Debbie Poryes - Jazz Pianist: Press/Reviews

A musician you should be aware of is Bay-area pianist Debbie Poryes. We loved her 2007 CD - A Song in Jazz (see our review here) and this follow-up is even better - in part due to the lucky presence of saxophonist Bruce Williamson on some of the tracks. Williamson is a perfect fit along with bassist Bill Douglass and drummer David Rokeach. Poryes was able to recruit her friend - who was in town for another recording date - and the result is a gleaming recording that mixes buoyant ensemble playing with a setlist of standards and interesting originals. Poryes' piano technique is unique - the result of overcoming tendonitis - and highly sophisticated harmonically. Her longtime rhythm section matches her well - with Douglass seeming to hit all the right notes and Rokeach keeping the parade moving while also producing extremely melodic sounds out of his kit.
After the opening title track gets your heart racing, the band turns to the Berlin chestnut - "I've Got the Sun in the Morning" (from Annie Get Your Gun) and Poryes' love of the Great American Songbook is clearly evident in her jumpy, yet swinging trio take on this treasured show tune. The heartfelt gospel-drenched "Prayer for a Child" was written for the tragic victim of a shooting near her neighborhood - and its palpable sadness is tinged with just a glimmer of hope. "My Heart Stood Still" is reinvented with some wonderful rhythmic changes and great saxophone work, while "I Should Care" is given a distinctive Poryes piano treatment - building from a a shimmering obstinate pattern into a full-fledged trio improvisation. The lovely "Willie's Waltz" reveals great beauty in its sadness, while the quartet takes on Sonny Clark's "Melody for C" with an vibrant and rewarding performance worthy of applause. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the set is the appearance of the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" - perhaps the loveliest melody in that band's canon is given a truly incandescent account by the trio. Nor does it end there - perhaps the highlight of this strong album is the finale - the lush original "Lake Dream." Starting as a free flowing duet between Poryes and Williamson (on soprano) unfurls at gloriously relaxed pace across more than eight minutes - with Douglass and Rokeach joining in about halfway through. It is such a pleasure to hear more from this talented pianist and her band again.
www.oa2records.com

The umbrella record label Origin Arts has three imprint labels beneath it: Origin Records, founded in 1997 by Seattle drummer John Bishop, focusing primarily on prominent jazz artists from the Northwest United States. OA2 records was begun in 2002 with the aim of broadening Origin's talent attention countrywide. Origin Classical was later founded with not simply the goal of recasting the standard classical repertoire, but also to reveal its lesser known quantities and to forge new directions in what might be considered "classical music."

The present subject is OA2 Records and two fine West Coast band leaders, Nelda Swiggett and Debbie Poryes. Grounded forward thinking characterizes these artists and the styles of their respective combos. The mainstream has never looked (or sounded) better...
Where Nelda Swiggett performs smart jazz within angular if mainstream parameters, Debbie Poryes colors more outside the lines than Swiggett, her quartet's style bleeding into avant-garde and high-IQ adult contemporary. Expanding the trio to a quartet with the addition of a horn, Poryes bounces between the sharp post-bop of her composition "Catch Your Breath," and the moody, Lisztian, almost Baroque figures of her interpretation of Sammy Cahn's "I Should Care."

In Poryes, still waters run deep. While she does not clear room swinging her elbows, Poryes does carefully command her band's direction. On the Rodgers and Hart "My Heart Stood Still" she rhythmically mixes things up before stretching into a swinging rhythm behind saxophonist Bruce Williamson and then stretching further into her own romping solo. She brightly updates Sonny Clark's "Melody for C" and takes on the near-modern with the Beatles' "Here, There & Everywhere," turning it into a waltzing ballad.

This is incredibly refined lounge music and that is no bad thing. Poryes plays to challenge and compel, but never forgets to entertain. She closes the disc with her original "Lake Dream," a drowsy atonal reverie that extends from Monk to saxophonist Steve Lacy and beyond.

San Francisco Bay-area pianist Debbie Poryes' approach to arranging involves sophistication with warmth and open-ended possibilities. As a result, Amercan songbook gems like "I've Got the Sun in the Morning" and "My Heart Stood Still" sound fresh and invigorating, coupled nicely alongside the pianist's original compositions.

