Fig Tree
From the opening selection, Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” with an acid jazz feel, to Latz‘ offbeat and eccentric title track “Fig Tree,” to a beautiful and haunting piano duet on Mercer and Mancini’s, “Moon River,” Deborah Latz‘ third CD, Fig Tree, is a breakout performance, proving her artistic mastery as vocalist, songwriter and arranger.
release date May 05 2013
Deborah Latz vocals
Jon Davis piano
John Hart guitars
Ray Parker bass
Willard Dyson drums
special guests
Peter Apfelbaum saxes, flutes, percussion
and Abdoulaye Diabate guest voice on “She Was.”
Michael Brorby recording & mixing
Recorded December 11 & 12, 2011 and January 30 & May 25, 2012
Acoustic Studio, Brooklyn, NY
Gene Paul mastering
Mastered November 14 & 29, 2012
G&J Audio, Union City, NJ
Kristopher Pelletier art direction
©Todd Weinstein photography
album artwork / liner notes
critical acclaim for fig tree
“Deborah is a beautiful singer and a great talent. Fig Tree is wonderful. Really wonderful!”
— Sheila Jordan, 2012 NEA Jazz Master
“Deborah’s vocal control and flexibility is not just on display for itself. Her voice is her instrument. Deborah is not just a singer. She is a true performer. Spend an hour or two at a performance or listening to her albums and be taken away. 5 STARS”
— Kelly Koenig, EXAMINER.COM
“...Latz demonstrates an outstanding range of technique and creative musicality that places her at the forefront of jazz today.” — Scott Yanow, FIG TREE Liner Notes
“...Latz takes it over the top giving hipsters a few lessons on what is really hip...”
— Chris Spector, MIDWEST RECORD
“As lucid as it is breathtaking, it is music of the sort that happens when the best companions get together.”
— Andrew Vélez, NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
“Singing slow is one of the most challenging things for a singer to do. Latz is in there with the best of them: Horn and Rebecca Parris.”
— C. Michael Bailey, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
“Latz is right there among the higher echelon of jazz singers. She means it and you can hear it.”
— George Fendel, JAZZSCENE
“She is accomplished in the fullest meaning of the word: highly trained, skillful, finished, complete, polished, refined, realized. Deborah Latz has something to say and she has the talent and the ability to say it.”
— Steven A. Cerra, JAZZ PROFILES
“Latz makes me believe in the art of the female vocalist again. A superior performance!”
“...indulge yourself with this fresh jazz voice. ...Ms. Latz is spot on.”
— Patricia Herlevi, THE WHOLE MUSIC EXPERIENCE
“Deborah Latz has one of those voices you could listen to for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner. “Fig Tree” is her latest gift to the jazz world.”
— Charles L. Latimer, IDIGJAZZ BLOGSPOT
“The song list sounds ordinary but the delivery is exquisite!”
— D. Oscar Groomes, O’S PLACE JAZZ MAGAZINE *FAVORITES 5/5 performance
“She is my favorite new singer!”
— John Hammel, HOME GROWN RADIO NJ
“I haven’t heard this singer before, but I was impressed by this, her [Latz’] third album. She has a distinctive voice, tremendous control and a wide range of dynamics..”
— Peter Bevan, THE NORTHERN ECHO
“From the opening track, Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies,” Deborah Latz makes clear that even the most familiar tunes are fair game for radical reinterpretation.”
— Barry Bassis, EPOCH TIMES
“Of the 14 tracks, it was the album lead, “Fig Tree”, that won my vote for favorite… superb jazz with class, to be sure!”
— Rotcod Zzaj, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION
“This stripped down arrangement [“Embraceable You”] highlights Latz’s heartfelt interpretation of the lyric, as well as the purity of her tone and fine vocal control.”
— Debra M., BEBOP SPOKEN HERE
“Deborah’s vocal sound is light, delicate, yet her interpretation of lyrics is profound.”
— Bruce Crowther, JAZZ MOSTLY
“...her rendition of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” I was noticing something else: the bell-like clarity of her voice and her impeccably reliable intonation.”
— Rick Anderson, CD HOTLIST
“Latz’s “Fig Tree” is a straight-ahead, no-fooling jazz album...”
— Bob Karlovits, TRIBUNE-REVIEW PITTSBURGH