Lucy Yeghiazaryan’s “Hey Love”
I first heard Lucy Yeghiazaryan when she appeared on Emmet’s Place in 2021, singing largely from the American Songbook (Episode 50, if you’re interested). A few years later, in 2023, I saw her live here in Boise, again with Emmet Cohen. She immediately built some rapport with the audience. After being introduced, she said something along the lines of, “How many female jazz vocalists are in New York City? And how did Emmet manage to get the pregnant singer on a plane to Boise, Idaho?”
And indeed, she was very pregnant.
She then proceeded to wow the audience with her sultry, heartfelt, and swinging singing.
And today, June 19, she is releasing “Hey Love.” This recording celebrates both the American Songbook and her baby. As she says in an interview with UK Jazz News, “This is my first album after having a baby, so it’s kind of a look at love—because the American Songbook is all love songs, right? So, it’s a second glance at the songs that I used to sing before and after the baby, and how they kind of feel different...”
I can’t say I can compare her before-and-after-baby singing, but a listen to a few of the songs on this recording shows Lucy singing with warmth, intimacy, swing, and humor.
Backing her are tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart, trumpeter Bruce Harris, pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington. Johnny O’Neal makes a special appearance. It’s worth noting that the two Washingtons play with Bill Charlap, a master of the American Songbook—she has a rhythm section that knows the material.
“Blow Top Blues” starts with a bluesy (what else?) bass run before Lucy chimes in. She chops her words up, giving them a kick, and then O’Neal takes over on the piano, running up and down the keyboard until Lucy returns and gives us a small piece of her scat prowess.
“Witchcraft” showcases phrasing—pauses, lingering notes, a certain je ne sais quoi—it bewitches you, and when trumpeter Bruce Harris solos with a mute, you’re under its spell.
The upbeat “Next Spring” kicks off sans intro. Lucy laments being gone but is focusing on “next spring,” when she returns. She draws out her phrasing at the end, leading Stewart and Harris to a burning exchange of solos—perhaps regretting going but joyous on the return. Lucy then repeats the lyrics, and we end abruptly at “this spring.” Short, sweet, and swinging.
“Hey Love” promises to give you a new take on some classic songs and delivers. I’m still humming “This Spring,” and now it’s summer.
I’d be remiss to not mention Lucy’s cookie skills—on par with her singing skills. Check out the typewriter cookie and the Duke Ellington cookie. And listen to her sing!
Tracks
1 Next Spring (M. Jenkins) 3:03
2 Hey Love! / I Thought About You (Lucy Yeghiazaryan, J. Van Heusen) 4:25
3 Tonight I Shall Sleep With A Smile On My Face (D. Ellington) 4:44
4. Blow Top Blues (L. Feather) 3:49
5 Love Is A Simple Thing (A. Siegel) 2:32
6 Witchcraft (C. Coleman) 4:50
7 Lover Man (J. Davis) 3:23
8 Loads Of Love (R. Rodgers) 3:19
9 Come Dance With Me (J. Van Heusen) 3:25
10 Dedicated To You (S. Cahn) 4:17