Sandra Booker
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Sandra Booker
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Sandra Booker is the Queen Lioness and from the stage she can rearrange the world."
-Alberto Giustolisi Valtellina Festival Jazz Review
"WOW! What a find! Ms. Booker knocked us off our feet with her powerful, soul grabbing, technically polished, crystal clear vocals quite reminiscent of the great jazz divas (Ella & Sarah)."
Morrice Blackwell
Jazz Review Magazine
"She offers precise pitch, unerring swing and a sophisticated sense of style." David Franklin JazzTimes Magazine
"Booker is a compelling vocalist who is endearing and dazzling." Jerome Wilson Cadence Magazine
"The personification of class. Booker has all the makings of a true jazz diva." Myrna Daniels LA Jazz Scene
"…she can sing almost anything vividly imprinting the stamp of her own style. Booker could leave jazz buffs in a high state of transfiguration." Jason McCloskey Drama Logue
"Possibly the most promising singer of this decade." Alicia Brummer Sand-to-Sea Magazine
"A distinct vocal style that breathes warmth into a lyric. She enunciates beautifully without neglecting the swing aspect of her art." Kirk Silsbee LA Reader
"This wonderful vocalist is "TANTALIZING!" LA Weekly
"Booker has a splendid set of pipes!"
John Charles
The Edmontonian
"Of Booker's inventive readings of familiar and obscure standards, you can't do anything but listen." Option Magazine
What the critics say about
Very Early
MoJazz2000/MP3.Com By Blunote A Must Read Review: March 16, 2000
Yes I know, I broke my rule of not doing reviews. But there are times when I make an exception! AND HER NAME IS "SANDRA BOOKER". I felt I couldn't do her justice by just putting her music on my page, so I gave her a review. I know you will be just as impressed!
Sandra Booker - "The Definition of Jazz" Sarah Vaughan - a beautiful voice with intriguing characteristics. Ella Fitzgerald - "THE FIRST LADY OF SONG", who blessed thousands of listeners with her unmistakable voice. These are two of the greatest female jazz vocalist of all time! Both are credited with influencing a generation of singers. There will never be anyone else like them. Or will there? When we think of Ella, what we will always hear is that pure, passionate voice, and the soul behind it, telling us what she knew about life.
The new millennium is here and just when you thought there would never be another - (WAIT)!!! Let me introduce you to SANDRA BOOKER... When I first heard this woman sing, I thought to myself - "MY GOD"! She is wonderful! Her CD called "Very Early", is a CD for the jazz lover who never got to hear Ella or Sarah perform live. She performs some beautiful renditions of jazz standards, but she has brought her own brand of high energy interpretation to the music of the time. She has developed her own style. Floating improvisations, which echo the jazz instruments. You can hear that she really has confidence in her ability to scat. She can step up to the microphone and give her all towards making those songs her own. She can maintain that lightness and vocal quality that Ella and Sarah had in their younger years. Her range is exceptional, her notes are clear and her rhythm is impeccable. One of the best voices of this time! She only stands 4'11", but she can definitely fill the shoes of those great female jazz vocalists before her. If you really want to tap into the true essence of what a real jazz vocalist is, then I would say that Sandra Booker's "Very Early" is right on time... She not only fits my "Definition of Jazz", she is " JAZZ". And that's why she is the exception to the rule.
All-Music Guide
Alex Henderson
1995CDJersey Boy1101
When Sandra Booker first hit the Los Angeles jazz scene, the young vocalist was often criticized for sounding too much like Sarah Vaughan. A lot of critics argued that instead of emulating Vaughan, she needed to develop a sound of her own. But by the time Booker recorded her debut album, Very Early, for the small Jersey Boy label in 1994, she wasn't sounding like a clone of Vaughn or anyone else. Sassy's influence hadn't gone away altogether, but the Booker one hears on passionate versions of "Indian Summer, " "My Favorite Things, " "How High the Moon" and "A Night in Tunisia" is someone who was striving for originality. Booker showed a lot of promise on this hard bop/post-bop CD, which showed that she had developed into a sensitive interpreter of lyrics as well as an exuberant scat singer.
When the big-voiced Booker scats her way through a wordless take on Gigi Gryce's "Minority, " the results are invigorating. Very Early indicated that she is someone to keep an eye on.
Listen.com
by Nick Dedina
If you want to know exactly what a jazz singer is, check Sandra out. She fits in perfectly with her hot trio, scatting with non-stop agility. Yep, Sandra can think in terms of music and not words. That's the easy part. More importantly, Sandra knows that a singer is more than a wanna-be horn player: She can stick to the melody and still bring personal nuance to a song. Check out her reading of the Thelonious Monk/Jon Hendricks beauty, "Ask Me Now" (where else has this appeared but a little heard Carmen McRae album?). Substance over flash -- now, that's a jazz singer.
MP3.Com
Deep in the Woodshed Spotlight/Sandra Booker
by Guy Eckstine
World class jazz vocalist Sandra Booker emerges on MP3.com with an inspired debut. With a vocal style in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Sandra delivers from the depths of her soul. Backed by an awesome group of musicians, Bob Sheppard, Andy Simkins, etc. Booker scats away into the L.A. night stirring images of Central Avenue in its heyday.
Jazz Review
Jazz at a Glance
By Morrice Blackwell
Last month a jazz fan wrote us inquiring on where to purchase a CD by a jazz vocalist she had heard perform, "Sandra Booker." We had never heard of Sandra; however, from the eagerness of this jazz fan, we thought we'd better check her out. WOW! What a find! Ms. Booker knocked us off our feet with her powerful, soul grabbing, technically polished crystal clear vocals quite reminiscent of the great jazz divas (Ella and Sarah Vaughan). Sandra can also lay down a scat like no other. Sandra, a New Orleans native has been astonishing crowds since the age of 4 and went to study her trade with the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts under the guidance of greats such as Ellis Marsalis, Lorraine Alfaro, and Dr. Burt Braud at the age of 14. Sandra is also quite the actress receiving rave reviews for her performance in "Ain't Misbehavin" in 1984.
