"Touch & Go is A superb record from a singer, composer, lyricist, and arranger who deserves a wider audience. Tobocman's originals are especially notable."
Mark Stryker, Jazz From Detroit
Mark Stryker, Jazz From Detroit
"A refreshing multi-faceted journey into Tobocman's expansive artistry. She seamlessly weaves thoughtful poetic lyrics and compelling melodies... her originals not only stand confidently among legendary tunes but also make you wonder if these were just old obscurities that we somehow missed. A high end set showcasing her sultriness, wit, and breezy interaction with a batch of top-flight NYC musicians."
Jonathan Widran, the JW Vibe
Jonathan Widran, the JW Vibe
"Susan's lively performances shimmer with personality... she melds her experiences seamlessly into something listeners can relate to intimately."
Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
"A real delight... She's got the right sass and insouciance to sell the songbook songs and make her originals have the right shine. A thoroughly tasty jazz vocal set that's totally hard to resist."
Chris Spector, Midwest Record
Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"Susan Tobocman doesn’t just sing the old songs; she’s penned a couple of modern-day love paeans herself. And if she gets any busier - Tobocman brings them in at three different steady venues each week - she’s not going to have time to make that long-overdue second album. The first is called Watercolor Dream."
K. Leander Williams, Time Out New York
K. Leander Williams, Time Out New York
"We released Susan Tobocman's Watercolor Dream this past July. The sales have been excellent because of her outstanding singing skills, and with virtually no publicity. Because of this we decided to also release her live album "Live In Detroit With The Cliff Monear Trio" so listeners could hear her ability directly. Her first recording on the DISK UNION label was Jazz Bar 2012, which our producer Mr. Terashima was so impressed by that he immediately signed her to our record label."
Disk Union, Tokyo
Disk Union, Tokyo
"What can I say about Susan. She both performed and produced my tunes to an incredibly high level. Her musicianship is impeccable. As a producer she found top-flight musicians and a great studio and used her time wisely. I gave her a lot of freedom in interpreting my tunes and she did a fantastic job with her arrangements. If you have ever heard Susan sing you don't need me telling you how incredible she is. She delivered the goods on my album. If you need a great producer and/or great performer you can't do better than Susan Tobocman."
Dr. Scott Sheperd, Composer
Dr. Scott Sheperd, Composer
"susan sings with a warm, smooth delivery, and a genuine feeling for the music. Really soulful...very swingin'."
Mark Murphy, Vocalist
Mark Murphy, Vocalist
"'Brilliant' is the word for Susan Tobocman. I am just astounded at Susan's brilliant musicianship. Susan's writing is so musical it's just outrageous...the detail in harmony that she is able to put in there...there are tunes and there are deep tunes and there are really deep tunes. This ('Leaves of Absence') is a really deep song."
Cliff Monear, Pianist
Cliff Monear, Pianist
"Susan Tobocman is a musical treasure. Susan is such a magnificent vocalist, composer and all-around fantastic musician. She delivers every song with grace, style and flair. Her wonderful original compositions are deep, thoughtful, and meaningful, with soulful lyrics that touch the heart, melodies that linger in your ear, and advanced harmonies that tease your imagination. I love her jazz sensibilities. Susan thinks fast on her feet: She listens, she cares and she reacts! And the results are amazing jazz performances. Susan is engaged and empathetic with her musicians; she is influenced by their contributions making each performance a personal family affair. What an honor to be on the same stage. Musicians and audiences dig Susan Tobocman!"
Paul Keller, Bassist
Paul Keller, Bassist
"Susan Tobocman is a talented vocalist, songwriter and performer. A gifted communicator through music, Susan's delightful personality shines through her sensitive phrasing, clever lyrics and keen musicality. Hers is a deeply personal lyric delivery that enhances her performance and connects with her audience. Susan is also an effective teacher of jazz singing. She cares deeply about her students and about the music."
April Tini, Vocal Educator and Solo Artist
April Tini, Vocal Educator and Solo Artist
"Tobocman sings each tune as if it were her own, with elegant phrasing, a lot of feeling, and a beautifully rich tone. She somehow captures just the right mood of every song."
Abendzeitung, Munich
Abendzeitung, Munich
"Her interpretation of 'My Foolish Heart' is the best I've ever heard."
Marcus Belgrave, Trumpeter
Marcus Belgrave, Trumpeter
"An exquisite performance and beautiful interpretation of this music."
Matt Michaels, Pianist
Matt Michaels, Pianist
"Sets include a wonderful mix of standards, as well as Susan's own sophisticated compositions. Any audience is sure to leave wanting more."
Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
"touch & go, the newest release by Susan Tobocman, is a showcase for the admired vocalist's considerable talents as a composer, lyricist, and arranger. The album is a collection of Tobocman's original compositions, well-known standards, and tunes off-the-beaten track. This is Tobocman's fourth CD as a leader.
With her warm and flexible voice and unique interpretation of songs, Tobocman has been making a name for herself for the last 20 years with audiences and musicians alike on both the NYC and detroit jazz scenes, performing and collaborating with some of the top jazz musicians around.
Touch & Go is not the typical release for a jazz singer. Five of the album's 12 tunes were written by Tobocman. Highlighting her flair for composing, she includes two instrumental numbers, including 'Leaves of Absense,' which has a straight-8th latin feel, and the uptempo title track, 'Touch & Go.'
A multi-faceted artist, Tobocman is also a superb arranger who turns well-known songs into personal statements. Touch & Go is the manifestation of Susan Tobocman's endlessly creative mind and talents."
