Reviews & Press Coverage

Reviewed by Don Grigware for Broadway World | May 7, 2019

Singer Tiffany Bailey Releases JAZZ WITH POP

Many singing artists honor their family with a CD project, but few genuinely enthuse an audience like Tiffany Bailey has just accomplished with her Jazz with Pop. Combining her intrinsic singing talents with that of her father Alan "Buddy" Bailey, a glorious jazz trumpeteer, Jazz with Pop a lovely laid back album including songs from the worlds of jazz, pop and beyond with fresh upbeat arrangements, making old songs totally new again. Bailey premiered her CD at Upstairs at Vitello's recently to a packed house who reveled in not only the music but in the gifted Bailey's bright unending charm and personality. When I interviewed her in March, I knew from her passionate sense of commitment to this CD that it was to be something quite special.

Bailey grew up loving music with a vengeance and credits her dad for introducing her to the world of jazz. On the album we are treated to fun and bouncy takes on "It Don't Mean a Thing", "Side by Side", "42nd Street" as well as songs Tiffany loves personally like "Hopelessly Devoted to You", "Just the Two of Us" and "True Colors", dedicated to her mom. Of course, the duet on "Side by Side" is a gem, as well as her sincere delivery on the beautiful torch song "You Don't Know What Love Is". Her meaningfully slow rendition of "Hopelessly Devoted to You" stands out as she really makes us listen to the lyrics. Then there'a a really terrific arrangement on the always pleasingly rousing "42nd. Street". Jay Graydon and Alan Paul's "Twilight Tone" opens the album with aplomb ... and with great significance for the father/daughter relationship. As a little girl, Tiffany and her father used to make up Twilight Zone skits and perform them at home. Jordan Peele, take note with the new upcoming Twilight Zone show!

Tiffany Bailey loves what she does. You can hear this in her smooth, gentle performance of every song. She never pushes, but sings out strong and warmly, straight from the heart. Her style lends itself well to just about every type of music, so I would love for her to experiment with a humorous song or two on her next album, which I am sure will follow soon. I laud a superior attempt to bring new generations in contact with this great ageless music. Jazz is an art form that should be appreciated for all eternity.

Dori Amarilio is credited as producer, arranger and director. He is certainly to be lauded for bringing all the standards to a vibrantly appealing level. Audiences will be delighted.

The CD is available digitally for purchase on cdbaby and on itunes.

Reviewed by Elliot Zwiebach for Cabaret Scenes Magazine

Jazz with Pop Upstairs at Vitello’s, Studio City, CA, April 17, 2019

For Tiffany Bailey, her latest cabaret show was a joyous celebration of family—most notably her father, veteran trumpet player Alan “Buddy” Bailey, who shared the stage with her. The father-daughter bond was palpable; her eyes glowed with pride as she sang with her dad and exchanged patter that several times made her express thanks she had worn waterproof mascara.

Noting their mutual appreciation for Chet Baker, Bailey and Bailey performed “Line for Lyons” (Gerry Mulligan), with dad adding a powerful trumpet solo—and a bit of gentle, effortless singing—to his daughter’s soft, sweet lyric line. They also collaborated on “Just the Two of Us” (Bill Withers/Ralph MacDonald/William Silver), with her relaxed vocal and his smooth instrumentals; and they combined on a sweet, adorable duet of “Side by Side” (Harry M. Woods).

Bailey left the stage briefly to allow her father to hold the spotlight with an enthusiastic Latin-tinged “Look for the Silver Lining” (Jerome Kern/Buddy G. DeSilva), which also featured effective solos by Dori Amarilio (the show’s musical director) on guitar, guest pianist Bradley Young, Gabe Davis on bass, Hussain Jiffry setting aside his electric bass for a tambourine, and Kevin Winard on drums. 

With Bill Cantos, the show’s primary pianist, back on the bench, Bailey paid tribute to her mother in the audience with a soft, heartfelt “True Colors” (Billy Steinberg/Tom Kelly), featuring Amarilio on guitar, and she saluted her husband—with accompaniment by guest pianist Dave Moscoe—with a sweet, slowed-tempo “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (John Farrar). She also thanked her brother for coming up with the double-meaning title of the show, Jazz with Pop—also the name of her first CD, which came out the night of the show.

According to Bailey, she grew up listening to popular music while not quite understanding her father’s preference for jazz.  Over the years, however, she has evolved into a jazz singer in her own right, and this show gave her the chance, she said, to approach some of her pop favorites in a jazz mode, as well as the chance to perform with her pop.

The songs included “Genie in a Bottle” (David Frank/Steve Kipner/Pamela Shayne) and swinging versions of “If I Were a Bell” (Frank Loesser) and “42nd Street” (Harry Warren/Al Dubin). She opened with “Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone” (Jay Graydon/Alan Paul), which she said established the boundaries of where her musical interest lies.