Poryes' compositions—the title track, "Prayer for a Child," "Willie's Waltz" and "Lake Dream"—contain focused melodies and lush harmonic progressions, rife for elaborate improvised excursions. "Prayer for a Child" stands out among the intricacies of the disc's nine tracks with its gospel feel and soulful backbeat. Here, New York-based saxophonist Bruce Williamson embraces the tune's harmonic simplicity with an emotive vocal quality.

The majority of the soloing comes from Poryes and Williamson, both adaptive performers who swing their lines with confidence. Poryes' longtime collaborators, bassist Bill Douglass and drummer David Rokeach, add rhythmic intensity, exercising taste and discretion. Douglass is allowed a brief moment in the spotlight with a strong reading of the melody to The Beatles' "Here, There & Everywhere."

Catch Your Breath is as much a showcase for Poryes' composing and arranging skills as it is for her piano playing. With the right combination of sidemen, the pianist's musical vision is realized throughout this satisfying quartet release.

A major problem for a Jazz disc-jockey is programming a show of consistently "high-quality" music. Music that swings, is creative, and played by musicians who know and interpret the chord changes accurately, is rare. New recordings are received daily at a radio station, so auditioning all of the material, thoroughly, is sometimes an impossibility. However, there are the few recordings and recording artists that make the task of choosing music to program an effortless act of joy. Debbie Poryes is one such painist and artist. Her new recording "A song in Jazz" on Jazz School Records, is one such recording. It is a flawless interpretation of Jazz standards combined with songs from the 'Great American Songbook'. Songs by Richard Rodgers, Ray Noble, Jules Styne and Thelonious Monk highlight the session. There is also an excellent interpretation of "Sweet and Lovely" ( a song that Thelonious Monk thought enough of to record and include in his repertoire)... Debbie Poryes has influences in her playing, but she doesn't mimic them. Her affinity with Bill Evans is obvious yet subtle. She also listens to Tommy Flanagan and Sonny Clark. However, Debbie Poryes is Debbie Poryes! On "A song in Jazz" , she is accompanied by Bassist Bill Douglass and drummer Dave Rokeach. The trio observes the dynamics of swinging without excessive volume. This recording is a rarity because ALL of the cuts are excellent. With CD's (which require much more material to assemble) this is unheard of. Most instrumental 'vinyl' recordings have just two or three cuts that are air-worthy. But, with 80 minutes to fill on a CD, it's almost impossible to have every cut a gem. Poryes has done so. "A Song in Jazz" is a 'must have' for those who love improvisational music interpreted with harmonic and melodic beauty using subtle dynamics.

West Coast Jazz Trio Plays It Right on New CD
Debbie Poryes Trio Local jazz hero Debbie Poryes' new release, A Song in Jazz, doesn't break new ground as much as remind us why we keep treading here in the first place. She's a remarkable example of how far a piano trio can go: her impressionistic introductions on jazz standards like "Alone Together" and "The Sweet and Lovely" conjure Debussy, and when she swings she can sound like Bill Evans with a bit more muscle. On the CD she's helped by bassist Bill Douglass, a regular with no less a piano trio authority than Marian McPartland, and former Ray Charles drummer David Rokeach, both of whom will join her for this special afternoon show. It isn't often we get to hear the real thing in action at such a high level, so mark your calendars for Sunday, Feb. 10, when Poryes performs at Berkeley Jazzschool at 4:30 p.m. Admission is $15; call 510-845-5373 or visit www.jazzschool.com for more info. — Ezra Gale

It is sometimes startling to hear a great talent that for whatever reasons, seems to have labored in obscurity. I'm sure that in Debbie Poryes' case, her private students and students at the Berkeley Jazzschool can attest to her abilities, but for the rest of us, hearing a wonderful release like "A Song in Jazz" is a welcome introduction indeed.

Opening up with a great version of Richard Roger's "A Wonderful Guy," Poryes immediately brings out visions of Bill Evans' trio work. Poryes' playing is confident, yet playful, thoughtful, but full of life. Her in-tune backing musicians, Bill Douglas on bass and David Rokeach on drums, help with their strong and sensitive support and solos.

Two tunes by the under-appreciated Ray Noble follow, along with a version of "Sweet and Lovely" and Monk's "Pannonica." Poryes adds a deft original, "So It Seemed" and ends the album with a surprising cover of Jules Styne's "People" that transcends the original. Throughout, Poryes exhibits exceptional command and luminous creativity and originality in her approach to this material.

