, either in words or notes): they've worked together so well and so kindly that their unity is delightful. Petra's singing is perfectly aimed at the listener: her sweet voice, clear diction, and individualistic phrasing set her apart from many other singers. She values the lyric message without pounding it into our ears, but it's clear the words mean everything to her. And she improvises in her quietly swinging way: compare her first and second choruses on WHO CARES? for a vivid but soft-spoken example. She can be tender, rueful, wistful, but she can also romp: her summons to DOCTOR JAZZ is a pager that no medical professional could ignore. For his part, Andy is a portable orchestra, a wonderful soloist — hear his opening soliloquy on YOU'RE BLASÉ and his solo choruses on this disc, and admire his splendid accompaniment. The overall effect is spare but rich, making this a disc to be savored rather than gobbled down in a sitting.
In person, Andy and Petra are anything but professorial or somber. They don't lecture or pontificate. But it's clear they have the most dear and lasting lessons for anyone who can hear and feel.
February 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Editorial Desk, Japan Jazz Magazine
"Petra’s soft charming voice and tight vocal style are reminiscent of Beverly Kenney and Janet Seidel...beautiful...sylish...stands out from the rest."
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Beautiful vocalist, Petra van Nuis, and her husband and guitarist, Andy Brown, are a stylish duo based in Chicago. Petra’s soft charming voice and tight vocal style are reminiscent of Beverly Kenney and Janet Seidel, and Andy's melodious and swinging guitar enhances her vocal with striking chic. Of all the guitar and vocalist duos out there, their expressiveness as jazz artists stands out from the rest.
January 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene
"Ms. van Nuis has a sweet and youthful voice, does justice to lyrics, and improvises with subtlety...delightful and cheerful renditions...easily recommended."
» Read Article
Husband and wife guitarist Andy Brown and singer Petra van Nuis work regularly in the Chicago area. Lessons Lyrical, a set of vocal-guitar duets, can be thought of as a follow-up to their fine 2009 recording Far Away Places.
Ms. Van Nuis has a sweet and youthful voice, does justice to lyrics, and improvises with subtlety. Andy Brown is a very skilled swing-based guitarist who can operate well as a one-man orchestra, swinging like a big band or playing sparse accompaniment on ballads.
Lessons Lyrical features the duo exploring 17 songs that are standards from several eras plus a few obscurities. Ranging from “Oh What A Beautiful Mornin’” and “Bali Hai” to “You’re Blasé” and a pair of 1920s songs (“Save Your Sorrow For Tomorrow” and “Doctor Jazz”), these delightful and cheerful renditions cover a variety of moods and tempos. And it is a joy hearing such forgotten numbers as “Peter Had A Wolf” (contributed by Judy Roberts) and Red Mitchell’s “Simple Isn’t Easy.”
Lessons Lyrical is easily recommended.
November 2017
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Randy Freedman, Chicago Jazz Magazine
"...inherent charm and appeal...van Nuis tells a complete story that goes
beyond the mere scope of the lyrics...sets a high bar for others to follow..the latest chapter in a
continually unfolding success story..."
» Read Article
The very first song on Lessons Lyrical, “Speak Low” (Weill/Nash) is a truly remarkable example of the precision and balance that Brown and van Nuis have developed together over the years. The seamless integration of voice and strings can be expected from the mellow sound of a James Taylor or Paulinho Garcia singing while playing guitar solo. But to achieve that as a duo is far more rare and calls to mind truly great pairings like Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in pop. On this song, even jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass would be hard pressed to match the sheer symmetry and syncopation of van Nuis and Brown’s performance together.
Bright, upbeat, and optimistic the lyrics of “Save Your Sorrow For Tomorrow” (DeSylvia/Sherman), “I‘ve Got A Pocketful Of Dreams” (J. Monson/J. Burke), and “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” (Rogers/Hammerstein) are perfectly suited for the tonal qualities of van Nuis’ voice. The latter came from the Broadway show Oklahoma in 1943 and quickly became one of the most popular American songs to emerge from the war years. Brooks Atkinson, while reviewing the original production of Oklahoma in The New York Times, wrote this number and changed the very direction of musical theatre. After a verse like that, sung to a buoyant melody, the banalities of the old musical stage became intolerable. Brown keeps the pace lively and evolving, allowing van Nuis to display her inherent charm and appeal to maximum advantage with these cheerful selections.
Another show tune, “Bali Hai” (Rogers and Hammerstein) is from South Pacific in 1949. Bali Hai is the name of a mysterious volcanic island visible from the isle where most of the action takes place. Brown and van Nuis are remarkably able to capture the mystery, majesty and beauty of the elaborately, haunting orchestral arrangements that the song is best remembered for, using only voice and guitar.
“Slow Poke” (King/Stewart/Price) was intended to be a country and western song that successfully crossed over to pop and enjoyed a run on both billboards: country and western and pop charts. Van Nuis and Brown manage to impart some uncomplicated homespun charm into their rendition of the tune where it is most appropriate.
Told from the view point of an aging courtesan reflecting on her exciting and eventful past life (while lamenting her own loss of innocence), “When The World Was Young” (Phillippe Gerard/Vannier/Mercer) offers the duo an opportunity to put their versatility on display. Using tone and texture to signal both the passage of time, and the sadness that sometimes accompanies developing maturity, van Nuis and Brown tell a complete story that goes beyond the mere scope of the lyrics.
Almost every syllable of “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home” (Arlen/Mercer) is elongated and stretched for maximum effect as van Nuis attempts to emphasize the yearning to wander in search of new experiences, all the while making each new place a new home. This often recorded tune originated in the musical St. Louis Woman in 1946. Brown’s guitar is a virtual mirror to van Nuis’ very deliberate tone and enunciation.
