Vancouver based jazz trio, The Andrea Superstein trio, featuring pianist Jen Lewin and drummer Nino DiPasquale backing vocalist Superstein, put on a super show at the Geomatic Attic, March 16.
They had set up the room as a jazz club with the patrons sitting around round tables, noshing on treats from Plum. It was a beautiful atmosphere for a laid back show that was a lot more than traditional jazz.
The Montreal born Superstein sang superb, sultry vocals, opening up the first set with a reworked jazz/ lounge version of Bananarama’s ’80s pop hit “Venus.”
Most of the first set included tracks from her eclectic new CD “What Goes on” including originals and rearranged jazz, R and B and pop hits, plus a few excellent new originals.
She followed “Venus” by reworking a Carole King penned, 1960 Shirelles hit “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.”
Jen Lewin played gorgeous piano, drawing applause from the appreciative audience, as Superstein stood back, sipped a bottle of water and watched Lewin’s fingers fly.
Drummer Nino Di Pasquale soloed as well which also drew applause.
Superstein chatted about the origins of each song, as she spoke about looking at Cole Porter’s “I Love Paris” from the opposite point of view by way of introducing her beautifully melancholy arrangement of the jazz standard.
She followed it up with the first original of the night, a brand new song “I Tried” about trying to be someone she was not for her partner.
“It didn’t work out well for me, but I can slander him in the song,” she chuckled.
She emphasized this was not a jazz show in the traditional sense as she talked about growing up in a house which only listened to talk radio, before looking to her parents for musical inspiration and eventually finding a box of 8-Track tapes which included James Taylor, Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan. Which lead to Superstein performing a very cool, laid back version of Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”
She talked about balancing being a touring musician and high school teacher and played a song “Garden of Love” which she wrote when she was supposed to be supervising final exams.
They wound up their first set with “I Want to Be Evil,” another original from her CD, and got the audience to sing along with the chorus.
