Beata Pater - Fire Dance (2017)

Beata Pater

Beata Pater - vocal
Sam Newsome - soprano saxophone
Anton Schwartz - tenor saxophone
Scott Collard - keyboards
Aaron Germain - bass

Alan Hall - drums

Fire Dance

B&B Records 2017

By John Sanders

Beata Pater’s first five albums could be called "typical" vocal jazz albums, as they featured the usual mix of standards and originals. That’s not to say her vocal approach has not been inspired, instead, she has received high marks for her flexible and fluid style, but no previous album she has made could prepare her followers for her latest, "Fire Dance". On this new one, Pater employed Alex Danson to write eleven new originals, which Pater then arranged for multiple wordless vocal overdubs supported by a saxophone trio and a four piece electric rhythm section. 

The end result is a sort of modern big band made up mostly of Pater’s voice multi-tracked up to sixteen times on some cuts. The multi-tracked vocals sometimes have a classic vocal jazz ensemble sound that may remind some of The Swingle Singers or Manhattan Transfer, while the overdubbed wordless sounds may remind some of Bobby McFerrin, but for much of "Fire Dance", Pater has crafted a sound that is unique to this album.

Musically this album pulls from a variety of styles including modern R'n'B, post bop and fusion from the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. The end result is sometimes similar to Weather Report in the late 70s, or any of Joe Zawinul’s bands since WR. Imagine the Swingle Singers covering classic Weather Report material and you might have a clue as to what is going on here. Along with Pater’s lead vocals, the saxophonists occasionally take short solos, and even exchange in free three way interplay on a couple cuts.

The make or break on here is Pater’s approach to wordless vocals. No doubt this was a very risky record to make, many have a right to fear what an album based around wordless vocals might sound like, but "Fire Dance" is a success due to a very careful use of vocal sounds that never become annoying or embarrassing. Pater is also careful to never overuse the so-called "scatting" technique, a decision that saves this album from potential indulgence. Instead, all of the multi-tracked vocals on here are carefully arranged, much like a complex big band chart. Top tracks include two beautifully abstract numbers that appear in the middle of the CD, title track "Fire Dance" and "The Princess". Both feature soaring vocals that recall a pre- Renaissance European style, as well as a classic Middle Eastern sound.

Beata Pater - Golden Lady (2013)

Beata Pater 

Beata Pater - vocal

Hiromu Aoki - piano

Buca Necak - double bass

Golden Lady 

This is an album created by a uniquely formed jazz trio whose artistic chemistry surpasses cultural distinctions, led by vocalist Beata Pater whose international jazz career earned her a CBS/Sony recording contract during her ten years in Japan.

It was twenty-five years ago on one of the rare day’s that Beata wasn’t performing or traveling Japan that she serendipitously met pianist Hiromu Aoki. Arduously searching for the right pianist to complete her trio – after finding Serbian-born acoustic bass player Buca Necak – she decided to visit a jazz club in her then hometown of Yokohama. It was here that Beata heard a performance by pianist Hiromu Aoki for the very first time. “Immediately I knew he was ‘the one’,” Beata recalls. Instantly drawn to the pianist, she introduced herself after the performance, eagerly convincing him to take the hour’s drive with her into Tokyo to hear the acoustic bass player perform, in spite of them being strangers.

After Aoki heard Buca’s performance, they instantly fell in love with each other’s artistry, as all three perfectly clicked. “Trying to form a band with the [right] chemistry where everyone’s ‘on purpose’,” as Beata explains, “is difficult and contingent on musicianship and style.” That was the night this musical partnership began, continuing to this day - their musical acquaintance over twenty-five years is a natural connection that ignites each time they perform.

(source: press release)

Beata Pater - Red (2013)

Beata Pater

Beata Pater - vocals, violin

Mark Little - keyboards

Aaron Germaine - bass
André Bush - guitar
Darius Babazedeh - saxophone
Tom Peron - trumpet

Ranzel Merritt - drums

Red 

By C. Michael Bailey

Polish vocalist/composer/violinist Beata Pater, as of late in San Francisco, releases "Red", the third recording in her "colors" series following "Black" (B&B, 2006) and "Blue" (B&B, 2011). She specializes in the no-lyrics singing that is related to, but not exactly the same as scat singing. Much of this is present on Redwhere, an expressive and passionate singer, Pater draws every bit of creativity from her mezzo-soprano voice. Her capability is elastic like that of Betty Carter and Cheryl Bentyne, with the midrange guts of Sarah Vaughan.

"Red", like the previous "color" releases, focuses nominally on the particular color considered, ergo, the original "Big Red" and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay." Red sports fewer mainstream standards in favor of more Pater compositions and those shared with pianist Mark Little, with "Red Clay" and pianist Herbie Hancock's "Butterfly," which opens the disc, representing the "standards." Pater approaches a hip-hop sensibility on "Sir Doug of Edwards" and A Michael Jackson-infused groove on "Big Red," which features electric guitarist André Bush.

Pater brings all of her James Brown funk to "Red Clay," producing a rendition that is at once curious and fertile. It is a reflection of the entire disc, which houses music that pushes the envelope of vocal jazz and R&B. Pater has seized on a theme and she is riding it for all it is worth. It will be interesting to see where it goes next.