Saturday night was one of triumph for vocalist-songwriter Dara Tucker, a longtime Nashville favorite who relocated to New York City a few months before the pandemic hit. The occasion was the official release party for her celebrated new album Dreams of Waking: Music for a Better World. Over two sets before a full house at Rudy's Jazz Room — a venue undaunted despite taking on two feet of floodwater the previous weekend — she repeatedly demonstrated the stage presence, technical prowess and dynamic personality that won her multiple Nashville Independent Music Awards as Music City's top jazz vocalist.
Even though Tucker told the crowd it was “[her] first time before a live audience in many months,” neither she nor the top-notch band — which included pianist Matt Endahl, bassist Greg Bryant, who’s also Tucker’s husband, and drummer Derrek Phillips — showed any signs of nervousness or rust. She opened the first set with a glorious version of Donny Hathaway's “Someday We'll All Be Free.” It set the stage for the evening's primary mode of putting improvisational touches and flourishes on pop and rock standards, with an occasional original composition included. One standout among the originals was the moving “All I See Is Love,” which appears on Tucker's LP Oklahoma Rain. But many of the choices reflected her desire to make music that was equal parts joyous and prophetic or instructional.
The set ranged from an emphatic version of “Dreams of Waking” to a demonstrative rendition of Stevie Wonder's scathing “You Haven't Done Nothin',” a pair of James Taylor numbers — even the Hoagy Carmichael postwar vocal standard “The Nearness of You.” Tucker also welcomed onstage Jason Eskridge, whose powerful treatment of Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On” was another highlight of the evening.
While the occasion was focused on the vocal performances, the backing band got ample room to shine as well — particularly pianist Endahl, who got most of the solo space. He made versatility look easy, whether the tunes called for harmonic flourishes, rhythmic fervor or simply melodic exposition. The duo of Bryant and Phillips was splendid as well. Each got some solo time near the end of the second set, but they focused mainly on ably handling their role supporting Tucker on her various journeys, or working off of and supporting Endahl's solo statements and answering phrases.
The two sets seemed to fly by, and the house no doubt would have gladly stayed for a third. It was a reminder that no matter how great any album sounds, there's no substitute for hearing those numbers in person. Here's hoping that shifts in the pandemic won't force us to give up club shows again in the weeks to come.
