For the love of songs and horns
Best known as a singer-pianist with a voracious appetite for exploring the hidden crannies of the American Popular Songbook since the mid-1970s, Daryl Sherman lately has been developing another side of her musical talent…
By George Kanzler, Hot House
The singer and musician’s performances are particularly special because they work on a number of levels. There is the quality of her distinct, velvety vocal sound and accomplished musicianship, coupled with her knowledge of, and appreciation for, the compositions she carefully chooses to play.
Lisa Martland, Onstage, July 2, 2014
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With her double-whammy talents on vocals and piano she often recalls the work and style of her beloved Blossom Dearie, but I would also put her in line as a direct vocal descendant of the likes of Anita O’Day and Annie Ross. The voice is unlike any other in the way that Dearie’s was soft, smooth and quiet and yet Sherman can also be upbeat, raucous and shot through with tongue-in-cheek humour. Her way with a song is to draw out the essence of the lyric, sentimental or sad, comic or cool, and her choice of programme, reflecting some of the albums she has recorded, demonstrated her talents to a T.
Michael Darvell, Onstage, July 8, 2013
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It’s always amazing when new/first time lyrics that are unearthed. Ms. Sherman never lets one down.
Dan Singer, In Tune International
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Sherman… maintains her trademark blend of girlish charm and winking sophistication, akin to a cozy commingling of Blossom Dearie and Lee Wiley.
Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times
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…Sherman is a vocalist who makes you understand lyrics in a way you might not have done before.
Alison Kerr – Glasgow Herald, July 23, 2012
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Daryl Sherman Mississippi Belle (Audiophile ACD 342) — Your CD was so filled with joy and good music. I loved the way you took the songs I know and made them fresh as a daisy (to quote Cole). And Mississippi Belle is a substantial song in your hands. I would wager that the Porter folks are ecstatic and I am as well. Thanks so much for finding and singing it. There’s still lot’s more to heard from this songbook isn’t there?
Michael Feinstein
Daryl Sherman Mississippi Belle (Audiophile ACD 342) — Thanks for sending the CD. How wonderfully you make each song sound different, giving credit to Porter’s wide range of styles. I loved your duet with Banu and wish you two could have done more. Your “Let’s Do It” is the best I’ve heard, managing to compress that long list into a listenable song format.
“Looking at You” increasingly becomes my favorite Porter song, and your version adds to the pressure. I also love the way you bring off “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” as a solo number. Thanks too for giving those lesser known “party” songs, such the “Oyster,” a hip contemporary rendition.
Will definitely use one of your cuts on the show.
P.S. Joining the verse from “Night and Day” to “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” was brilliant. Take the rest of the day off.
Philip Furia – WHQR 91.3 FM The Great American Song Book
author: Poets Of Tin Pan Alley, Skylark (Life and Times of Johnny Mercer
Daryl Sherman Mississippi Belle (Audiophile ACD 342) — One of the most entertaining of musicians, Daryl Sherman has a fully deserved worldwide reputation as a fine jazz pianist and singer… To her interpretations of all the songs, Daryl brings her unmistakable charm and wit, cloaking everything in her superb musicianship.
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Bruce Crowther, Jazz (mostly)
Daryl Sherman Mississippi Belle: Cole Porter in the Quarter — Having spent 14 years playing Cole Porter’s actual Steinway in the Cocktail Terrace of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria there can be few of today’s songbirds more suited to interpreting the music and lyrics of Cole Porter than Daryl Sherman.
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Lance Liddle, bebop spoken here
Mississippi Belle: Cole Porter in the Quarter — It had to happen sooner or later. After playing on the Cole Porter piano at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City for almost 15 years, DARYL SHERMAN has released an album of songs by the talented gentleman who owned the piano in question. For the recording of Mississippi Belle: Cole Porter in the Quarter (Audiophile – 342), Sherman opted to travel down to New Orleans, engage Jesse Boyd on bass, and Tom Fischer on clarinet and tenor sax, and explore 13 Porter gems. In choosing tunes for her program, she used her imagination, selecting familiar songs, “Let’s Do It,” “Get out of Town,” “Rosalie,” “Looking at You,” “From This Moment On” and “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To;” some that are heard occasionally, “Tale of the Oyster,” “Use Your Imagination,” “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and “Where Have You Been;” a few truly obscure, “Ours” and “By the Mississinewah;” and one never previously recorded, “Mississippi Belle.” An added bonus is the appearance of Banu Gibson, a fine jazz vocalist and New Orleans institution, as a duet partner on “By the Mississinewah.” Sherman’s intimate vocal style, fabulous phrasing and inventive self accompaniment on piano are combined with the fine musicianship of her cohorts to produce an album that would surely have pleased Mr. Porter, and will have a similar effect on his legions of admirers.
Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz, February 2012
What could possibly be more cool, or more sophisticated, than Sunday Jazz Brunch at The Algonquin Hotel with the likes of singer/pianist/entertainer Daryl Sherman and her good friends Boots Maleson on bass and James Chirillo on guitar?
Gregg Culling, Songbirds
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With Mr. Person’s smooth, soaring sax, Ms. Leitham’s rich, refined bass, and Ms. Sherman’s luscious retro sound, combined with a contemporary motif, everyone, including the Trio, had a great time.
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Roberta Zlokower, Roberta on the Arts
Ms. Sherman is as much as any contemporary pop-jazz performer, the vocal and pianistic embodiment of a traditional jazz buoyancy…
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Stephen Holden, New York Times February 21, 2010
What I love about Daryl is the way she can engage with the audience.
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Lance Biddle, Bebop Spoken Here March 13, 2010
Not only was her choice of material first-class but the atmosphere she created also distinguished her gig from most others.
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Alison Kerr’s Jazz Blog March 16, 2010
Style, Sophistication and Swing
For jazz with a smart and sophisticated edge, look no further than Daryl Sherman. The renowned singer and pianist returns to the Lawrence Batley Theatre tomorrow for what promises to be one of the highlights of the Huddersfield Jazz season.
Daryl is one of America’s leading jazz talents and her swing interpretation of jazz standards has won her many fans. She returns to the LBT’s Cellar space with Dave Cliff on guitar and Andy Cleyndert on bass. Both are well known to Huddersfield audiences.
This accomplished performer combines powerful musicianship with warmth and wit. Though she has toured widely in America and Europe and recorded with many famous jazz musicians Daryl is also known for her residencies at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York where she played the piano that Cole Porter used to compose so much of the Great American Songbook. Little wonder then that she is viewed as a versatile jazz and cabaret artist whose return to Huddersfield this weekend is a must do date for many.
Huddersfield Daily Examiner Friday March 19, 2010
An altogether delightful evening, which all those who attended will want to repeat again before too long and will recommend to their friends. Read the full review.
Gordon Sapsed, Sinatra Music Society Newsletter March 18, 2010
This is the centennial year for the immortal lyricist, and occasional composer Johnny Mercer. This will probably prompt several recorded tributes to Mercer, but it will take a superhuman effort to surpass the magnificent Johnny Mercer: A Centennial Tribute (Arbors -19388) by singer/pianist DARYL SHERMAN. She is one of our best interpreters of lyrics, and she really digs into the rich Mercer catalog, finding several obscurities that will probably be picked up by other vocalists after they hear these songs done by Sherman. Among these rarities are “I’m Shadowing You,” mainly familiar to fans of its composer, Blossom Dearie, “Little Ingenue”, with music by Jimmy Rowles, “The Bathtub Ran Over Again,” a humorous piece composed by Michael Cleary, “Peter Piper,” written with his early musical cohort Richard Whiting, “Twilight World” a lovely tune composed by Marian McPartland who plays piano on the track, and ‘Here Come The British,” an early Mercer effort with music by Bernie Hanighen. On the more familiar side of the ledger are “Midnight Sun” “Jeepers Creepers” Come Rain Or Come Shine,”, “Lazy Bones”, “I Thought About You”, “At The Jazz Band Ball”, “Charade”, and “Dream”. Joining in on the fun are alto saxophonist Jerry Dodgion, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, guitarist Howard Alden, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer/vibraphonist Chuck Redd. Gordon and Leonhart also contribute occasional vocals and Barbara Carroll is the guest pianist on “I Thought About You”. Some singers get particular songwriters and Sherman sure gets Mercer, whether the prevailing mood of the lyric is humorous, wistful, passionate, or any other emotional state that Mercer references. Simply put, this is an album of superb songs, superbly performed by superb musicians.
Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz July/August 2009
An excellent tribute to Mercer, this blends classics with forgotten gems. The songwriter’s linguistic gifts flow: funny, unsentimentally romantic, joyful, always eloquent and witty. In addition to Sherman’s airy and sophisticated vocal styling there are fine instrumental solos from those named, notably Gordon on Dream, Dodgion on Little Ingenue and Charade and Alden throughout. Bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Chuck Redd support solidly and there are guest pianists Marian McPartland (on her composition, Twilight World) and Barbara Carroll. Throughout, Sherman’s musical skills are in evidence, especially her unerring ability to choose ideal material and collaborators. Very warmly recommended.
Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal September 2009
That shopworn description “songbird” applies to the jazz singer and pianist Daryl Sherman not only because she has a sweet, little-girl lilt embodied in her voice, but also because her musical spirit belongs to an era when jazz singing was an expression of pure enjoyment; Freudian subtexts had yet to tunnel into the core of popular music.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
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She creates moods that turn each song into a miniature painting… I can think of nothing better to do than to spend an intimate musical Monday with Daryl Sherman.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
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Count on her to sing about anything ranging from love to cats,… but then it is the jazz that distinguishes her style and creativity.
William Wolf, Wolf Entertainment Guide
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It’s always an event when Daryl favors us with a new album.…
Dan Singer, In Tune International
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… a post-Katrina tribute to the Big Easy that easily ranks among the best of her many, many albums.
Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times
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…[Daryl] has a regular slot in the lush surroundings of the Waldorf Astoria often leads people to think of her as a cabaret performer. But her passion for swing and her tidy, understated soloing are more than enough to keep the hardcore jazzers happy.
Clive Davis, The Times
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Her laidback phrasing, framed by nimbly forceful keyboard work, had listeners queuing for signed albums at intermission time.
Jack Massarik
Evening Standard, March 20, 2008
She sings standards with a very engaging, almost fragile but unfailingly swinging style. And her diction is immaculate.
William Marshall
Huddersfield Daily Examiner, March 10, 2008
Goings On About Town — Best of 2006
Guess Who’s in Town (Arbors)
Sherman’s winsome voice, cozy delivery, and sure piano work turn such chestnuts as “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” and “Then I’ll Be Tired of You” and her own standard-to-be, “Welcome to Manhattan,” into things of intimate beauty. Among the exceptional supporting players, the guitarist Jon Wheatley stands out.
by Steve Futterman – The New Yorker Jan. 22, 2007
If two smile buttons were to meet and fall in love, their ideal wedding music might be the ebullient jazz churned out by singer and pianist Daryl Sherman
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Daryl Sherman, one of the top swing singers of the past 20 years put plenty of feeling and warmth into duets with bassist Jennifer Leitham at the Jazz Bakery. Sherman (who is also a fine pianist) is a constant delight and should be asked back often.
Scott Yanow – LA Jazz Scene
Rebecca Kilgore and Daryl Sherman are the finest of a number of female singers who revive forgotten songs of the swing era and surround themselves with musicians who love Billie Holiday, Lee Wiley, and Mildred Bailey as much as they do.
Francis Davis — The Atlantic, January/February, 2006
Sherman, a terrific pianist and singer with a sweet, feathery voice, is equally adept handling such amusing novelty numbers as Duke Ellington’s “Swing Time in Honolulu” or the touching sentiments of “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.”
Frank Scheck — New York Post, December 21, 2005
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Though known for her vintage retrievals, Sherman is in no way self-consciously “retro.” She knows her way around the keyboard, too, from Thelonious Monk to Bill Evans.
Paul de Barros — Seattle Times, May 6, 2005
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“I can think of no mellower or more refreshing way to round off a West End night than to head off to the late set of Daryl Sherman’s Show at Pizza on the Park. I had just had a particularly grim evening at the theatre and was in urgent need not just of being resuscitated but also to be rejuvenated and, like a good sorbet, this effortlessly wiped my palette completely clean. Sherman duly made my cultural taste buds come alive again after they had been unceremoniously dulled by the play I had seen earlier. The restorative powers of music was once again tested and came up trumps. But then Sherman is used to being an oasis of sophisticated calm in the urban maelstrom, having a regular afternoon gig in the cocktail terrace of New York’s Waldorf Astoria (where she plays on Cole Porter’s own Steinway.) A jazz singer-pianist in the Blossom Dearie mould, with a similarly light, flute-like voice and delicate, idiosyncratic phrasing, she is also an intimate cabaret delight that repays closer attention than a hotel lounge may perhaps afford. As she performs standards from Cole Porter such as I Concentrate on You, exquisitely accompanied only by guitar and bass after stepping away from the piano for a moment, or Too Darn Hot in a terrific jazz arrangement, she proves a real connection with the material. She respects it but also makes something new and contemporary from it, of her own. She closes the set with Ella Fitzgerald’s standard It’s a Pity to Say Goodnight and I could only concur.”
