Suzanne Pittson lives in New York and is Assistant Professor of Jazz Vocal Studies at The City College of New York, located in Harlem on 138th & Convent. Called a "true jazz singer" by Cadence magazine and a "true musician" by JazzTimes, she is rapidly gaining the respect of the jazz world because of her scatting and technical accuracy, her creativity and musicianship, and her broad improvisational vocabulary.
Suzanne’s approach to scat singing reveals a deep awareness of the origin and development of the jazz instrumentalist. Jazz Improv says "her scatting alone is so good that had she been the forerunner and not Ella Fitzgerald, Suzanne would have become the Ella." And All About Jazz says “Pittson is like an additional horn in the ensemble. Her ‘scatting’ drives the rhythm section and they respond to her urgings.â€
Suzanne Pittson has performed at many of the country's foremost jazz venues including
Birdland and Sweet Rhythm in New York, Yoshi’s in Oakland, CA, and The Jazz Bakery and Catalina’s in Los Angeles, CA. She has performed/recorded with such musicians as Mike Clark, John Patitucci, Dave Liebman, Steve Wilson, Mark Soskin, Harvie S, Jack Walrath and Jeff Pittson.
Suzanne’s most recent CD, "Resolution: A Remembrance of John Coltrane" (1999,
Vineland) features unique vocal interpretations of the music of John Coltrane—including 2
movements of "A Love Supreme"—and is mentioned in Ashley Kahn’s 2002 book A Love
Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album (Viking). Her bold and adventurous improvisations, based on study of John Coltrane and the post-Coltrane saxophonists, push the development of the jazz singing language into new realms of expression. In the liner notes to "Resolution" Wayne Saroyan says, "Pittson’s ambitious goal — captured on this brilliant, risk-taking recording—is nothing less than a soulful, heartfelt reinterpretation, and a remembrance of Coltrane’s monumental legacy. Part of this remembrance is the fresh lyrical transformation of a musical expression—Coltrane’s horn— into a vocal language...Pittson accomplishes both with a stunning virtuosity and a startling clarity of purpose." Down Beat says, "she captures the spiritual urgency of 'Trane’s music while pushing her voice into ecstatic overdrive." The recording features Alex Murzyn on saxophone, Jeff Pittson on piano, Glenn Richman on bass and Wally Schnalle on drums: all leaders in their own right. Prior to recording this CD, Suzanne (with husband, Jeff Pittson) co-wrote and set lyrics to the four-movement suite "A Love Supreme" for a performance in 1997 that commemorated the 30th Anniversary of Coltrane’s death. Since then she has performed this composition at Coltrane tributes in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York with such musicians as John Patitucci, Steve Wilson, Harvie S, Mark Soskin, Chip Jackson, and Dan Haerle. Thus far she is the only jazz vocalist to have sung this entire work.
Suzanne’s 1996 release "Blues and the Abstract Truth" (Vineland) won strong praise from critics and features a brilliant cast that includes Jack Walrath on trumpet, Harvie S on bass, Mike Clark on drums and Jeff Pittson on piano. Most noticeable on this recording is Suzanne’s complete integration into the ensemble as one of the instruments. Rapport magazine responded in kind by saying, "setting Pittson apart from the others is her sheer dedication to heart and soul through technical accuracy and an uncanny creative ability to find notes where there are none." Her improvisations impressed Zan Stewart of Down Beat who called Suzanne a "gusty, informed scatter who knows her chord changes" and Scott Yanow of the LA Jazz Scene who called her a "masterful scatter" who "constantly
improvises" and whose "solos are full of surprises and chancetaking."
Suzanne’s most recent project is a vocal interpretation of the music of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard with original lyrics. She currently performs this music live and plans to record in 2008.
