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About A World That Swings…

Andrew Suvalsky’s, “A World That Swings” his second recording, September 2008 release; LML Music/Allegro Distribution) firmly establishes him as one of the strongest and most noteworthy presences in the world of up and coming male jazz vocalists. The recording, whose title is borrowed from one of the CD’s many swinging tracks, gives the artist a stage on which to show serious vocal prowess while swinging, scatting, or smoothly evoking the deepest essence of a ballad’s lyrics, and to share his infectious notion that a musical and swinging world is just the place we would all like to live in. From the first note sung, The listener will immediately be swept into his musical landscape.

Praise for A World That Swings…

• “About Maestro Suvalsky: He is surely on the same road as Tormé and Sinatra. He is influenced by and emerging from the shadows of these greats, and while it would be difficult for any artist to overcome this legacy, Suvalsky is one hot new cat we should be eager to see come-up and to hear sing. Andy’s voice is smooth and silky, with shades of a true tenor. He can be compared with Bublé and Connick Jr., but in his own right is as good as they and perhaps even nicer to listen to.”

  — Aimo Ollikainen, Blues News Magazine

• “Vocalist Andrew Suvalsky delivers a catchy scat shuffling reminiscent of Count Basie with the smooth sheen of Nat King Cole on his second offering, A World That Swings from LML Music. The album is a mix of standards from American Songbook composers like Cole Porter’s “Night And Day” and Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is The Ocean?” with a topping of bossa nova tunes like Juan Tizol’s “Perdido” and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “One Note Samba” augmented by side dishes of classic pop tracks like Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth Move” and John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s collaboration “Fool On The Hill.” The songs arrangements are effective in drawing out the power of swing-jazz, grabbing audiences by the shirt collar and with Suvalsky’s vocals in the mix, they become gems that hold audiences captive.
  Suvalsky modernizes swing-jazz favorites like Oscar Hammerstein’s “Lover, Come Back To Me” and “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” for contemporary generations to connect with, and experience the flickering beats and romantic jaunts that previous generations once enjoyed. Suvalsky embraces these songs as if they were his own, stoking their glistening embers and caressing their tendrils. He becomes so involved in the vocal melodies that he takes the lead through the dance steps without apprehension, like in the energetic leaps he makes across “Night And Day” reinventing this Cole Porter tune with festive scat shimmies and perky lifts. Suvalsky makes life seem so eventful in his delivery, brandishing a chic-style jazz in Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth Move” with a stream of sultry curves and in Lennon/McCartney’s song “Fool On The Hill” with emotive vocal dips that recall of Nat King Cole. When he sings, “Daddy, can I have that big elephant over there” from Bobby Timmons and Oscar Brown’s tune “Dat Dere,” he does it with such sophistication that the slang phrase resonates with a universal meaning.
  Suvalsky’s covers of jazz standards and classic pop tunes on A World That Swings pays homage to these iconic composers while enabling Suvalsky to wrap himself in these vintage sheets. A World That Swings follows his debut album, Vintage Pop And The Jazz Sides (2006) and further entrenches Suvalsky in the fires of jazz music’s hearth.”

  — Susan Frances, JazzTimes

• “Suvalsky's vocals caress the follicles of the tympanic membrane with the buffed shimmies of Ella Fitzgerald, the crisp indentations of Mel Torme, and the debonair flare of Dean Martin. His re-inventions show the classy sophistication of old-fashioned swing and the promise of attaining iconic status.”

  — Susan Frances, Jazz Review

• “A World That Swings" named one of Top Jazz Albums of 2008", by Al Becker, nationally sydicated radio host (Voices in the Dark, KDHX, St. Louis and the US).

  SURPRISE OF THE YEAR

  Andrew Suvalsky - A World That Swings - LML Music
  A New York based artist who "swings" with great promise!”

  — Al Becker

• “If it’s swing you’re looking for, look no further than Andrew Suvalsky’s sophomore collection of the Great American Songbook with the finest songwriters from its heyday, including Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter and Harold Arlen, as well as pop geniuses John Lennon & Paul McCartney and Carole King’s contemporary songs sung with a twist.
  Suvalsky swings with the best of them (them being Torme, Sinatra, Vaughan and Fitzgerald) and keeps up with contemporaries such as Michael Buble and Harry Connick, Jr. as if he was born to sing these standards in his own inimitable style.
  “Lover, Come Back To Me” begins the set and continues the sensational swing of the piano, bass, drum and guitar with the occasional flute and alto sax for one of the best versions of this standard.
  I’ve never heard Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth Move” quite this way, and I’m sure Ms. King would be thrilled to hear her smash hit reinvented in such a unique manner. It’s simply sensational. The Beatles’ “Fool On The Hill” was always a favorite of mine and Suvalsky continues my love affair with this song as he embraces it in the way that any Lennon/McCartney song deserves to be treated.
  Suvalsky also shows off his versatility with a flare for the Latin genre with spicy renditions of “One Note Samba” and “Corcovado (Quiet Nights),” both written by Antonio Carlos Jobim.
  Of the thirteen tracks, a couple of songs are slowed down to perfection, with sultry versions of “When The Sun Comes Out” and a smashing rendition of Irving Berlin’s masterpiece “How Deep Is The Ocean?”
  The album closes with one of the most energetic versions of “Night And Day” that has ever been recorded. It’s an all out jazz-fest and we, the audience, are the lucky ones as we feast on one of the sexiest jazz albums to date. Once word gets out about this album, Suvalsky’s name should begin to become as familiar as his aforementioned contemporaries.
  My Grade: Four Swinging Stars!”