Perhaps worth buying alone for the delicious, feathery take on "The Very Thought of You," or the incredible 10:50-long "People" reconstruction, all of the cuts have copious strengths and I would highly recommend this release, especially to fans of piano trio jazz.

It may have taken the San Francisco-based Poryes a few years to record an album for U.S. release (there is apparently a Dutch one from several years ago), but it is certainly well worth the wait. Mature and engaging arrangements of somewhat unusual standard choices, combined with stellar playing lead to a highly satisfying release. One can hope we hear more from this pianist and her trio, as she certainly seems more than ready for the spotlight.

The notes ring out, and then they're gone, vibrations waning away to silence. Pianist Debbie Poryes—who has taught at the Berkeley Jazzschool in Northern California since 2000; who taught in The Netherlands for the better part of the 1980s; who worked her first regular gig playing five nights a week, from five until midnight, for a year at Martino's restaurant in Berkeley—has surely played a million notes; very few of them recorded for posterity, sadly.

A Song in Jazz isn't Poryes' debut—there was a set recorded for Timeless Records during her “Dutch” years—but it is her first recording in a long while, and it is a stellar outing that introduces a piano trio that plays with an interactive verve and elegance, bringing Bill Evans and Tommy Flanagan to mind for comparison's sake. A mostly standards set, A Song in Jazz opens with Richard Rodgers' “A Wonderful Guy.” Poryes treats the pretty melody with a lilting grace, with bassist Bill Douglas and drummer David Rokeach adding light buoyancy—a gorgeous tune in these hands. The pianist picks a couple of Ray Noble's compositions next: “I Hadn't Anyone Till You” and “The Very Thought of You,” bright and extroverted on the former, pensive and inward on the latter, with Poryes getting deep inside these classic melodies, then stretching it a bit outside them on her creative soloing.

The Dietz/Schwartz gem, “Alone Together” opens in a dark, churning mode, a propulsive tumult, the trio cooking with an edgy reverence.

Poryes and company also cover a couple of Monk's favorite tunes, “Sweet and Lovely” and “Pannonica,” with Poryes going solo here to explore the Thelonious-onian quirks and angles in fine fashion.

Poryes includes a tune of her own, “So It Seemed,” a strong melody that fits well with the rest of the set; and she surprises with the closer, Jules Styne's “People,” Barbra Streisand's signature piece. “People” is, of course, a familiar tune, one that no singer (but Streisand) should try to tackle—the same hands off approach that applies to Sinatra and “New York, New York” or Dione Warwick and “Alfie.” But it's that familiarity fitting into an elastic treatment by a first rate and interactive piano trio, with a highly vibrant keyboardist—same thing with “Alfie” on Brad Mehldau's Day is Done (Nonesuch Records, 2005)—that makes the tune such a knockout listening experience: a beautiful introspective closer to an excellent set.

"Just listening to Debbie play makes me so inspired that I play better. It's rare to find jazz playing that's so completely honest (never any pyrotechnics just for their own sake), intelligent (every line and every note have meaning), and swinging.

DEBBIE PORYES
The exceptionally expressive pianist/composer, prominent on the Bay Area scene, offers several beautifully sophisticated numbers on her Web site. Poryes' soft, sweet, subtly swinging trio rendition of "The Very Thought of You" is the perfect accompaniment to cocktails and candlelight. Her album "A Song in Jazz" achieved critics' praise, as well as chart success. A faculty member at Berkeley Jazzschool, Poryes will present a concert at the venue on Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m

The release of Debbie Poryes' A Song In Jazz is quite an impressive one for the California pianist. In listening to these tunes mostly from the Great American Songbook, namely the opening showtune, “A Wonderful Guy” from the Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific and the last track, the vastly popular hit “People” from Jule Styne's Funny Girl , one can't help wonder just how the Bill Evans Trio might have handled these compositions. Notice that I said the Evans trio, not just the legendary pianist himself inasmuch as both of these tracks are performed by a totally intuitive, interactive trio in the same manner as Evans/LaFaro/Motian.