The next two songs help illustrate both the duo’s large range and their instinctive ability to choose the correct tone for the moment. Brown begins “A Time For Love” (Mandel/Webster) with a kind of gentle, almost harp like introduction that sets the mood for the wistful, dreamy lyrics van Nuis will follow with. In stark contrast is the quick paced, New Orleans jazz style, counterpoint and mood that Doctor Jazz (Oliver/Melrose) delivers. Playing them both with honesty, emotion and their signature synchronization sets a high bar for others to follow.
Starting off is Brown’s guitar introduction, almost two minutes in length, “You’re Blasé” (Hamilton /Siever) may have you wondering briefly when and if van Nuis is going to finally enter to complain of her partner’s lack of emotion causing her to have a feeling of anxiousness. The duo is successful in conveying this message through virtually every moment of this tune.
“Who Cares” (Gershwin/Gershwin) carries a message of strong optimism in the face of terrible economic upheaval. Love conquers all and in particular, a bad economy seems to be the message here. Even while she is reciting some lyrics that are pretty horrific, if taken out of context (who cares if the sky should fall into the sea?), van Nuis manages to maintain her bright and cheery demeanor. Brown’s lively string work carries forth both the positive vibes and optimism.
Recorded by a plethora of vocalists in a wide variety of musical styles, particularly in the mid-sixties when it was first released, “Try To Remember” (Schmidt/Jones) from the show The Fantasticks aroused my curiosity more than any other song when I first viewed the track list to this album. The unusual rhyming scheme of the lyrics, offers van Nuis her chance to shine brightly, and shine brightly she does. Her clear, simple, engaging, vibrato-less voice and presentation seem to be made for this song. Brown gives her the room to operate by not taking an extended solo and skillfully supporting her from the background. Until now, Andy Williams had done my favorite version of this song, but now he has to sit farther back in the bus.
A trio of uncomplicated tunes, with words and music written entirely by bassist Red Mitchell, “Simple Isn’t Easy,” delivers the exact message that the title implies. A bit of a mystery, “Peter Had A Wolf” (unknown) is a kind of a musical nursery rhyme, and was given to van Nuis by friend and mentor, Chicago jazz legend Judy Roberts. Roberts had picked the song up from a musical revue she had been part of early in her career. With no idea who had written the song, and not successfully able to research its origins, Roberts carried it in her mind for many years before meeting van Nuis and deciding that she was the right vocalist to sing it. “C’est La Vie” (White/Wolfson) has the simple message of accepting what life brings, delivered with stoicism yet sympathetically by van Nuis and Brown.
Full of the beautiful melody and lush, descriptive lyrics that Michael Legrand songs are known for, “You Must Believe In Spring” (Legrand/Bergman/Bergman/Demy) is perhaps a tad too slow to show off van Nuis’ voice to best advantage. Fortunately, she has the consummate partner in Brown, whose rich chord work can create the perfect framework for a musical background that best showcases her voice, even when the inherent speed and tone of the song does not.
Lessons Lyrical is a memorable and enjoyable CD and the latest chapter in a continually unfolding success story that Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown who have been telling with their lives and music since their arrival in Chicago. All of their fans, friends and musical colleagues, including myself, eagerly await the next chapter.
February 2018
CD Review - Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown - "Lessons Lyrical"
By Toshiro Kobari, Jazz Critique Magazine (Japan)
"Her vocal style is Blossom Dearie-esque, a particularly difficult form of singing, which relies on precise pronunciation and accurate rhythm in place of heavy emotional expression. Petra’s vocal is impeccable in this sense...Her mastery of this technique is much more difficult than it appears."
» Read Article
This is a new release from Petra van Nuis, a singer with a delicate and lovely voice. It is the second album she has recorded with her husband Andy Brown on guitar, since their debut album “Far Away Places.” Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to a Dutch immigrant father who was a classic pianist, Petra took ballet lessons and performed in musicals. She started singing jazz because of Andy’s influence 20 years ago. Her vocal style is Blossom Dearie-esque, a particularly difficult form of singing, which relies on precise pronunciation and accurate rhythm in place of heavy emotional expression. Petra’s vocal is impeccable in this sense, and pairs perfectly with Andy’s beautifully subtle guitar. Even aria-like songs such the 4th and 5th tune, both by Rodgers, transform into delightfully light swinging tunes when sung by Petra, without a hint of the original heaviness. Her mastery of this technique is much more difficult than it appears.
"Live In Chicago" CD Reviews
January 2013
CD Review - Petra's Recession Seven - "Live In Chicago"
By Jack Huntley, All About Jazz
"Petra van Nuis' voice is at once alluring and robust...her tone alternates between delicate playfulness and declarative strength, perfectly suiting the hot jazz..."
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Petra van Nuis' voice is at once alluring and robust. Her tone alternates between delicate playfulness and declarative strength, perfectly suiting the combination of hot jazz and standards on Live In Chicago, an enchanting portrait of her band, Petra's Recession Seven. And oh, what a band it is—capable of captivating backing as well as exciting soloing.
Gershwin's "Somebody Loves Me" highlights the septet's upbeat mastery. Kicking off with guitarist Andy Brown's graceful introduction, trumpeter Art Davis surges in on a wave of melodic liveliness before van Nuis seductively corrals the melody for herself. Anchored by Bob Rummage's crisp drums and Brown's master class in comping, the band settles into a pulsing, supportive backing before trading off a storm of inventive solos that feature not only Brown and Davis but clarinetist Kim Cusack, trombonist Russ Phillips and double bassist Joe Policastro, all incorporating the flavor of hot jazz with a modern harmonic understanding.
On the beautifully executed duet "I'll Never Be The Same," van Nuis and Brown create a warm landscape through an unrushed vocal treatment and an open, arpeggio-rich guitar showcase. Alone together, Brown and van Nuis easily inhabit a world of their own musical making. "You're A Lucky Guy" displays the medium-paced trot that the full band excels at swinging through. It is a stand out track, highlighting the musicality of the band members' solo abilities, not to mention their cohesive rhythms.