After touring Japan she teamed up with guitarist Matt Elias to form the group "Round Midnight." Continuing her vocal technique studies, she has developed her own sultry style that makes her solo release a great one. This CD was released in 1994 but we felt that jazz fans all over the world need to take a step back and check this out. Sandra performs a melody of wonderful classics such as, "My Favorite Things", "How High the Moon", and "A Night In Tunisia", singing them as if they were written for just her. If you like great jazz vocals then you must have this one; I have listened to this CD for the last week straight (at least 30 times) and have fallen in love with it over and over again. This CD is one to be treasured for years to come. For your own good, go get it!
LA Jazz Scene
By Myrna Daniels
Sandra Booker is to be applauded loudly for this, her first CD release. It is nearly flawless, thanks to first-rate material, a stellar group of musicians accompanying her-Frank Collett-piano, Andy Simpkins-bass, Paul Kreibich-drums/percussion, Barry Zweig-guitar and Bob Sheppard-tenor sax- and of course, Booker's own terrific voice.
Booker is young, but displays a fine sense of taste in material, her voice is clean and clear and when she scats, she does it well. She tackles tough material and keeps up with her sidemen. That's saying a lot, because these musicians are the real thing. Collett's fine-tuned sense of what`s right for a singer has helped Booker immeasurably. There's a real sense of collaboration in their work. Having said all that, I was disappointed with only one tune-the opener, "All of You." It was not the strongest tune to begin with but once Booker gets warmed up, watch out! She sails through uptempo tunes like "The Late, Late Show," "How High The Moon" and "A Night In Tunisia" with ease. Her phrasing is individualistic but not over-done.
Booker's lovely voice caresses the lyrics on "Spring Is Here" as Collett's piano adds sweet melancholy. Guitarist Zweig adds romance to a dreamy "Yellow Days." Booker sings it simply and affectingly. "Indian Summer" swings sweetly and builds tension. It is on the harder material like Gigi Gryce's "Minority" that Booker really shines. She scats with a finely controlled abandon. Bob Sheppard's tenor sparks this one up real good! Booker cuts loose on "A Night in Tunisia" with the same fiery control.
This is such a strong effort, that Booker is assured of more attention in the future. With her poise, polish and good looks, shes going to have a very interesting career. People are always asking me where the next jazz singers are coming from. Now you know. Highly recommended.
JazzTimes
Brief Encounters
By David Franklin
For her debut album, young singer Sandra Booker brought together a stellar group of West Coast musicians (Frank Collett, Andy Simpkins, Paul Kreibich, Barry Zweig and Bob Sheppard) to accompany her on a delightful program of mostly well known standards. She herself offers precise pitch, unerring swing and a sophisticated sense of style. Her warm, attractive voice will undoubtedly become more mature and expressive over time.
Cadence Magazine
By Jerome Wilson
Sandra Booker is a more varied singer than the first two women are. From her inclusion of jazz compositions like Gigi Gryces "Minority" and Monks "Ask Me Now" you can tell she likes to improvise on melodies instead of just belt out songs. With a high attractive voice Booker is a compelling vocalist who is endearing on ballads like "Spring Is Here" and dazzling on uptempo pieces like "How High" where she gets in a bop duet with Andy Simpkins bass and the explosive "Minority" where she shows off her scatting prowess and Bo Sheppard blows a stormy tenor solo. This is an excellent album from a very promising singer.
The Reader
By Kirk Silsbee
Sandra Booker, very early (Jersey Boy Music). I've been waiting a long time for this singers recorded debut. Booker has a beautiful alto voice and sings a mix of standards by Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Burton Lane, and Al Dubin, jazz instrumentals with words (Gigi Gryces "Minority," Monks "Ask Me Now," the title cut by Bill Evans, and "Night In Tunisia"), and one original, "Its Time." Shes sumptuous on ballad when she is singing it straight, though she usually takes liberties in the middle, and her spare phrasing can work against the tune by isolating her syllables. This doesnt happen on uptempo readings but the ascending changes to "Spring Is Here" sound as if she is trudging up a flight of stairs. Booker rides rhythm well, as on "The Late, Late Show" and "Tunisia," carried like a feather on the wind by her crack rhythm section of pianist Frank Collett, bassist Andy Simpkins, and drummer Paul Kreibich. And "Minority" a scat bobsled ride at a breakneck tempo, is a marvel of vocal ease.
Los Angeles Times/Calendar
Bill Kohlhaase
Los Angeles is blessed with its share of competent vocalists, but the trick is to find them among the overabundant supply of pretender and wanna-be singers who populate the area. These albums feature two of the citys more serious practitioners of the art.
New Orleans-born Sandra Booker makes a promising debut on "Very Early," displaying a direct, well-enunciated style that comes across in tones that are almost crystalline in their purity. She covers a wide variety of material and moods, and is equally comfortable at home with slow and uptempo numbers. She skips easily through the scat passages on Gigi Gryces bop-paced "Minority," brings warmth and intimacy to Thelonious Monks "Ask Me Now" and turns Bill Evans "Very Early" into a touching, considered declaration of love. Much of the attraction of Bookers release is the framing pianist-arranger Frank Collett creates for her voice. Collett does more than provide fine accompaniment. He has created the foundations that give such well-worn tunes as "A Night in Tunisia" and "How High the Moon" new character and charm.
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