 Sue Tucker, photo by Andrea Canter An extraordinary jazz vocalist, Sue Tucker, comes from a family of
known jazz musicians. Her father, Jack Oatts, was one of the first jazz
educators in Iowa. Her brother Jim Oatts, leads the Des Moines Big
Band, and her brother Dick Oatts is a member of the world famous
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra in NYC. Before she took up singing, Sue was
blowin' her tenor sax in a jazz band. Sue says "I think playing a horn
has had a great influence on my singing. I've tried to approach singing
from an instrumental mindset. Space is just as important as sound."
After attending college, Sue began a studio career producing and
singing jingles. She spent seven years teaching music theory and vocal
studio techniques at McNally Smith Music College in downtown St. Paul.
She's now the Assistant Director of Education at IPR (Institute of
Production & Recording) in downtown Minneapolis. You'll also find
her at various night spots in the Twin Cities and beyond, singing her
cool jazz. Both of Sue's wonderful CD's are available at her web site,
www.suetucker.com, and of course at the Jazz from J to Z concert.
 Tanner Taylor, photo by Andrea Canter Born in 1928 in Kentucky, the distinctively unpretentious,
deep, rich, and smooth voice of Rosemary Clooney earned her recognition
as one of America's premier jazz singers. Rosemary's last performance
was December 15, 2001 at the Count Basie Theatre in Redbank, NJ and she
was still singing well. Rosemary recorded 25 wonderful albums for
Concord Jazz.
"Sue Tucker is the perfect singer to mount a tribute to
Rosemary Clooney. While Sue is a uniquely individual stylist and
doesn't copy anybody, she shares with Clooney a rich, smokey vocalism
and a wonderfully warm tonality. This, along with her highly-defined
Clooney-esque sense of the lyric, allows her to replicate the mood and
feel of Rosie's classic numbers without sounding simply like an
imitation. What Sue does with Clooney's songbook is musically valid on
Tucker's own terms, yet the Clooney fan who goes to see her tribute
will leave the event basking in a typically "Rosie" glow". -- Arne
Fogel, TCJS Board Member
For an evening of terrific vocal jazz and great food, please
join us for Sue Tucker’s Tribute to Rosemary Clooney, at the Lakeville
Area Arts Center on Saturday, March 11, at 6:30 PM. Last years J to Z
concert at Lakeville with Connie Evingson was a sellout and everyone
had a wonderful time. |
Twin Cities, MN 
Saturday, 20 March 2010
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