Bailey also brought pianist Todd Hunter on stage to play his arrangement of “You Don’t Know What Love Is” (Gene DePaul/Don Raye), which she sang gently and plaintively, with beautifully sustained notes. With Cantos back on piano, she performed an inspired “No More Blues” (Antonio Carlos Jobim) in a confident, powerful up-tempo style, ending with a brief coda of Jobim’s “Waters of March” that featured rapid-fire lyric delivery “that was Dori’s cool idea,” she explained.

Martini in the Morning Interview with Brad Chambers |4.17.19

BWW Interview: Singer Tiffany Bailey Presents JAZZ with POP

Singer Tiffany Bailey took time out of a busy rehearsal schedule to talk about her concert at Upstairs at Vitello's on April 17, the release party for her first cd Jazz with Pop.

How long have you been singing professionally?

For 4 years, but I've been singing my whole life...lots of pop music. I was really into Whitney Houston and Pat Benatar. Cyndi Lauper...actually, a lot of all kinds of music. ..Depeche Mode, The Cure was really kind of my bag.

Your dad is a fine jazz musician, correct?

Alan "Buddy" Bailey plays the jazz trumpet and flugelhorn. He started playing as a young child. His parents were cool about him being a musician. His mom, my grandmother, was very much into music. Growing up, my dad and I worked on so much music together, from the time I was 3 years old. We would sing and play, tell creative stories, we would do video skits. My dad was into horror movies. (laughs) "Twilight Zone" episodes, horror flicks and we would make our own skits. Music is where we definitely connected.

Tell us about your dad's background.

He played in the navy. In the mid 60s when Richard Glasser and Jerry Wilson and my dad did a tour of the orient, all the army and navy bases, they played their instruments and sang as The Soundmen. In the 70s and 80s they played as The Soundmen all over L.A. They used to play on the Princess Louise Ship that was docked. They played at all kinds of venues and clubs all over Los Angeles.

Some of those times in the navy must have been rough.

It was not the best of times. We grew up in a Jewish family. There is such a high level of worry in the culture itself. Worry is like misuse of the imagination. We have gold medals in worrying; it's like a sport. That inhibits happiness. My dad is a worrier. Interestingly enough, he had a surgery induced stroke a couple of years ago form a heart valve surgery. It changes things in you. He had to basically rehabilitate himself. Now, he's so much more relaxed. Our music collaboration is so much more put together, a wonderful experience. He tends to get a little bit in his head but is still a fantastic musician. He is back to doing what he loves to do.

What assets do you possess that come directly from your dad's influence?

I used to find jazz intimidating, because of the scatting. I avoided it for a very long time. I did pop and some musical theatre. My dad introduced me to the Manhattan Transfer, Chet Baker, Dianne Schuur and the Carpenters. I loved Karen Carpenter so much I tried to mimic her.

What was your first introduction to musical theatre?

My grandma took me to my first musical, 42nd Street. OMG, it blew my mind. I was maybe 11 or 12. We also saw Cats. We would listen to the records of both shows, and I would sing "Memory" and the title song from 42nd Street. Later I saw Wicked twice. I love "Defying Gravity". I started to lean toward musical theatre, but I had such strong alternative influences. 

In high school I was in a show choir. We wore sequin dresses and did jazz standards. My parents were so supportive. I gained self-confidence from wanting to fit in. I continued with pop music. I would do Whitney Houston and people would ask me if I was lip-syncing. What a shocking experience! You hear good things about your singing, but something inside yourself has to blossom. My father and I didn't talk a lot, but we did creative things. Now I'm mending my relationship with him. With this cd, he tells me that it's not about him, but about me. It opens up a whole giant avenue and offers me new choices. I get to know who I am and what I love. Getting to collaborate is just incredible.

How is the cd progressing?

We have one song left to record. Jazz with Pop is my love of jazz and pop music. And of course Pop is my trumpet dad. It started out originally as a tribute to Chet Baker. There are other avenues that I want to explore that make me happy. We're looking back historically at what I love. We do Earth Wind and Fire "Don't Worry About a Thing". Manhattan Transfer. "Hopelessly Devoted"..a real myriad of Brazilian, jazz standards, even vaudeville.

Why did you choose Upstairs at Vitello's?

I did my first one-woman show there 2 years ago. Two for the Road. I love the intimacy at Vitello's. It's like being in your living room...and the sound is great.

Who is your favorite composer?

Richard Carpenter. The way that he puts the songs together...I feel the simplicity, the kindness of the words, you remember what they're saying...and they are singable. It brings a level of joy. I also love Gershwin and Vince Guaraldi who wrote Peanut's theme for Charlie Brown.

A favorite song?

"A Song For You" by Leonard Cohen. The intensity of what it's saying is so prolific. If someone else wrote the words, I find my own heart in them. Also, Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All". I can take words that I relate to, that I would say.

In conclusion. What do you want to be remembered for as a singer?

She had a good heart. She loved and cared about people. Integrity means more than anything to me.