Stringmansassy – Beautiful Day (MRA Entertainment Group)
                               
Australian guitarist Aaron Hopper and vocalist Kacey Patrick are passionate and spontaneous artists performing largely a jazz repertoire. They have been influenced by Bobby McFerrin, Ella Fitzgerald, Sting, and even Middle Eastern and traditional Celtic music. The comparison with their idols, Tuck and Patti, is inevitable, but this duo is extraordinary. Kacey’s vocal arsenal includes a four-octave range, emulated bird calls, and heavily textured vocal sounds capable of expressing deep emotion, which she melds with improvised, swinging jazz solos. Aaron, a music theoretician, plays acoustically, exploring the guitar and creating a sound that suggests a larger ensemble, with walking bass lines, counterpoint melodies and harmonies, and even percussive effects.

This duo is captivating, not merely because of the beauty of Kacey’s voice, but because of the use of space and silence. Is it jazz? Who cares? It is marvelous music that transcends the labeling of music.