Mark Shenton 27 – 30 Oct 04 Pizza Express London The Stage Online
“Daryl Sherman’s all-too-brief summer turn at the Oak Room celebrates the release of her Arbors Jazz CD A Hundred Million Miracles — The Music of Richard Rodgers. Sherman is one of Gotham’s most delectable jazz babies, whose feathery vocal technique, sunny demeanor and firmly grounded piano beautifully complement a keenly designed and delivered repertoire. Sherman puts a new spin on Do I Hear a Waltz?, Rodgers’ only collaboration with lyricist Stephen Sondheim. This time around it’s a lilting samba, and it remains a sublimely lyrical dance, despite the subtle and infectious change of tempo. The songbird also brings new insight to the Rodgers classic Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, with its seductive word design by Lorenz Hart. ‘The piece has so many facets,’ Sherman notes, ‘it deserves a masters degree in songwriting.’ She does all four choruses with its sensuous confessionals and subtle double entendres. Another Pal Joey excerpt is the seldom-performed Do It the Hard Way, revealing Sherman’s supple and fervent talent to swing and the clean, clear economy of interpretation… Borrowing the words of Oscar Hammerstein, as found imbedded in Getting to Know You, Sherman and her companions are irresistibly ‘bright and breezy.'”
– Robert L. Daniels , Variety , July 14, 2003
(On Daryl Sherman’s latest CD, A Hundred Million Miracles) – “THE jazz-cabaret circuit was awash with centenary tributes to Richard Rodgers last year. The New York singer-pianist Daryl Sherman may be slightly late getting in on the act, but this beautifully paced selection goes straight to the top of the class. Sherman’s recent performance at London’s Pizza on the Park was a genuine treat, and the studio version sparkles even more brightly, thanks to guest appearances from smoky tenor player Houston Person and the late Ruby Braff. Vocal hipster Bob Dorough comes close to stealing the show on the perky duet on Everything I’ve Got Belongs to You; he also adds a hint of leering mischief to Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Sherman’s blithe, swing-era voice keeps supper-club schmaltz at bay, even on Oscar Hammerstein’s slightly cloying title song. Three stars.”
London Times
cartoon from The New Yorker
“Because her vocal approach is so unusual, even the familiar has the spontaneity of being discovered afresh but more intriguingly, she has the opposite effect on unfamiliar songs. By stamping her vocal signature on them instantly, you embrace them as if you have known them all your life. It is a rare skill.”
The Stage, May 2002
(On Born to Swing) “There is much do delight in here. Sherman, a pleasingly melodic singer who interprets lyrics meaningfully, shows unerring taste in her choice and performance of material and has a voice thsat is light and true with a pleasing airiness. Allied to all of this, she has a sharp eye for forgotten songs.”
Jazz Journal, 2002
“Daryl Sherman, a vastly underrated vocalist and pianist, may not have learned every standard worth knowing, but don’t bet on stumping her any time soon. The New York treasure will be joined, separately, by three of the most accomplished mainstream guitarists– Bucky Pizzarelli, Gene Bertoncini, and Joe Cohn– throughout her engagement.”
New Yorker Magazine
“(At Algonquin Hotel)… the current occupant is Daryl Sherman, a smart, light-footed songstress who has enough charm for three ordinary human beings and does great tunes that haven’t been done to death (including Any Old Time, a why-isn’t-it-a-standard by none other than Artie Shaw). Sherman also likes to work with superlative accompanists, in this case Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar and Jay Leonhart on bass, both of whom, like her, are as good as it gets. “
Terry Teachout, Washington Post, August 5, 2001
“If you’re in the mood to splurge, here’s a reason. Infallibly backed by guitarist Gene Bertoncini and bassist-singer Jay Leonhart, this singer, pianist, and collector of worthy but neglected songs has put together a thoroughly enchanting program, the best hour of cabaret jazz in town. No one has done more than Sherman to keep the disarmingly light, ardently swinging sound of Mildred Bailey alive, and she lets you know her pedigree right off with the obscure Born to Swing, closing with a riotous three-way Bing Crosby medley that crams about 25 songs into four or five minutes. If you’ve never given serious thought to the meaning of Mary Lou Williams’s In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee, she will force you to do so.”
Gary Giddins,
Village Voice, 2001
“In her return to the Oak Room for Arthur Pomposello’s annual summer jazz series, Daryl Sherman encores the subtle jazz phrasing of her politely lean and tasteful piano, and sings in a light whispery voice as gentle and comforting as a sweet summer breeze. Admitting to being locked in a time warp, singing tunes associated with Carmen Miranda, Mildred Bailey and Bing Crosby, Sherman takes on Tin Pan Alley with an agreeably casual intimacy. The end result is a sunny, genteel delight.”