In a nod to the recent recession, the liner notes states that Petra's Recession Seven: Live In Chicago draws its inspiration from the music of America's Great Depression and, although the economy suffered setbacks in both, this album shows there's never been a lack of beautifully wrought music in either era —especially for those lucky enough to being sitting in the audience on the nights Petra's Recession Seven recorded.
July 2016
CD Review - Petra's Recession Seven - "Live In Chicago"
By Dan Singer, In Tune International
"What a joy...This session must have put everyone in a great mood...Petra holds her own throughout with all of her six amazing musicians...smashing vocals...sensational...a swinging dazzler."
» Read Article
Petra van Nuis' program of 11 smashing vocals out of 12 selections is sensational. This special live Dixieland-style performance comes from a 2011 show at Katerina's in Chicago. What a joy it is to be around such a happy flock of musicians and singer. This session must have put everyone in a great mood.
"Runnin' Wild" starts things off in a wild happy exciting way. "Sugar" is a soft, amazing, Dixie-infused performance. "Somebody Loves Me" is a swinging dazzler. Petra races and runs through this oldie with much expertise. There are many entertaining instrumental solos throughout all of these selections. "Manhattan" is sung in a quiet gentle take. Art Davis ace trumpet player can be heard all over it while Andy Brown on guitar also ably assists. "Someday Sweetheart" is almost recited while musically as upbeat as it can get. Props should go also to Kim Cusack on clarinet, Russ Phillips on trombone, Joe Policastro on double bass, and Bob Rummage on drums. Petra holds her own throughout with all of her six amazing musicians.
October 2012
CD Review -Petra's Recession Seven - "Live In Chicago"
By Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"...a solid dose of happy, crazy depression era music...the kind of music we haven't heard since the last time someone wrote Dave McKenna a sizeable check...a top shelf date...a dazzling set that should not be missed..."
» Read Article
When last we heard Petra van Nuis she was doing a duo thing very nicely. Look what a little encouragement can do. She's now leading a 30s style whorehouse big band that has the right sound and the right songs to fit these times we're in. A great antidote to dive bar hipster sounds, this is a solid dose of happy, crazy depression era music where the main thing is to get you to forget your troubles. Since Art Tatum or Hank Jones weren't available to fill the piano chair, van Nuis wisely left it empty and has the rest of the crew picking up the slack. The kind of whore house music we haven't heard since the last time someone wrote Dave McKenna a sizeable check, this is a dazzling set that should not be missed. Kicking out the jams in fine style, this is a top shelf date that you can't help feeling happy when you hear it. Check it out.
January 2013 and June 2013
CD Review - Petra's Recession Seven - "Live In Chicago"
By Harvey Barkan, LA Jazz Scene and American Rag Magazine (published twice)
"It's a killer of a band that grabs your attention and doesn't give it back until they're finished playing...a jazz stylist that uniquely handles lyrics with respect for what they convey, massaging them to personalize the lyrical messages."
» Read Article
With a blazing start, Petra's Recession Seven jumped right in on the first song, "Runnin' Wild," with a high-energy live presentation to an audience at Katerina's, in Chicago, while recording it for this CD, "Live In Chicago." This was not take 5 or 10, as in a recording studio. There's a feeling about this jazz album that it's all about the music, as a motivated and enthusiastic group effort. Featuring vocalist Petra van Nuis, it's an ensemble with all of the band members' talents in force and well used. Generous time, from four to over eight minutes is made available for each of the excellent selections to be vigorously explored and actively worked by the six instrumentalists, as well as Petra's vocals and interpretations. That's a good move, with instrumentalists of this high quality. It's a killer of a band that grabs your attention and doesn't give it back until they're finished playing. This is "take your coat off and enjoy it" jazz. The Depression era was certainly a tough time in which to live, but remarkably, produced some marvelous tunes and musicians. This CD brings some of that musical creativity back again, to be appreciated, in another time.
Vocalist Petra van Nuis is a jazz stylist that uniquely handles lyrics with respect for what they convey, massaging them to personalize the lyrical messages. To see her in person must be a wonderful experience, to see how she physically presents the emotions heard in her vocals. She doesn't emulate her favorite singers which include Billie Holiday, Lee Wiley, Mildred Bailey, and several others, but some influences were implied, perhaps because she wanted to pay homage to them when the band formed, in 2008. On a few tunes where her primary support was guitarist Andy Brown, who happens to be her husband, a special enhanced quality was evident. Well played guitar can be a vocalist's "best friend," as evidenced here in "Sugar," "I'll Never Be The Same," "Someday Sweetheart," and "Manhattan." Other songs not yet mentioned were "Somebody Loves Me," "Struttin' With Some Barbecue," "Havin' Myself A Time," "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire," "There'll Be Some Changes Made," and "Baby Won't You Please Come Home." The playlist consists of 12 songs, with over 71 minutes used to present them, allowing time to individually give each one their just due.
The band personnel were: Petra van Nuis, vocalist; Art Davis, trumpet; Kim Cusack, clarinet; Russ Phillips, trombone; Andy Brown, guitar; Joe Policastro, bass; and Bob Rummage, drums. Petra's Recession Seven is a spirited group of musicians that have an appreciation for the great songs that continue to live on and deserve their enthusiastic presentations, played with a flair for the "hot classic jazz style." This "Live in Chicago" CD is available
from CDBaby.com.
September 2012
CD Review - Petra's Recession Seven - "Live In Chicago"
By Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz
"Do you like music that is sheer fun? If so, you must latch onto "Live in Chicago"...Their musicianship is first rate, and they swing mightily..."
