"I'm a modern person, I'm a modern singer, and standards have a place in my repertoire. There's a message in some if not all standards, with melodies that are so glorious and accessible on so many levels, and they're worth still being heard. If it's something that smacks of a certain corniness or makes me think of a bygone era that I'd rather forget, then I don't want to do it.” –Sachal Vasandani
Sachal Vasandani’s third Mack Avenue album – officially released on June 21st – boasts fine, critically acclaimed players, substantive, stylish interpretations through standards, pop songs, and original compositions, and an overall sense of in-depth joy and care throughout.
Gifted with a voice as clear as a bell, as memorable as your first love, and as distinctively progressive as a sonic prophet, Vasandani has already proven himself in his two previous Mack Avenue records, his 2007’s “Eyes Wide Open” and 2009’s “We Move.”
He brings together great, distinctive visionaries like Jon Hendricks, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jeb Patton, David Wong, Kendrick Scott, and John Ellis, as well as co-producers, bassist John Clayton and Mack Avenue EVP-A&R Al Pryor, to help bring his concepts to life.
Like all great visionaries, Vasandani knows that he’s only as good as the players he works with. They raise the game, they infuse the scene with enervating energy, they teach him immeasurably during the creation process, and they challenge him to be better. “I like to play with people who are not only great musicians, which I'm fortunate to say all the people who participate on my records are, but also open, whether it's trying out new things or just putting their own stamp on existing things,” Vasandani enthused. “These guys really know how to breathe new life into music that's been in our repertoire for a while, and that requires a certain humility and a certain commitment—a commitment to make great music at all times. There's a certain luxury I take in trusting that they're going to be open to all the different ways in which we stretch ourselves."
They also give Vasandani great peace of mind. No babysitting baby steps here. Not with these pros. It’s a lot easier to put forth a certain vision, reach higher heights, and explore myriad possibilities musically with confidence-inspiring players who know what they’re doing and who can bring their own flair to the recording process.
That vision was primarily one of joy, in the subject matter, in the interpretation, in the approach.
“On this record I wanted to share some of the joy of singing this music. I worked through the turbulence that inspired the last record and just tried to have fun. I was thinking less about drawing the listener into my heart and more about celebrating,” Vasandani explained.
As joyful as many of the songs on his new CD are, Vasandani also takes moments to reflect and consider themes of heartbreak, loss, and devastation—all within a context of his never-ending quest to make music more accessible, more relatable, more melodic, and more universally truthful.
He deserves credit for the compassion found in abundance through “Flood”—an homage to those struck recently by natural disasters in Japan, other parts of Asia, and Pakistan.
When the phenomenal jazz cross-over hit Amy Winehouse died suddenly July 23, the world was also hit with the profound loss and the profound realization of the consequences of living on the edge (she reportedly was trying to quit alcohol cold turkey, which might’ve contributed to her passing). Vasandani touches on her influence by doing his own version of “Love Is A Losing Game,” a sad love song verging on classic torch.
For Vasandani, selecting tracks for a CD is less about cashing in on the currents of a mournful populace rolling from one natural disaster to a celebrity crash, and everything to do with feeling a kinship with the vibe of any particular song, be it from today’s charts or from the past. “It's very simple. I'm a modern person, I'm a modern singer, and standards have a place in my repertoire,” he explained. “There's a message in some if not all standards, with melodies that are so glorious and accessible on so many levels, and they're worth still being heard. If it's something that smacks of a certain corniness or makes me think of a bygone era that I'd rather forget, then I don't want to do it. But if it happens to be a good song called 'The Very Thought of You' that still makes sense, that resonates with you as an artist and helps you tell your own story that much more richly, then it's cool."
Sachal Vasandani has been on tour this summer and continues on to the September 5th Detroit Jazz Festival before going overseas.
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