Debbie Poryes' partners in music are the veteran bassist, Bill Douglass, whose playing dates back to Marian McPartland and Mose Allison and drummer David Rokeach, who hails from the Ray Charles organization as well as the Broadway production of Jersey Boys. While Poryes herself shows a lot of lyricism evident in her playing, her influences could easily have been other modal players like the early period Herbie Hancock or Fred Hersch. When she begins “A Wonderful Guy” with a tentative melody, Douglass enters into a empathetic duet with her before the full trio brings the composition into a bright and midtempo presentation. On “People,” a lengthy (almost eleven minutes) examination of the tune takes it from pure ballad to a driven and optimistic ending. Listen to Rokeach's coloration and use of brushes towards the end of this number.

The album offers up some sturdy examples of the classic age of popular songs with the exception of Monk's “Pannonica” which is a piano solo that allows Poryes to embellish the music of the Jazz Master without detracting from it. There is also an original tune, “So It Seems” that fits nicely between “Pannonica” and the Gus Arnheim standard “Sweet and Lovely” with an attractive melody line.

Poryes has been a faculty member of the Berkeley Jazzschool since 2000 and preceding that had a lot of playing time in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Poryes spent most of the 1980s in The Netherlands working as a jazz educator for two Dutch Institutions as well as playing in such clubs as The Bimhaus and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam so it is a bit disappointing that she only has a singular release from the Dutch Timeless label for her efforts. This stunning album should rectify all of that!

Debbie Poryes was classically trained but would soon find a love of jazz that would take over her life. She would not only work in numerous bands and projects, but would end up teaching students on how to play the piano. Her love of jazz and admiration of classical composition would become very helpful, just as it would for thousands of other jazz musicians throughout history. Her knowledge and love of the instrument would eventually lead her into a studio to record an album with her trio, called A Song In Jazz (JazzSchool).

There's a lot of piano jazz out there, and sometimes one might get lost in either all of the other great musicians that are out there, or all of the bad ones. Poryes is very much the former, and one can sense some of the influences which made her into the player she is today. She has a great love for space, which allows the members of her trio Dave Rokeach on drums and Bill Douglass on bass) to be heard in between her playing. When she picks it up, she commands the song and steers it her way as the trio make sure the ride isn't bumpy. Her music is pleasant and powerful at the same time, one can almost imagine what people such as Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, or Thelonious Monk would say. There's something carefree playing, or maybe it's confidence, and it's quite nice to hear, especially in songs such as "Sweet And Lovely", "Pannonica", and "I Hadn't Anyone Tell You". You could almost allow this CD to to into automatic, but one wants to catch every move she makes throughout each song. She's really good and I can picture a time when musicians will claim her as a major influence.

A jazz educator by profession, Debbie Poryes is also a musician active in the San Francisco Bay Area who performs with her trio at various area venues. Playing with bassist Bill Douglass and drummer David Rokeach, this piano trio offers modern arrangements of a selection of classic standards making for one very warm session of jazz. “A Song in Jazz” is an album that is designed to appeal to ones softer side.

The repertoire includes a beautiful rendition of the Richard Rodgers standard “A Wonderful Guy,” that serves as the opening track. Poryes plays like a virtuoso on a couple of Ray Nobel charts (“I Hadn’t Anyone Till You,” and “The Very Thought of You”). She does however contribute one original composition with the very lovely “So It Seemed.”

The album rounds out with a stylish arrangement of Thelonius Monk’s “Pannonica,” and the ten-minute plus version of Jules Styne’s immortal classic “People” which would I’m sure, garnish praise from Barbra Streisand herself.

Pop the cork on that bottle of wine and settle down for some beautiful music that’s perfect for the mood. A terrific set of light and gentle jazzy music from a phenomenal pianist and trio. “A Song in Jazz’ is highly recommended for those special occasions that touch us all.

This CD has stellar musicianship and imaginative styling of great standards and original compositions. First rate!

Debbie Poryes Trio, A Song In Jazz (2007)
Poryes is a longtime jazz teacher and pianist who hasn't recorded much, but certainly could have: her warm tone, confident touch and unhurried West Coast sensibility put me in mind of Vince Guaraldi. Most of the songs are from the 50s and earlier (Rogers and Hammerstein's "A Wonderful Guy")... her interpretations are light and fresh ("Alone Together"). Poryes's solo reworking of Monk's "Pannonica" is an inventive treat: it's usually hard to put yourself into one of his tunes because there's already so much Monk in there. The one original ("So It Seemed")... fits the genial mood perfectly. Bassist Bill Douglass and drummer David Rokeach get on board, adding intriguing accents ("I Hadn't Anyone Till You") without ever overwhelming the easygoing vibe. (DBW)