Long As You're Living-The Songs & Poetry of Oscar

EDITORIAL REVIEWS
'Linda finds her groove in Oscar Brown Jr.'s music. Singer hits all the right notes.' - DON HECKMAN, LOS ANGELES TIMES * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ' [OBJ] was as consummate an actor as he was a singer and songwriter, and it takes as fine an actor as Brown to do proper justice to his songs, particularly one as gutsy as Linda Kosut [who] pays album-length tribute to Brown.' - CHRISTOPHER LOUDON, JAZZ TIMES * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'This album is almost like a collaboration. Linda's voice is definitely one of the stars of the show, yet Oscar's personality is ever present. She is a singer of great ability. The organic strength of her voice is deftly wielded so that she can handle complicated passages without any dead spaces being created from having to rein back.' - MAXWELL CHANDLER, JAZZ REVIEW * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'Linda Kosut has caught the meaning of his work, the profundity and the humour. I have played it on air, and I will play it again. Her voice suits the lyrics and the backing charts are very supportive without getting in the way of all the nuances of the words. My congratulations to Linda and the guys, for doing their research and getting this tribute right without just singing the words and playing the notes.' - BARRIE WOODEY, 'Jazz 4A Sunday Night' CHRW 94.9FM * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'Kosut's deft handling of the variety of material that's here - from dark and bluesy to lighter material shows the many facets not only of Mr. Brown's work - but her own talent. The transitions are seamless, and her way with a lyric makes Mr. Brown's words come alive.' - DOUG BOYNTON, GIRL SINGERS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * '. a new female jazz singer who commands one's attention . a vocal performance which deserves mention' - SCOTT YANOW, LA JAZZ SCENE * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (San Francisco) In her newly released CD, Long as You're Living, singer Linda Kosut brings the music, lyrics and spirit of singer/song writer Oscar Brown, Jr., wonderfully to life. Following the acclaimed stage tribute to Brown's music that Kosut has been performing for the past year, Long as You're Living is a heartfelt and wholly enjoyable expression of the admiration Kosut has felt for the iconic African American musician since she first heard his music in the early 60s when still in her teens. Dramatic, whimsical, bluesy and swinging in turn, the deeply talented Kosut applies a deft touch to Brown's compositions, and brings the kind of fire you'd expect from a musician offering up an homage born of a life-long musical love affair with the work of a legendary artist. Her deep, mellifluous voice is strong and agile enough to carry the emotional weight of Brown's most compelling lyrics, yet she treads nimbly, foregoing over-dramatic flourishes in favor of subtlety. The results are satisfying in the extreme. Kosut begins with "A Tree and Me," quickly establishing her evocative vocal authority through this contemplative number about time and mortality. But next, a quick flash of van Wageningan's brushes jumps us off into the devilish fun of "Mr. Kicks" that gives Perkoff a chance to romp at the keyboards and Kosut a chance to snap and swing. The sly naughtiness of "Hazel's Hips" serves up a saucy blues that let's Perkoff unpack his trombone for a down home solo. But perhaps Kosut is at her best here interpreting some of Brown's most thought-provoking lyrics. Listen, for example, to her rendering of Brown's rarely heard lyrics to "'Round Midnight." Instead of a lament for lost love, Brown's lyrics to the famous tune conjures the aching uncertainty of the darkness from which each new day is born. And listen, as well, to the plaintive call for community of "Brother, Where are You?" Kosut's reading let's us feel the plight of a lonely soul searching vainly it seems, for comfort and aid. Oscar Brown, Jr., of course, was one of the most distinctive artistic interpreters of the Black experience during the tumultuous 1960s. As a musician, lyricist, poet, playwright and teacher, Brown was a singular, entirely uncompromising presence, and an artist who adeptly reflected the troubles and aspirations of his community in a manner that still resonates mightily. Brown passed away in 2005, shy of his 80th birthday. * * * Personnel: Max Perkoff, piano & trombone; Tom Shader, bass; Paul van Wageningen, percussion Producers: Maye Cavallaro & Linda Kosut Engineer: Gary Mankin, San Francisco Recorded: Mesa Recording, Sebastopol Mixed/mastered: Knob & Tube, San Francisco For more information about Linda Kosut, her music, and Long as You're Living, her CD and performance tribute to Oscar Brown, Jr., please contact Jizel Music at info @ jizelmusic.com.

