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About
Lissy Walker sings jazz, but she brings her own unique spin to the music by adding elements drawn from the worlds of folk, country and ‘70s acoustic pop. Walker’s burnished vocals and her virtuosic band slip effortlessly between genres to create their own soulfully sweet sound—dreamy and bittersweet, heartfelt and swinging.
Her acclaimed debut album, Life Is Sweet boasted some of SF’s and NY’s finest musicians, including John R. Burr on piano, Jon Evans on bass, Scott Nygaard on guitar, and Steven Bernstein on trumpet. Walker and co-producer Evans reassembled the team, along with some new players, including Ben Goldberg on clarinet, and went into Berkeley’s legendary Fantasy Studios to cut Wonderland, an album that brings Walker’s subtle intensity to bear on another collection of gems from the American Songbook, as well as a few modern classics.
Both albums deal in dreams and illusions, desires fulfilled and unfulfilled, and the power of reflection and intent. Walker’s sweet, smoky, purring alto is perfectly suited to these songs of yearning. Her focus is on songs from two great songwriting eras: swing tunes from the 20s/30s and folk ballads from the 70s. Her emotive vocal approach, the innovative arrangements, and the brilliance of the band, blend the two eras together, resulting in a classic, yet contemporary, vibe—a perfect hybrid. The results are Life Is Sweet and her follow up album, Wonderland, another beautiful compilation marked by the band’s subtle virtuosity and Walker’s deep, simmering vocals, delivering music that continuously reveals emotional and musical intensity.
Deep Roots Magazine
Some three years have passed since Lissy Walker made her dazzling debut with Life is Sweet (subject of a highly favorable review in TheBluegrassSpecial.com) but in the interregnum she seems to have grown bolder as a singer. On Wonderland her singing has a sense of freedom about it that strikes your faithful friend and narrator as being indicative of a new confidence...
All About Jazz
Alice had many adventures in Wonderland: they could be fun, they could be touching, but they were seldom musical. Lissy Walker's second album, Wonderland, also provides lots of adventures—some fun, some touching, all musical...
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The Bluegrass Special
How Sweet It Is
Bay Area folk-jazz singer Lissy Walker serves up a quiet classic on her debut album, Life Is Sweet
Lissy Walker is a jazz singer, but her wide-ranging musical interests set her apart from your average chanteuse. An actress and singer for most of her life, Walker brings the tools of those trades to bear on her impressive debut album, Life Is Sweet, on which the dramatic sensibility of her jazz vocals is informed by nuances of folk, pop, and country...