Alan Wexler, mouthpiece Music
With her warm and flexible voice and unique interpretation of songs, Tobocman has been making a name for herself for the last 20 years with audiences and musicians alike on both the NYC and detroit jazz scenes, performing and collaborating with some of the top jazz musicians around.
Touch & Go is not the typical release for a jazz singer. Five of the album's 12 tunes were written by Tobocman. Highlighting her flair for composing, she includes two instrumental numbers, including 'Leaves of Absense,' which has a straight-8th latin feel, and the uptempo title track, 'Touch & Go.'
A multi-faceted artist, Tobocman is also a superb arranger who turns well-known songs into personal statements. Touch & Go is the manifestation of Susan Tobocman's endlessly creative mind and talents."
Alan Wexler, mouthpiece Music
"Although it may come as a surprise that Watercolor Dream is Susan Tobocman's very first composition, it aptly proves an emblematic title for her first American CD. This Detroit-born, New York City-based singer (as well as nationally awarded poet) only recently turned her creativity toward writing and arranging, and her rapid development as a musician is clearly evident; Susan has also been the recipient of the ASCAP Composer Grant for the past several years. While all of this information is well and good, listening to this intimate recording will prove to be infinitely more revealing.
For me, what sets Watercolor Dream apart from other vocalists' records is its musical cohesiveness - a direct result of her subtle presence throughout. Due to her textural and harmonic choices, as well as the emotional depth in her warm alto voice, each tune conveys a mood that is unique and palpable. With the fine support of exquisite players, Susan's imagination and personal stamp emerge. Case-in-point is the lush and stormy 'Besame Mucho,' where darkly moving harmonies combine with a penetrating ensemble performance, and a vocal delivery that is filled with both hope and regret. Another example is the unexpected 'Close To You,' an impressively inventive and hard-swinging interpretation of the former pop song. Of the originals, my favorite has to be 'I Never Meant To Dream Of You,' which to my ear is an instant classic, with a succinctly expressive lyric and timeless melody, although mention must be made of 'I Don't Think Of Him Anymore' for its haunting imagery and depth of feeling.
Something you'll notice immediately is the supple playing by this superlative group of New York jazz musicians. Trumpeter Jim Rotondi, a recording artist on the Criss Cross label and sideman of Curtis Fuller and Lionel Hampton, not only contributes a number of spirited solos to the album but also co-wrote several of the arrangements. Labelmate Steve Davis, who works with both Jackie MacLean and Chick Corea, plays some incredible trombone and wrote the beautifully textured horn parts. Slovenia-born pianist Peter Mihelich artfully provides a foundation for the ensemble's sound with his chordal choices and rhythmic punctuations. The late guitarist Dan Converse, a Jack McDuff alumnus, generously lends warmth and color to the arrangements. Bassist Paul Gill, a veteran of John Hendricks as well as bandmate of Diana Krall, together with George Coleman-drummer Mark Taylor, complete a rhythm section that alternately cooks and simmers with soulful electricity. And finally, Brazilian percussionist Mila Schiavo is a presence that is both supportive and evocative.
While the contribution of each band member cannot be over-emphasized, what comes forward most on this special recording is Susan's own musical vision - a wink at tradition, but with reverence for the modern. I was captivated by Watercolor Dream, and look forward to more from this new and original voice."
James Tabb, West Coast Jazz Sentinel
For me, what sets Watercolor Dream apart from other vocalists' records is its musical cohesiveness - a direct result of her subtle presence throughout. Due to her textural and harmonic choices, as well as the emotional depth in her warm alto voice, each tune conveys a mood that is unique and palpable. With the fine support of exquisite players, Susan's imagination and personal stamp emerge. Case-in-point is the lush and stormy 'Besame Mucho,' where darkly moving harmonies combine with a penetrating ensemble performance, and a vocal delivery that is filled with both hope and regret. Another example is the unexpected 'Close To You,' an impressively inventive and hard-swinging interpretation of the former pop song. Of the originals, my favorite has to be 'I Never Meant To Dream Of You,' which to my ear is an instant classic, with a succinctly expressive lyric and timeless melody, although mention must be made of 'I Don't Think Of Him Anymore' for its haunting imagery and depth of feeling.
Something you'll notice immediately is the supple playing by this superlative group of New York jazz musicians. Trumpeter Jim Rotondi, a recording artist on the Criss Cross label and sideman of Curtis Fuller and Lionel Hampton, not only contributes a number of spirited solos to the album but also co-wrote several of the arrangements. Labelmate Steve Davis, who works with both Jackie MacLean and Chick Corea, plays some incredible trombone and wrote the beautifully textured horn parts. Slovenia-born pianist Peter Mihelich artfully provides a foundation for the ensemble's sound with his chordal choices and rhythmic punctuations. The late guitarist Dan Converse, a Jack McDuff alumnus, generously lends warmth and color to the arrangements. Bassist Paul Gill, a veteran of John Hendricks as well as bandmate of Diana Krall, together with George Coleman-drummer Mark Taylor, complete a rhythm section that alternately cooks and simmers with soulful electricity. And finally, Brazilian percussionist Mila Schiavo is a presence that is both supportive and evocative.
While the contribution of each band member cannot be over-emphasized, what comes forward most on this special recording is Susan's own musical vision - a wink at tradition, but with reverence for the modern. I was captivated by Watercolor Dream, and look forward to more from this new and original voice."
James Tabb, West Coast Jazz Sentinel