STYLE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE | SNEAK PEEK

Rita Edmond / 96

Born in Ohio, Rita remem-
bers that she grew up
around music, with her
close relatives particularly
loving such singers as Ella
Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan,
Dinah Washington and
Nancy Wilson. When she
was only five, Rita sang lead in the ju-
nior choir at her church. Her talent was
obvious even then. At 15 she began taking lessons from the highly
respected vocal teacher Evangeline Stewart. Rita, with her beautiful
voice and a four-octave range, was a natural singer, one who could
express the deepest emotions through music.
After high school, Rita sang in a variety of settings in such locations
as Las Vegas, Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo, Italy and Paris. But her
other talents dominated for a few years. Rita recorded r&b and pop
demos in Los Angeles for Motown, BET, MCA, EMI Publishing and
Warner-Chappell. Behind the scene, Rita wrote and recorded music
for various artists, shows and specials as well as ran her own music
label. While she had commercial successes working on other artist’s
projects, it kept her away from singing the music she loved.
Four years ago, Rita Edmond returning to full time singing in a big
way. She quickly became a popular fixture in Southern California
area jazz clubs, met lots of musicians, and recorded her solo debut,
Sketches Of A Dream. She contributed the arrangements and mem-
orable interpretations to such songs as “Dindi,” “Body And Soul,”
surprising medium-tempo versions of “All The Way” and “My Ro-
mance,” a dazzling exploration of “Misty” and a heartfelt “Never
Let Me Go.”
Rita’s new CD, A Glance At Destiny, could
have been subtitled “The Dream Contin-
ues.” As with the first album, she brought in
the arrangements and picked out the reper-
toire and tempos. “The musicians followed
my directions during the session. I chose
who would play on what solo and on which
song. This is one of the reasons why I say
I’ve put my heart into this project. I made all
of the decisions, and did it my way.” Great
care had to be taken to pick out musicians
who were not only supportive accompanists
but stimulating soloists. Rita utilized two
overlapping rhythm sections featuring either Joel Scott or Llew Mat-
thews on piano, James Leary or Edwin Livingston on bass, drummer
Albert “Tootie” Heath, either Greg Poree or Jacques Lasure on guitar
and occasionally tenor-saxophonist Rickey Woodard and trumpeter
Nolan Shaheed.
Each of the performances (classic standards plus two of the singer’s
originals) is worth a close listen for every selection is full of subtle
surprises, there are no throwaways, and the renditions are fresh and
memorable. “Sunny,” which is transformed into a swinging piece, is
an excellent introduction to Rita’s soulful vocalizing. She contributes
beautiful ballad singing to a very expressive “You’ve Changed “ and
“Gentle Rain.” “It Might As Well Be Spring” is a joyful surprise,
being taken as a cooker rather than as a slow ballad. Listen to her
powerful and passionate singing.
Rita Edmond’s “In Case You Didn’t
Know” is a memorable love ballad that
could very well become a standard for
the 21st century. “It Could Happen To
You” and “’S Wonderful” have been
around for many decades but Rita’s
swinging versions give these songs new
life. “Here’s To Life,” made famous by
Shirley Horn, is sung with plenty of feel-
ing,” “Easy Living” (associated many years ago with Billie Holiday)
has some especially tasteful vocalizing and Jobim’s “Triste” is filled
with joy. After a hard-swinging “Just Friends” and an emotional
“You Don’t Know What Love Is,” “This Can’t Be Love” gives Ri-
ta’s musicians an opportunity to stretch out. She concludes A Glance
At Destiny by debuting her catchy bossa “You’re My Wings.”
Throughout A Glance At Destiny and also in her live perfor-
mances, Rita Edmond often sounds like a master architect at
work, choosing the perfect note for the right spot, making ev-
ery sound and moment of silence count. Her interpretations of
lyrics, sense of swing, and ability to infuse each song with her
soulful feelings make her a superior jazz singer who is on the
brink of great success.
RITA EDMOND IS A
SUPERIOR JAZZ SINGER
WHO IS ON THE BRINK OF GREAT SUCCESS
— SCOTT YANOW
Style Quarterly Magazine + Sneak Peek . www.
JAZZ PROFILE: RITA EDMOND
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