Bob Daniels, Variety, August 6, 2001
cartoon from The New Yorker
“Daryl has many of the attributes of a skilled cabaret singer: good voice, easy way in which she announces and puts emotion into a song. But it is clear that her heart and soul belong to the jazz world, and, in particular, to Edward Kennedy Ellington. Daryl Sherman is a rarity: a real jazz singer.”
Walter Schaap, Duke Ellington
Society, September 1999.
“For devotees of what used to be disparagingly called Tin Pan Alley, this was Great American Songbook heaven with Ms. Sherman singing like an angel. She has a pure voice, clear diction and a wide vocal range but her gifts were always at the service of her material.”
The Inverness Courier, Scotland. (Nair International Jazz Festival).
“Very melodic in all that she does, whether singing, playing the piano, which she does very well indeed, or arranging, she is always at the service of the music but simultaneously marks her performances with a highly distincitve stamp”
Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal
International. July 1999.
“For five days in April, the 20th to the 24th, singer/pianist Daryl Sherman turned New York’s FireBird Cafe into Duke’s Place… Sherman is a versatile performer – a terrific jazz pianist, a sensitive interpreter of lyrics, and a natural raconteur, witty and interesting. She respects her material and her fellow musicians, sharing the spotlight readily with both. Her singing is direct, full of subtle colorings, yet always totally accessible.”
Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz. June 1999.
“Ms. Sherman… a basic neat-and-potatoes jazz singer who echoes the artful simplicity of Mildred Bailey, with fillips of Billie Holiday’s elided diction. Her high, girlish voice spreads out into bright luscious vibrato.”
Stephen Holden, New York Times. June 1999.
“(Daryl) never gives in, singing and backing herself with energy and wit — there is a laughter in her voice that transfigures everything she sings, and her piano is robust and imaginative.”
Gary Giddins, Village Voice, November 1998.
“When you sing wonderfully, exhibit great chops at the piano, know how to phrase with the best of them and have a warm personality, the combination is irresistible. Therefore Daryl Sherman is irresistible.”
Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz.
“Once you see Daryl Sherman, you’ve got to like Jazz. Wow! What a voice and the wonderful things she can do to a song… One couldn’t have a more enjoyable evening when seeing this very gifted singer.”
Applause, Applause. May, 1998.
“Effervescent and madly talented.”
Rex Reed, New York Observer
“The increasing frequency of Daryl Sherman’s recording activity is a welcome development of the late 1990’s…”
Doug Ramsey, Jazz
Times, 1999.
“Listen closely… (to A Lady Must Live CD), and you’ll discover a harmonically sophisticated singer who has a keen appreciation of mature pop songs.”
Mike Joyce, The Washington
Post, 1998.
“She’s funny, sharp, and awfully good…”
Andrew Patner, Chicago Sun-Times, June 1998.
“She sings in an uncluttered, straightforward manner that illuminates every nuance of a song without masquerade… She’s full of surprises and never bores… her delivery ranges from a kittenish pounce to soulful passion… Hang out with Daryl Sherman, and you won’t care what time it is; you’ll only know that it’s a pity to say goodnight.”
Rex Reed, New York Observer.
“A pianist and singer of rare assets. When Sherman sings a love song, she makes crazy the men.”
Will Friedwald, Village Voice.
“In the top echelon of today’s classic jazz and swing singers… One can always understand the words she sings and yet she is constantly improvising in a subtle way.”
Scott Yanow, The Mississippi Rag.
“A singer and pianist who writes some of her own material, she exemplifies a sort of old-style Manhattan sophistication… impeccable musical taste.”
Stephen Holden, New York Times.
“Daryl Sherman is that comparatively rare phenomenon, a singer who is also a musician… delightful freshness of her voice, flexible and resourceful vocal phrasing, sensitivity to words and melodies… “
Max Harrison, International Association of Jazz Record Collectors Journal.
“She is so mesmerizing that you don’t hear a single piece of silverware clink. She has the audience in her hand with a voice of steel within silk. The purity of her diction, the intelligence of her control and the power of her concentration is awesome.”
Alan Bargebuhr, Cadence Magazine.
“She has the talent and personality to hold the spotlight and sell the tune. An easy five stars.”
Tex Wyndham, American Rag.
“Whether Daryl Sherman sings sitting at the piano or standing up with support from her marvelous rhythm section, each well chosen musical gem she offers up takes on an infectious presence, daring an audience not to be taken in by its magic.”
Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz.