Cathi Walkup: Press

THIS ALBUM IS FUN!
One of the current tragedies of jazz is that many of its so-called artists don’t suspect the true depth of the genre they’ve chosen. There is no such problem for Cathi Walkup. She has a firm understanding of the history of her music and she presents her material with an optimistic spirit that goes a very long way toward reducing some the ponderous burdens that jazz often carries.

This album is FUN. Much of it is authored or arranged by Walkup herself, in company with members of her very classy side unit or with the original composers with such names as Monk, Gershwin, Jobim, Berlin and Hammerstein. Her deep alto is perfectly suited to the playful renderings of such standards as “Nice Work If You Can Get It” and “Cheek To Cheek,” and she doesn’t flinch in the face of Monk’s often difficult melodies. But personal favorites on this disc are the Walkup originals: “Little Suzie’s Humming,” written with her pianist, Vince DiCiccio; “Living In A Daydream,” co-authored with trumpeter Michael Moore of the Pickle Family Circus; and “Waffles And Hen,” with her own flautist and vibraharpist, Gerry Grosz.

Cathi Walkup has assembled a fine ensemble to highlight her impressive talents and deserves a wider audience than the average indie artist can win. If a representative of a major label isn’t circling her with contracts in hand, prepared to sell the store for promotion of this wonderful artist, then he should be fired by the head office.

I’ll take any musician who can lead me, as Walkup does, from Berlin to Monk on a journey in which every step is characterized by delight.

She sounds casual, but there is dimension to these performances. If you pass this one up, you don’t understand music. - Fred W. Harris, Skyjazz Radio

“A compelling vocalese artist” -

The influence of Carmen McRae upon Cathi Walkup is most pronounced during the original “More Than Poor Clay, ” Thelonious Monk’s “I Mean That” and the pronounced vibrato of her ballad performance “Angel Eyes”. Ultimately this is a measure of Walkup’s sophistication as a performer, as McRae’s distinctive diction and vocal mannerisms are not easily to emulate. She is supported by some exquisite music, like the combination with Dmitry Matheny (flgh), Brad Buethe (g) and John Wiitala (b) in “Angle Eyes”, “A Kiss To Build A Dream On” and a brilliant slow waltz version of Monk’s “Reflections” that showcases her as a compelling vocalese artist. Other high points range from the Latin samba grooves of her original “Living In A Daydream” to the exuberant swing of Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” and her funky original “Waffles and Hen.” - David Lewis - Cadence Magazine, March 2001, pg 109

“This is a sound you don’t find everyday” -

Spring 2000 issue
“It’s not just the voice; it’s what you do with it. Cathi Walkup has nice delivery, a smooth midrange - and brassy low notes with a bit of nasality. Not your typical “thrush” voice. To emphasize that, she stays low and spins the lyric with dizzy rhythms. She’s got a child’s enthusiasm, perfect for her ode to “Little Suzie”: “She doesn’t know the words but deep in her heart/She knows the feeling’s there and hums it in the air now”. The bridge becomes a waltz and Harvey Robb does his own humming on boisterous tenor. The piano swirls in lush circles, the delight you only get at age six. It’s that kind of song and she’s that kind of singer.

There’s an innocence to all of this and quirky delight from offbeat arrangements. Only “Suzie” has piano; on the rest it’s Gerry Grosz’ vibes, played with a xylophone-like thud. He bubbles through “Nice Work” like a Thirties novelty; Cathi winks as she makes it still cuter. Rather than scat, she toys with the lyrics, “sighing sigh after sigh after sigh!”

For “Angel Eyes” she turns more nasal. It’s a worldly lament by a blue guitar. Yet even here she sounds happy
that comes from the high notes, and her ever-present joy. She scampers away, blowing a kiss on the fade; soon she returns sweeter than ever.

While Grosz chimes a summer breeze, Cathi gets busy. “Poor Clay” is a philosophy, but more; it’s practically a hymn. “When I look way up above/And see that the stars are not so very high to wish for/I rise above myself/And know that I’m more than poor clay!” Incredibly wordy, but she handles it with ease. (Written at 4 AM - I’m not that witty at any hour!”)

Cheek to Cheek” glows with low vibes and high spirits. Robin Lewis leaps on springy steps; Cathi is her most romantic. For the first time she scats, a big earthy yelp that’s like a trombone. Next stop, Thelonious: the best is a dreamy “Reflections”. Dmitri Matheny murmurs like Chet; the guitar bounces and the voice exalts. Given her voice it’s surprisingly tender; “Favela” has her full strength and in the throes of passion. Lewis starts pensive, Grosz dances above him and that flute is delicious. The solos turn exotic: emotional, vibrant, and living. The backing’s slight when Cathi returns, but how it grows.

This is a sound you don’t find every day, so it you find this, get it! And if you seek a fiesty romantic , dream no more - John Barrett, Jr., - Jazz Improv Magazine, Volume 2, Number 2, pg. 135