» Read Article
Do you like music that is sheer fun? If so, you must latch onto Live in Chicago by PETRA'S RECESSION SEVEN. Fronted by vocalist Petra Van Nuis, the group consists of Art Davis on trumpet, Kim Cusack on clarinet, Russ Phillips on trombone, Andy Brown on guitar, Joe Policastro on bass and Bob Rummage on drums. These twelve tracks were recorded at Katerina's in Chicago on December 14-15, 2011. The band is based in Chicago, and captures the spirit of Chicago's early jazz history. The selections on this program point toward the era that the band's repertoire reflects. They include "Runnin' Wild," "Sugar," "Somebody Loves Me," "Manhattan," "Someday Sweetheart," "I'll Never Be the Same," "Struttin' with Some Barbecue," "Havin' Myself a Time," "You're a Lucky Guy," "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire," "There'll Be Some Changes Made" and "Baby Won't you Please Come Home." The Van Nuis vocal style fits neatly into the setting provided by her band. They make their retro style sound fresh. Their musicianship is first rate, and they swing mightily. Van Nuis is a vocalist from whom I hope to hear a lot more. If Chicago style jazz suits your taste, this one will be right for you.
February 2012
"The Artist?" Try Seven Artists!
By Dan Healy, Arts America
"The Recession Seven sells their jaunty melodies and sharp rhythms with panache...vocalist Petra van Nuis brilliantly embodies the best singers of the 1930's...wittily references the past and exudes expressive nuance at the same time."
» Read Article
Recently, my wife and I went to the movies to see "The Artist". The film (which is silent) is a love letter to grand old cinema, with references to Welles, Chaplin, Wilder, and many more. The theater was packed with people watching from the stairs in rapt attention without a peep from a soul in the audience.
Why?
There is something fantastic about a work that wittily references the past and exudes expressive nuance at the same time.
What does this have to do with jazz? It's the same phenomenon experienced with Petra's Recession Seven, a delightful jazz septet whose musicians artfully perform the music of the Great Depression. The wink at our nation's current economic woes aside, the group sells their jaunty melodies and sharp rhythms with such panache that you would think you stepped in on Louis Armstrong with his "Hot Seven" or Django Reinhardt performing gypsy jazz in a café in Paris. The group is led by vocalist Petra van Nuis who brilliantly embodies the best singers of the 1930's. The rest of the group is teeming with Chicago talent, including Andy Brown on guitar, Art Davis on trumpet, Russ Phillips on trombone, Kim Cusack on clarinet, Joe Policastro on bass, and Bob Rummage on drums. The septet always delights with wonderful solos but it is the jovial warmth from the traditional New Orleans accompaniment of the horns and rhythm section that really impress.
"Far Away Places" CD Reviews
January 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Jack Huntley, All About Jazz Magazine
"...van Nuis' vocal quality is at once strong and wistful...never fails to support the melody's cadences with her range and endearing clarity...engaging vocal interpretations.. a beautiful landscape...interpretations are over-flowing with skill and imagination."
» Read Article
The combination of a female vocalist backed by a solo guitar is not a heavily-exploited instrumentation, and there's a reason for that—it's very hard to pull off. While Ella Fitzgerald's recordings with Joe Pass are a perhaps the gold standard, overwhelmingly the piano is the stand-alone accompaniment instrument of choice for singers. But vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown's wonderful Far Away Places is a reminder of the beauty this form can achieve, and how the inherent openness of a duet setting can add interesting, expectant overtones to the music.
To their credit, van Nuis and Brown keep the tracks fairly straightforward, choosing songs with charming melodies and then never straying too far away from them. The tunes are a mix of up-tempo standards, dreamy ballads, and Latin tunes. Their take on a cut like "Me, Myself And I" adds just the right amount of harmonic complexity while maintaining the song's unambiguous melody. The opening track, "Destination Moon," achieves similar results with Brown's savory voicings teasing the ear while pushing the rhythm ahead at a loping pace.
Throughout the album, van Nuis' vocal quality is at once strong and wistful. In "A Cottage For Sale," she hangs on notes perfectly, releasing them as if saying goodbye to a good friend. There is also an innocence in van Nuis' voice that she exploits beautifully on the Cole Porter tune "From This Moment On." On the title track, a lovely ballad whose dreamy lyrics seem tailor made for her vocal talents, van Nuis never fails to support the melody's cadences with her range and endearing clarity.
It's unfair to term Brown's playing as "accompaniment," because his guitar adds a wholly other voice to the album. In "Born To Blow The Blues," Brown slides into chordings with a sax-like quality on one bar before unleashing a shimmering staccato voicing at the next change. Always mindful of the melody, Brown manages to wrap his rich harmonic style in a unhurried feel that calls to mind the spirit of George Van Eps with a current harmonic understanding. On the Duke Ellington classic "Caravan" and the Antonio Jobim cut "Bim Bom," Brown's dexterous playing really jumps off the disc with its crisp, steady feel that mixes walking bass lines, pulsing chord melodies and even some open string drone passages. Brown's playing throughout is filled with a vibrate fluidity that defines the album and keeps the ear interested track after track.
Far Away Places is an unique album with a relaxed feeling that more than handles the acoustic constraints of a duo setting. With smart song choices, engaging vocal interpretations, and captivating guitar work this album creates a beautiful landscape with minimal digressions. Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown's interpretations are over-flowing with skill and imagination.
March 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"It ain't about the fireworks, it's about the purity of the performance...When you've got it going on, you've got it going on."
» Read Article
This isn't a self conscious/diva/songbag collection, but to make the title track the often overlooked "Far Away Places" certainly gets this pair points. A vocal/guitar duo set by two long time fellow travelers shows that elegance and simpatico can go a long way. It ain't about the fireworks, it's about the purity of the performance and that's what makes this one of those great, low key wonders. When you've got it going on, you've got it going on and this duo is one of the most ripping good new duos to come along. Check it out when your adult listening ears need something new to fill them.
October 2009
Petra and Andy Reward Us
By Michael Steinman, Jazz Lives
"...I heard her version of A COTTAGE FOR SALE, and I was just about stunned by its great dramatic range, mixing ruefulness, poignancy, and loss - without overacting so much as a hair....I might never hear that song sung so heartbreakingly again..."
» Read Article
One of the many pleasures of the 2009 Jazz at Chautauqua was hearing Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown perform in front of a live audience, and I think the performance clips I've posted are solid evidence of their talents. I was hoping that the duo's new CD would provide the same experience. Sometimes, of course, magic dissolves in the recording studio amid attempts to make recordings flawless.
But I need not have worried. Petra and Andy's new CD is splendid. Where to begin? (Once we've taken in the picture of the happy good-looking couple above...) The songs on the CD are DESTINATION MOON, FAR AWAY PLACES, FROM THIS MOMENT ON, I'LL NEVER STOP LOVING YOU, CARAVAN, BORN TO BLOW THE BLUES, LET'S DO IT, BIM BOM (a solo for Andy), A COTTAGE FOR SALE, HOW LITTLE WE KNOW, INVITATION, ME MYSELF AND I, WITH A SONG IN MY HEART.
That song list speaks to a wide-ranging and discerning knowledge of the great songs of the last eighty or so years, a delight in itself: Porter, Ellington, Robison, Rodgers, and some delightful oddities. I know, for instance, that DESTINATION MOON is attached to a film of the same name and it even appears on a Lester Young live date c. 1950, but how many people have ever recorded it? (If you don't know the song, imagine IN MY MERRY OLDSMOBILE updated to the era of fantasy rocket travel.) And BORN TO BLOW THE BLUES is associated with Marilyn Moore - but I haven't heard it in ages. But this CD isn't a high-toned musical archeology lesson, either.
Andy Brown, first: barring a half-dozen I admire, most jazz guitarists have become entranced, Narcissus staring at their own reflection in the shiny body of the Gibson or Macaferri, with the endless possibilities of their own technique. (You could blame Charlie Parker or Jimi Hendrix for this, but we're here to celebrate.) So the notes pour out in what sound like endless streams; the fingers fly. Few guitarists seem to understand the value of space, of breathing pauses, of logical solo construction - with music delivered at an intelligible rate. Andy could cover the fingerboard, digits a blur, if he chose to. But he knows better. So his playing unfolds beautifully in its own song, no matter what tempo or what chords. He loves melody; he can swing any band several steps closer to Heaven with his chordal strum, and he is an absolutely flawless team-player, never fixated on the limelight. Accompanying a singer isn't easy, either, but Andy is rather like a tactful, energized conversationalist at the party: he has things to tell us, he has comments to offer and support by the bucketful, but he never tries to outshine Petra.
And Petra? The first thing I noticed about Petra (before I had heard her in person) was the focus she brought to her songs. She isn't one of these gospel whoopers; she hasn't channelled Aretha or Billie; she isn't a Broadway belter. All to the good, let me assure you. It means that she doesn't overact, that she fits the word to the deed and the notes to the emotion, never smudging a lyric to appear hip, never landing in the wrong place. She can romp very happily (her enunciation is flawless, even in fourth gear) and she has a speaking presence. And before I had heard this CD, I would have praised Petra for avoiding the dramatic excesses I hear from so many singers. But then I heard her version of A COTTAGE FOR SALE, and I was just about stunned by its great dramatic range, mixing ruefulness, poignancy, and loss - without overacting so much as a hair. It was pure feeling, captured beautifully. I might never hear that song sung so heartbreakingly again.
Both Petra and Andy get first place in my imagined TALENT DESERVING COSMIC RECOGNITION category! Check out their websites to find out such useful information as "May I hear some audio clips?" and, following quickly,"How can I buy these CDs?"
Micahel Steinman is a freelance jazz journalist whose writing can be found in such publications as Cadence, All About Jazz, Coda, the Mississippi Rag, as well as in liner notes for many jazz labels. For more information, please go to www.jazzlives.wordpress.com
September 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Frank-John Hadley, DownBeat Magazine
"...a light, gorgeous and fairly delicate voice... a gift for melody and plenty of rhytmic confidence...overall intelligence makes understatement and subtlety virtues... beautifully rendered."
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Vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown, a married jazz couple, have been performing as a duo in the Chicago metropolitan area since 2004. Though they have other gigs, this state of affairs in their pride and joy. Throughout their first album together, they seem to have an exceptional telepathic rapport that obviates the need for complicated arrangements. For van Nuis, who has a light, gorgeous and fairly delicate voice, there is both security and risk in striving to have a blended sound with the guitar and mirroring her man's spare, uncluttered, less-is-more style. Brown, a protégé of Cincinnati guitar master Kenny Poole, happens to be an uncommonly good player, with a modesty that brings to mind the fine Canadian guitarist Ed Bickert and a warmth suggestive of Joe Pass.
Joined at the conjugal hip, Brown and van Nuis share a gift for melody and have plenty of rhytmic confidence. They project naturalness when phrasing, and their overall intelligence makes understatement and subtlety virtues. They also merit praise for the integrity informing their choice of songs from the past and for their personal involvement with a lyric. The couple endows "Invitation," from the soundtracks of two early 1950s films, with an undercurrent of quizzical tension that keeps their sentimental impulses in check. "I'll Never Stop Loving You," identified with mid-50s Doris day, is beautifully rendered (Nellie McKay and Jay Berliner couldn't do it any better), and their convincing study of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It" posits love as quiet ecstasy. Escapist fare like the Bing Crosby-identified title track and "Destination Moon," launched by Nat Cole decades ago are too much of a nice-and-sweet thing, but, then again, in this time of billion-dollar bailouts, global strife, and environmental distress, maybe songs about dream castles are what we need as a restorative break from everyday chaos. ***1/2
May 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Matt Warnock, Guitar International
"...a musical excursion into the creative minds of these two talented jazzers...their interaction is incredible to witness...you won't be disappointed..."
