Erin Bode © Andrea Canter

The Twin Cities has long been a wellspring of vocal talent. Much of that talent remains in the area, but a few have found success outside the Minneapple. Count Erin Bode among them. Transplanted to St. Louis in her teens, Bode now has two MaxJazz recordings and plenty of accolades to her credit. This week, Erin returns to home territory with a two-night stand at the Dakota Jazz Club (May 7-8) and an appearance at the Grand Marais Jazz Festival this weekend (May 10th).

Bode spent much of her childhood in the Twin Cities, the youngest of three children of a Lutheran minister and surrounded by music for all occasions, from celebrations to funerals. Encouraged to participate in music

Although she enjoyed the big bands of Les Brown and Glenn Miller, until she began studying with Christine Hitt (who also became a Maxjazz artist), however, Bode had not considered a jazz direction. Through Hitt’s encouragement, she went on her first jazz gig and things progressed rapidly. “It was the first time I’d ever sung jazz by myself,” she said. “I’d done it in class with the choir and in my lessons…It was the best experience and I suddenly realized I could do this.”

Bode began performing her blend of jazz and pop classics and traditional American songs, becoming a favorite around the St. Louis area for a few years prior to the release of her self-produced CD, Requests, in 2001. One particular track, "Time After Time" (inspired by hearing Eva Cassidy's version), became a hit on local radio. Her reputation spread quickly, and soon she appeared on a nationally syndicated jazz program, morning TV, and had invitations to open for the Supreme’s Mary Wilson, pop/jazz star Michael Buble', and young British sensation Jamie Cullum. With her working “Erin Bode Group,” she performed at national venues, including Blues Alley, Zanzibar Blue, and Sweet Rhythm, as well as on her home turf at Jazz at the Bistro, and toured in Italy in 2004. In 2006 she again toured Italy as well as South Africa, and was featured on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.

Praised as much for her songwriting as her singing, Bode has found a simpatico partner in pianist Adam Maness. “He comes with music or words, or sometimes I write the words… I don’t write about current events. I write about thoughts, feelings, things I wish I would have said.” Her first original song, "Don't Take Your Time," was the title track for her major label debut on MaxJazz (2004). Featuring the stellar support of Bruce Barth (piano and Fender Rhodes), Larry Grenadier (bass), Montez Coleman (drums), Steve Nelson (vibes), and Adam Rogers (electric and acoustic guitar), Don’t Take Your Time covered the eclectic range of American song, from Irving Berlin to Bob Dylan, from Stevie Wonder to Cyndi Lauper.

That eclecticism itself garnered mixed reactions to the recording as both a showcase for her vocal talent and a too-tame effort that would benefit from more original material. Said Mike Joyce (Washington Post), “Bode clearly admires Cassidy and Jones, and though her voice isn't as distinctive as theirs, its charms are nonetheless evident -- a soprano bright and wistful by turns. Her instincts are admirable, too, as her eclectic choice of songs nearly always suits her talent.” Describing the debut recording as “an ambitiously flawed assemblage of 13 tracks that vary from so-so to stunning,” Jazz Times’ Christopher Loudon added, “[she is] a country-folk-jazz hybrid boasting crystal clarity and flawless enunciation. She's part Norah Jones, part Jen Chapin, and a whole lotta Stacey Kent.”

In 2005, Erin Bode released another recording for MaxJazz-- Over and Over, which included more original songs and arrangements. Her talents as singer/songwriter prompted C. Michael Bailey (All About Jazz) to comment, “Of singular importance to Over and Over are Bode’s pathos-flexing compositions. They are diverse in style, content and theme… In general, Bode’s lyrics are sophisticated and thoughtfully rhymed.”

Erin Bode seems well on her way to becoming one of the leading vocalists of a broad swath of contemporary music with cross-generational as well as cross-genre appeal. Catch her now as she brings her charms, sophisticated lyrics and, hopefully, a stack of new compositions, to the Dakota, May 7-8, or "up north" at the Grand Marais Jazz Festival on May 10th.

“… it's the way Bode blurs the lines, twists the nuances, and probes for slightly skewed angles that suggests she's sneaking up on something special.” --Rick Mason, City Pages

More information on Erin Bode is available on her website at www.erinbode.com. Erin Bode quotes from interviews with Riverfront Times and Jazz Review.