  — Stevie Housman

• “Two years after his acclaimed debut recording and sold-out appearances at New York’s top clubs, including the Blue Note, jazz crooner Andrew Suvalsky is back with his sophomore set, A World That Swings (LML Music).

  "Vintage Pop and the Jazz Sides," his 2006 effort, went in a few directions, a common issue with debut recordings where the artist is still defining himself and trying out a few different things. That can be a fun exercise for the eclectic listener, but a bit of a nightmare for the radio programmer. Suvalsky had classic jazz choices like "The Best is Yet to Come" but also things as far afield as the 70s rocker "Love is Alive" (admittedly a minor hit for him).

  For this new disc, Suvalsky has wisely chosen to focus on what he does best: swing standards. His one foray into pop, Carole King’s "I Feel the Earth Move" is a jazz rendition all the way.

  While he may not have the rounded, vocal richness of Tony Bennett, the emotional depth of Kurt Elling, or the range of Al Jarreau, what he does have in spades is an energetic playfulness. He attacks each song with the excited wonder of a child opening a gift on Christmas morning.

  This approach is most evident on the first track, a romping rendition of Hammerstein and Romberg’s "Lover Come Back to Me," which should get some airplay on jazz radio. Another Hammerstein/Romberg number, the rare gem "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" is also given an athletic workout.

  He displays some sexy scatting on Jobim’s "One Night Samba," the nonsense syllables like personal sweet nothings for the listener’s ear. More common fare like "All of Me," "How Deep is the Ocean" and "Night and Day" are given fresh readings, particularly the latter, which will have the listener bopping around the room.

  Suvalsky surprises with his formidable interpretive prowess on the spare arrangement of the Lennon/McCartney ballad, "Fool on the Hill," which features a nice duet of sorts with Steve Wilson’s plaintive-sounding flute. Less successful are his midtempo offerings, Jobim’s "Corcovado" and Tizol’s "Perdido" where he can’t seem to decide whether to go full throttle with improvisation or rely simply on soul-baring emotion.

  Suvalsky has surrounded himself with an impressive roster of musical talent; it’s to his credit that he is able to keep his vocals at the forefront of such a fine group. Bennett Paster’s piano and organ work and Peter Bernstein’s guitar playing are memorable standouts.

  And still under forty years old, his finest years as a jazz singer are still ahead. That’s good news for jazz fans who are looking for an up-and-coming star to latch onto. With this follow-up disc, Andrew Suvalsky is proving that he means to stay around for a while: the best is yet to come.”

  — Kevin Hall, Edge

• “Back Stage Bistro Award winner (Jazz Vocalist) Andrew Suvalsky has released an ambitious second album, A World That Swings on LML Music. As his jazz and vocal sensibilities mature, he deserves serious praise on several counts: his sharply improvised way with a lyric, an intelligent sense of swing and the inherent musicality of his interpretations. It all makes for an impressive entry by one fairly new to the jazz arena. He also deserves praise for something else: an attribute not rare among jazz crooners who have arrived on the scene in the last decade: building an eclectic repertoire on chestnuts from the Great American Songbook era. He covers standards, contemporary pop and blues. What sets him apart? The difference is that he makes his interpretations his own with a nod to the greats. While generally avoiding sounding like others, he recalls Curtis Stigers on a high gear reading of “One Note Samba” and a young Michael Murphy on “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise.” The album peaks on a contemporary flavored “Fool On the Hill” (McCartney) and a bluesy, well phrased, “How Deep is the Ocean?” (Berlin) accompanied only by Peter Bernstein’s magical guitar that is expressive and timeless. Cole Porter’s “Night And Day” becomes a classic swing-bop replete with a sassy scat.
  Supported by keyboard phenom Bennett Paster, the band informs each cut with a driving intensity laced with sophisticated fun that scales the heights with ease.”

  — John Hoglund, Cabaret Scenes - November 2008

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