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Far Away Places is a hard swinging and enjoyable album from the Chicago duo of guitarist Andy Brown and vocalist Petra Van Nuis. When one thinks of a guitar-vocal duo in a jazz setting the great albums and concerts of Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald immediately come to mind. While the soul and inspiration of these jazz titans can be heard in Van Nuis' vocal lines and Brown's fret-work, this is not a tribute album, or an attempt to imitate or emulate anyone else. This album stands on its own two feet as a solid contribution to the jazz guitar-vocal catalogue.
The tunes on this album represent a wide view of the traditional and, to a certain extent, more modern jazz repertoire. There are songbook standards, such as Cole Porter's "From This Moment On," Latin Jazz standards, "Caravan" and "Invitation," and just enough hidden gems, such as the tragically underperformed "Destination Moon," "Bim Bom" and "I'll Never Stop Loving You," to keep any jazz fan happy. Combined, these classic tracks, mixed with Latin grooves, underplayed standards and newer material, provide an intimate look into the duo's musical tastes and backgrounds, while at the same time ensuring that the album never becomes monotonous as each new track brings with it a new musical excursion into the creative minds of these two talented jazzers.
Maybe it's the fact that Van Nuis and Brown have spent years sharing the bandstand, or the fact that away from their careers they also share their lives together as husband and wife, but their interaction is incredible to witness. Brown is always right there when Van Nuis takes an unexpected turn on the melody or twist of the time in a rubato section. Brown's ability to know exactly when to pluck solid chords, fingerpick arpeggios, or just play single-lines behind a melody line should be commended.
Brown never gets caught up in trying to do too much, like constantly walking a bassline and comping. Instead, he manipulates the harmony through a diverse range of textures that provides comfort for the singer, as well as interest for the audience. This is where the spirit of Joe Pass can be felt in Brown's playing. Not in his note choices or incredible chops, but in his ability to let the accompaniment breathe and react to Van Nuis. It's no wonder Brown has been making a name for himself as one of Chicago's rising young jazz guitarists.
Far Away Places takes the listener on an engaging and enjoyable journey through the musical world of this talented duo. It's one of those rare albums that would go well as background music for a dinner party, yet it can draw in even the most seasoned jazz fan with its intricacies and elevated musicality. Do yourself a favor and check this album out. You wont' be disappointed.
July 2017
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Dan Singer, In Tune International Magazine
"Songs just never sound the same to me after I hear Petra van Nuis sing them. She has a most unusual charming set of vocal pipes... a musical one of a kind message...simply enchanting..."
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Songs just never sound the same to me after I hear Petra van Nuis sing them. She has a most unusual charming set of vocal pipes. On this CD from 2009 she's armed with 13 well- chosen songs and her husband ace guitarist Andy Brown. He happens to be one of the very few special guitarists that can certainly hold his own. Together they send out a musical one of a kind message.
Kicking things off they certainly really excel on the swinger "Destination Moon" (Alfred/Fischer). I never remember this Nat Cole vocal oldie appearing in the famous 1950 movie. Petra seriously narrates the verse and then kicks things along in a most amazing version. Their program is sure to remain with you for a long time. Throughout the brilliant CD Mr. Brown's midway instrumental solos are most unique.
The title song "Far Away Places" (Whitney/Kramer) is delivered ever so softly. The CD covers has them both appearing in a quartet of photos of them taken at a huge train station. It's fittingly eye catching.
"I'll Never Stop Loving You" (Cahn/Brodszky) is of course from the wonderful 1955 film "Love Me Or Leave Me". The musical pair are wonderfully matched here. Their "Caravan" (Tizol/Ellington/Mills) brings new life to this jazz oldie.
The song "Born To Blow The Blues" (Russell/Segal) was brand new to me. This song was obviously well researched by the musical pair. It's a miraculous example of a song devoted to relationships in and out of the jazz world.
"How Little We Know" (Leigh/ Springer) is the Sinatra hit song. It is not from the 1943 film "To Have And Have Not" and sung in the film by either 19 year old "Slim" Bacall or 16 year old Andy Williams. Andy Brown and Petra have a fine whack at it making it all their very own.
"Invitation" (Kaper/Webster) is indeed from the 1952 Hollywood Van Johnson film. At over 6 minutes they execute a shining sensitive vocal/duet with her voice often right on top of the very same guitar note. It's a dazzler.
"Me Myself And I" (Gordon/Roberts/Kaufman) is a great high powered swinger. You can almost catch Petra scatting here. When you get right down to it what a great love song this really is. It's much more than only an appreciation of your mate.
Finally there's "With A Song In My Heart" (Rodgers/Hart) from the 1952 film. This musical duo is simply enchanting. Their slow delicate version is very sweet. Petra sounds almost like a musical horn.
October 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By George W. Harris, JazzWeekly.com
"...charming, unassuming and completely guileless...relaxed, defenseless and disarmed...salt water taffy of a voice...This CD will remind you of the old adage that less is more."
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Here is a charming, unassuming and completely guileless cd by vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown. Relaxed, defenseless and disarmed, van Nuis' salt water taffy of a voice blends with Brown's erudite picking on standards like "With A Song In My Heart" and "Destination Moon." With the Spartan arrangement, they give extra feel and intimate depth to tunes like the coyingly clever "Let's Do It" while conveying unprotected regret and remorse in "A Cottage For Sale." A surprise that works well is the reworking of Ellington's "Caravan" that gives a whole different type of exoticism, while van Nuis' girlish tone is perfectly suited for the Doris Day hit "I'll Never Stop Loving You." This will remind you of the old adage that "less is more."
