Issues → March/April 2009 → Features →

Music Review: Miss Tess

Reliving the golden age of jazz

by Justin Shatwell

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Credit: Tim Angle

Although it may be true that every musician is a dreamer, only the good ones can convince you to join in on their fantasies. Armed with a rhythm guitar, a songbook full of down-on-your-luck lyrics, and a seemingly endless supply of fancy hats, Miss Tess is reimagining the golden age of jazz in 21st-century Boston and taking the rest of us along for the ride.

Tess finds her muse in anything old-fashioned, harking back to that bygone era when musicians wore suits or dresses and jazz was played as often in ballrooms as in bars. Accompanied by The Bon Ton Parade, a small ensemble that leans heavily on brushed drums and saxophone, the group taps into that laid-back cabaret sound that appeals to the vagabond lurking inside all of us.

Tess has recorded four albums of standards and original songs, but the best way to experience her is live. As her smoky voice drags seductively behind the rhythm, she transforms even the dingiest barroom into a dance floor and tempts you--for one night, at least--to drift back to a classier time.

For audio clips and a performance schedule, go to: misstessmusic.com