Tierney Sutton©Andrea Canter

From Wisconsin to Berklee to the Oak Room, Tierney Sutton’s career has been on a steady upward trajectory. Considered one of the most accomplished singers on the modern jazz scene, Sutton has collaborated with the same band for nearly 20 years, during which time they have released 9 recordings, garnered 3 Grammy nominations and played on the stages of Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Hollywood Bowl and the Monterey Jazz Festival. With a Grammy pending for their 2011 release (American Road), the Tierney Sutton Band returns to Birdland in Manhattan, from January 24-28.

Growing up in the Milwaukee area, Tierney Sutton attended college at Weslyan University in Connecticut as a Russian major before discovering the great jazz vocalists. Switching gears and gaining a scholarship, she enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and was soon opening for the likes of Billy Taylor and Max Roach. After relocating to southern California, she was a finalist among a star-studded group of singers in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition, joining Roberta Gambarini and Jane Monheit in finishing behind winner Teri Thornton. Over the next decade she released a series of acclaimed albums for Telarc, including the Sinatra-inspired Dancing in the Dark (2004) and the Grammy nominated I’m With the Band (2005).

Tierney Sutton Band©Andrea Canter

Called the Tierney Sutton Band (TSB), the ensemble nevertheless has no leader, just a tight group of collaborators (pianist Christian Jacobs, bassists Kevin Axt and Trey Henry, and drummer Ray Brinker) who divide up all artistic and business tasks. TSB is unusual beyond its longevity, recording (and sometimes touring) with two bassists. And then there’s Sutton herself, as much an instrument in the ensemble as the featured vocalist. The 2011 American Road project, the ninth for TSB,  was prompted some years ago by Sutton’s desire to record her favorite patriotic song, “America the Beautiful.” The remaining eight tracks cover traditional songs and Sutton’s major source of inspiration, the Great American Songbook, particularly Broadway via songs from Porgy and Bess and West Side Story.

Birdland this week might well be a preview of Grammy Night!

The Tierney Sutton Band plays two sets each night, at 8:30 and 11 pm, January 24-28. Birdland is located at 315 W. 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan; www.birdlandjazz.com or call (212) 581-3080.

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