August 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Keizo Takada, Record Collectors Magazine (Japan)
"...an attractive girlish voice in the vein of Blossom Dearie...with very clear diction and comfortable phrasing she makes the listeners want to hear her again and over again..."
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Chicago based singer Petra van Nuis has an attractive girlish voice in the vein of Blossom Dearie and Janet Seidel. In her new album "Far Away Places" she chose tasteful standards like "Destination Moon," "Invitation," and sings those thirteen songs backed by Andy Brown's guitar only. She tells the story in the songs with very clear diction and comfortable phrasing and makes the listeners want to hear her again and over again. Andy Brown's guitar is also superb. This wife and husband are a natural pair: they create a marvelous effect between them.
March 2011
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Andreas Geyer, Jazz Podium Magazine (Germany)
"...magical musical dialogue, which can only partially be described as blind understanding...wonderfully relaxed music is an invitation to dream and listen."
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Duo recordings are the crowning achievement [or: ultimate discipline] in jazz, since both musicians have to possess an enormous measure of congeniality, if it's going to work. As previously with Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass, who as guitar-vocal duo set the timeless standard. The singer Petra van Nuis and the guitarist Andy Brown, a musician couple from the Chicago area, have found their own way to the magical musical dialogue, which can only partially be described as blind understanding. With the sparse arrangements and Andy Brown's restrained, but no less effective accompaniment, the 13 pieces on this CD acquire a great intensity in their melody-oriented interpretation. The girlish-light and extensively modulated mezzo-soprano voice of Petra van Nuis, often tinged with a trace of melancholy, is superbly suited to the mainly balladesque pieces. Their range extends from Cole Porter's "From this Moment on" and pieces with Latin rhythms, like "Caravan" or "Invitation," to rarely heard tunes like "Born to Blow the Blues." The two musicians' musical declaration of love, "I'll Never Stop Loving You," is especially beautiful. Andy Brown proves to be a technically accomplished guitarist with perfect timing and an incredible wealth of harmonies. He almost telepathically follows his wife's vocal lines and subtly connects playing individual notes and chords. His unobtrusive virtuosity is on display in the solo piece "Bim Bom," a composition by Antonio Carlos Jobim. This duo album with wonderfully relaxed music is an invitation to dream and listen.
June 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz
"She gives "Let's Do It" the suggestive edge that makes it most effective. This recording will find an immediate place in my stack of must hear again and again discs..."
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One of my favorite vocalists of all time was Beverly Kenney, a unique stylist who had a career in the 1950s that was cut short far too soon. When I started to listen to Far Away Places by vocalist PETRA VAN NUIS and guitarist ANDY BROWN, I was reminded of Kenney, and particularly of the album that she made with the legendary guitarist Johnny Smith. As I continued to listen, I became more impressed with both van Nuis and Brown. They have selected a program that is tasty, comprised of tunes that are not overdone, and includes a few surprises like "Born to Blow the Blues," a Bob Russell/Jack Segal song previously recorded only by two relatively unknown, but hip vocalists, Marilyn Moore and Lucy Reed. Also refreshing to hear again is a ditty associated with Billie Holiday, "Me, Myself and I." Always welcome are "Destination Moon," that opens the album, "Cottage for Sale," and the title track, "Far Away Places." She gives "Let's Do It" the suggestive edge that makes it most effective. This recording will find an immediate place in my stack of must hear again and again discs.
April 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide
"Petra is not a belter but a soother, and she keeps things clean and simple when she sings, avoiding the pyrotechnics and histrionics that are increasingly popular today."
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There's a starkness to Far Away Places — an album that features nothing but lone vocal and guitar — that, rather than give the music a spare quality, instead brings out the richness of the performances. In other situations, Petra van Nuis' voice might be considered thin or lacking in drive. Unlike many other contemporary female jazz singers, she's not a belter but a soother, and she keeps things clean and simple when she sings, avoiding the pyrotechnics and histrionics that are increasingly popular today. Similarly, Andy Brown is not about flash and dazzle but about nuance and tastefulness. On the 13 mostly standards that occupy the recording, they complement each other so well that it's difficult to imagine them in the more raucous full-band setting (although both have done so). Even "Caravan," a tune usually given over to fireworks, is rendered softly and subtly, and the cleverness of the opening "Destination Moon" is made all the more clever due to its lack of extraneous sounds. That doesn't mean that there's no substance here, however: "Born to Blow the Blues" is possessed of plenty of soul, and Brown packs ample technique into his solo take on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Bim Bom." On the rare occasion when the duo does pick up the pace, as on "Me, Myself and I," they reveal another side, playful and cool (albeit still sweet), that might be worth exploring further on a subsequent release.
Jan 2010
Petra van Nuis and Andy Brown "Far Away Places"
By Cor De Pater, Old Jazz Express (The Netherlands)
"While sitting by the fireplace with a good drink in hand, I will often insert this CD into my player. Then I will dream..."
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The American vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown were guests last April at the Jazz Festival Gorinchem 2009. The name Petra has a very Dutch ring to it; her father, at age nineteen, left Den Bosch to immigrate to America.
At the beginning of November 2009 appeared a CD featuring the couple Petra and Andy Brown. Although both have performed on previous CDs, this is their first CD done exclusively as a couple. An initial reaction might perhaps be to question: "Isn't this risky?" I can, however, immediately reassure you that this is a beautiful CD. Because both listen to each other very well, their CD is wholly balanced. With her delicate voice, Petra often sounds romantic but also sometimes dramatic as in "A Cottage For Sale." She renders a good interpretation of text and possess good timing. Petra makes a unique sound which can not, despite instinctive wishing to do so, be compared with that of notable predecessors. However, as far as interpretation is concerned, she sometimes does remind me of Ann Burton. She has selected her repertoire very mindfully; hence, it lies well within her reach.
