Dirty Jazz

Bernadette Seacrest and her Yesmen–No More Music By The Suckers…AND…Devil Doll–Queen of Pain I am having to write this for the BullFrog. Once he heard these two CDs, he got so excited that his little typing flipper thingies got all tangled up and he had to retire to the swamp to eat some tranquilizing flies. So picture Diana Krall or Nora Jones with tattoos or wearing a rubber dress? In your dreams, buster! Well, maybe your nightmares. When we think of “girl” Jazz singers, we imagine a sophisticated lady, clad in something close and silvery, whispering into a microphone as she tickles our eardrums with sultry lovesongs. Generally stuff about love lost or found, white fences or houses on the hill. The nastiest song I can remember is, “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” (and we know what that means).

In a refreshing change, this is dirty, nasty, cigarette-smoky, bad whiskey, low down men and faithless women Jazz. This is Jazz for the 00’s!

Both of these CDs work on many levels. They are well produced with lots of instrumentation that feels tight and well integrated. Both CDs make good use of the nasty side of the saxophone; that rattling vibrato as opposed to the smooth clear tones you usually hear.

The arrangements are by turns, sultry, slinky, rude, tooth rattling and swivel-hipped. I felt as though I was being hugged by the instruments at the same time as I was being hit over the head by the lyrics. Sort of like having a boa constrictor snuggled up to you as you are being assaulted by a troop of coconut wielding chimps.

Both of these women cultivate the look and feel of the 1940’s femme fatale…the film noir genre: double-double cross, lying cheating and conflicted emotions. They’re not your average Becky Sue next door, you approach them at your own peril. Keep in mind the Praying Mantis who devours her mate after sex; if you manage to get away with your life and sanity intact, consider yourself lucky. They are trying to be good, they may even like you, but bad is just what they are.

Seacrest sticks to a lot of the Jazz standards, but stays away from the saccharine stylings of most singers’ efforts. She has a nice, clean voice that has an edge with an edge so sharp, you wouldn’t even know it had cut you.

Devil Doll is the same, but different. I don’t recognize a lot of the songs. Doll’s background is in Punk and it shows. While not as incoherent as Punk, the attitude is very much in your face. Love is something she takes from someone, it’s not a gift. Her lover has Bourbon in his eyes. She wants to kiss you and then punch you in the face. My kind of woman!

You won’t see either of these women playing in Carnegie Hall ’cause they don’t take prisoners and they probably don’t shave their pits. If you have a chance, see them in concert or better yet, buy their CDs ( www.bernadetteseacrest.com and www.devil-doll.com).

And pssst. Please don’t tell them we sent you.