Meg Clifton: New Voice - P.A.W. Print - Philadelphia Arts Writers

Meg Clifton. photo, courtesy of Al McMahon

On a warm summer evening in July, on a small street obscured by construction projects, a jazz club called Chris' flourishes almost in secret. Despite the fact that the city seems largely abandoned for the beach, on this balmy night, the club is full.

The reason? An upcoming jazz vocalist named Meg Clifton. At just twenty-four, she is already headlining at one of Philly's premier jazz clubs. Why? Because not only is Clifton keeping the spirit of classic jazz singing alive, but she plans to take it somewhere new.

Growing up in a household in Lewis, Delaware that was filled with the sounds of Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis, Clifton was inspired to try her voice in the high school choir-- after test-driving it in her basement, of course. From there, her passion for the craft led her to enroll in the vocal program at the University of the Arts (UA). She graduated in 2000. At Chris' Jazz Café, Clifton demonstrated her technical abilities as only a formally trained vocalist could.

After completing her Masters in Jazz Studies, she joined a local band called Big Swing Face. The group was founded by saxophonist Ben Venci and trumpeter Nick Corvino and with several other graduates from UA in 2000. Al McMahon, the booking agent at Chris', had some plans for her, following Clifton's year-and-a-half stay with the group.

"I thought after Big Swing Face she should work with some of the fine veteran talent we have in the area. Sort of her post-graduate work," explains McMahon. "I introduced her to Larry McKenna, and Mary Ellen Desmond, another great vocalist, and [Meg] has been developing rapidly. All the great vocalists, Holiday and Sinatra for instance, start out working with great musicians."

McKenna in particular, who has over fifty years of experience behind him backing such greats as Woody Herman, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Mathis, is a great compliment to the standards Clifton performs. "Not only does [Clifton] take the time to learn these great old songs, but she masters them and makes them her own," McKenna says.

Standing amidst the musicians-- as opposed to upstaging them, Clifton projects a voice that assimilates well among the sounds of the bass, drums, vibes, and sax.

"It's so important to me to be a part of an ensemble and not to be the stereotypical jazz singer standing in front of her band," explains Clifton.

The group worked in synchrony as if its members had played together frequently. There was never an awkward moment. Tony Miceli played his vibes feverishly, while Eric Alexander and his bass mellowed things out. A tap-tap-tapping was always there in the distance, courtesy of Dan Monaghan's brushes. McKenna's lush and storied saxophone seemed to center the themes, always entering at the right moment and tying everything together. In the midst of it all, Clifton's eminence was crystal clear, puissant in some places and gentle during others. No note was strained and no melody seemed to be missed. Covering a series of standards, Clifton did her song list justice and better.

Although one can't help but be reminded of Rosemary Clooney while listening to her, Clifton has other ideas regarding the incarnation of a sound. She covers Hendrix songs. After their ensemble has gyred through a sequence of jazz-treated classic rock tunes at the Philadelphia Art Museum, Clifton and Miceli have received standing ovations.

"Meg is one of the only singers I've done rock tunes with that absolutely nails them. She knows how to take a Hendrix tune and bridge the gap between rock and jazz," explains Miceli. "She knows what to leave and what to change. That's totally unconscious but she knows. She's singing In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and tearing it up!" Although the tones of Vaughn, Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Betty Carter (especially her¸ Clifton asserts) chime through her, Clifton professes a love for the Beatles and Joni Mitchell that doesn't stop at the stage door. Beyond mastering her craft, breathing new life into an old tradition and filling local rooms like Chris', Clifton is next turning her artistic eye and ear toward composing.

"It's in the beginning stages," Clifton says, adding, "It's jazzy and it's folky. We'll see."

McMahon and Clifton are currently shopping the artist's music to major labels. A CD deal is anticipated soon.

Additional information about McMahon's army of musicians can be obtained at www.mcmahonmusic.com. For booking information, call (610) 649-1596 or e-mail wamcmahon@earthlink.net. Chris' Jazz Café is located at 1421 Sansom Street.

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