Andy Brown is a fine guitarist. Both as accompanist and soloist, he achieves a velvet tone and has exceptional timing; his beautiful harmonies and perfect technique are carefully weighed and considered. While sitting by the fireplace with a good drink in hand, I will often insert this CD into my player. Then I will dream "With A Song In My Heart" while I am in a "Caravan" on the way to "Far Away Places," searching for "A Cottage For Sale." And then an "Invitation" will steer me to "Me, Myself, and I." There you have a number of titles appearing on this CD.
Would you like to sample? Then visit Petra's website: www.petrasings.com "Let's Do It!"
"A Sweet Refrain" CD Reviews
March 2007
CD Reviews
By Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene
"...a sweet voice, a straightforward delivery...a bit like Anita O' Day...touches of Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie, and Mildred Bailey in her phrasing but not in the sound of her voice which is distinctive..."
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It would not be an overstatement to say that there are a remarkable number of female jazz vocalists around today. Every week seems to bring at least ten more with new CD releases, and most are quite good. It can be a full time job keeping up with them all, but there are worse ways to spend ones time! The four singers covered in this article are far from household names but all are worth hearing. Based in Chicago, Petra Van Nuis has a sweet voice, a straightforward delivery, and tends to cut off notes quickly, a bit like Anita O’Day. One also hears touches of Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie and Mildred Bailey in her phrasing but not in the sound of her voice which is distinctive. On A Sweet Refrain, she mostly sticks to standards (many of which are not performed that often) in duets with her husband guitarist Andy Brown, quartet numbers that add bassist Joe Policastro and drummer Mike Schlick, quintet features for either trumpeter Art Davis or trombonist Russ Phillips, and selections for the full group. Petra Van Nuis’ voice grows in appeal with each listen.
2008
Petra Van Nuis "A Sweet Refrain"
Review by Brad Walseth, ChicagoJazz.net
"van Nuis manages to combine various influences into an original style all her own...obviously inspired by Peggy Lee and Chris Connor...also brings some of Lady Day Billie Holiday's phrasing as well as a touch of Doris Day innocence. And it is a winning combination..."
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The other evening I was stuck in another of Chicago's famous traffic jams and popped vocalist Petra Van Nuis' CD, "A Sweet Refrain" into the player. Immediately, I was transported to my "happy place," as all cares, worries, smog and construction gridlock vanished with the sound of her sweet voice. This Cincinnati transplant is obviously inspired by American Songbook interpreters like Peggy Lee and Chris Connor, which would be cool enough, but she also brings some of Lady Day Billie Holiday's phrasing as well as a touch of Doris Day's innocence. And it is a winning combination.
Showing a knowledge of the great traditional singers, van Nuis manages to combine various influences into an original style all her own. And while van Nuis' lovely and nuanced vocals are the clear centerpiece, some of the credit for the success of this recording has to be given to the fine group of players accompanying her. Rhythm section mates Mike Schlick on drums and Joe Policastro both clearly understand how to support a singer the right way, while Policastro's arrangements are tasteful, yet exciting. Trombonist Russ Phillips and trumpet/flugelhornist Art Davis enliven the festivities, But it is guitarist Andy Brown, Petra's husband, who continually elicits applause with his exceptional ability to sensitively work in tandem with his wife. In fact the interplay between husband and wife is stunning throughout. Brown's playing is in the traditional mode, without effects or gimmicks and here he puts on a virtual clinic on how to play guitar in support of a singer, and his solos swing brightly.
From "Let There Be Love" to "In A Mellow Tone," van Nuis has chosen an interesting and highly entertaining group of standards to present. Some highlights for me include the luscious duet versions of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's "Soon it's Gonna Rain," and the haunting "Blame it on My Youth." Luis Bonfa and Carl Sigman's "A Day in the Life of a Fool," is given a compelling treatment that lingers, and the old chestnut "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face" sounds fresh and new. And Art Davis adds class and fire every time he blows a note on tunes like "Let There Be Love" and "Moonlight Becomes You." Finally, quite pleased to hear the lovely "Dansero," made famous by the aforementioned Ms. Day, given an appealing treatment that calls for repeated listening. For reviving a collection of great standards from the past, and giving them the treatment they deserve, this recording is a sweet refrain indeed.
January 2014
CD Reviews
By Dan Singer, Singer's Singers
"Petra van Nuis caught my attention from her very first note of her opening song...what is revealed here is Petra's unison elegance and swing...a delightful musical gift...an essential musical masterpiece... you'll delight in the warm sensitivity of Petra's vocal."
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Petra van Nuis caught my attention from her very first note of her opening song "Let There Be Love" (Rand/Grand). The focused arrangement features Art Davis on trumpet. On "Dream Of You" (Morgan/ Oliver/Lunceford) she's convincingly on key throughout with just the right amount of gentle swing. Andy Brown on guitar most decidedly moves things along. "Nobody Else But Me" (Kern/Hammerstein) swings from start to finish with a dandy trombone solo by Russ Phillips. What is revealed here is Petra's unison elegance and swing. "Devil May Care" (Dorough/Kirk) again features guitarist Andy Brown. Together they whip up a delightful musical gift. Trumpet ace Art Davis has the opening notes of "Moonlight Becomes You" (Van Heusen /Burke). Moments later you'll delight in the warm sensitivity of Petra's vocal. Together they create an essential musical masterpiece. Her take on "In A Mellow Tone" (Ellington/Gabler) is a non-stop winner. Utilizing all of her outstanding group of players, Petra really exhibits a jazz swing. It's a finger snapping innovative concluding 15-song delight.