REVIEW
JAZZ REVIEW - Don Heckman, Special to the L.A. Times Linda Kosut finds her groove in Oscar Brown Jr.'s music. The singer hits all the right notes on her 'Long as You're Living' tribute to the musician at the Jazz Bakery.

OSCAR BROWN JR. was an authentic American original, a 20th century Whitmanesque voice of insight, reason and imagination. Accomplished as a songwriter, performer, playwright, poet, essayist, activist and much more, he may simply have been too diverse to garner the acknowledgment that his enormous talents so clearly deserved. Two years after his death at the age of 78, the creative legacy of this African American from Chicago is beginning to receive some attention via the efforts of an unlikely source: singer LINDA KOSUT, a self-described "white Jewish girl from the Bronx."

Kosut has released "Long as You're Living," a recording of Brown's songs and poetry, and her nightclub show tribute bearing the same title has been performed in venues around the country for the last year. "[The show] at the Jazz Bakery [Los Angeles] deserved a far longer run.

Kosut is correct to note the differences between her background and Brown's. But it was precisely those differences that underscored the universality of Brown's art as well as the versatility Kosut brought to her interpretations.

Wisely, she never attempted to sing the Brown songs in any style other than her own, with its warm, dark sound and articulate, theatrically trained phrasing. Her rendering of Brown's lyrics for Thelonious Monk's " 'Round Midnight," for example, blended late-night storytelling with the life-defining metaphors of his poem "This Beach." A seemingly unlikely combination, it was, instead, an illuminating view into the complex byways of Brown's imagination. Other songs -- "Mr. Kicks," "A Dime Away From a Hot Dog" and "Long as You're Living" -- displayed Brown's extraordinary capacity to combine multilayered insights with engagingly communicative language.

Kosut, accompanied by the Max Perkoff Trio, tackled it all with splendid results. And she was the first to acknowledge, after the set, that for all its entertaining excellence, "Long as You're Living" only opens the door to Brown's treasure trove of creative works. --Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

This album is almost like a collaboration. Linda's voice is definitely one of the stars of the show, yet Oscar's personality is ever present. His lyrical intent is never lost or buried even as Linda manages to artistically sit by his side. She is a singer of great ability. The organic strength of her voice is deftly wielded so that she can handle complicated passages without any dead spaces being created from having to rein back. --Maxwell Chandler, Jazz Review

Singer Linda Kosut has admired the music of Oscar Brown Jr. from the time she first heard it in the 60s. In 2006, she turned his songs into a tribute on stage. Long As You're Living - The Songs & Poetry of Oscar Brown Jr. has been performed in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Kosut has pulled some of the songs from Brown s repertoire for this CD. She has her own style, she never seeks to imitate or pay cloying tribute to him. She gives Brown s songs a fresh slant, which by and large makes this a pleasure to listen to. Kosut has selected a wide range of songs that showcase her vocal ability. She is bang in the groove on Bid Em In evocating the charged atmosphere of a slave auction which she sings a capella.

Brown's words focused not only on social issues but also on observations of everyday life. Hazel's Hips gets its first undulation from Max Perkoff's piano. Kosut is slinky and sly in unraveling the blues. Perkoff returns for an appropriately greasy solo on the trombone. The slow burn of the blues and the saucy lyrics make this salivating.

A Tree and Me is awash in warmth. Kosut plumbs the depth of the emotion and comes up with a winning performance. Mr. Kicks is quite a different bag. Upbeat and joyous, the song gives Kosut an opportunity to show her mettle as a jazz singer. --Jerry D'Souza, All About Jazz

Number of Discs: 1

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