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Sue Oatts Tucker

I come from a family of known jazz musicians. "My father, Jack Oatts, was one of the first jazz educators in Iowa. Music was always around... mostly jazz." My brothers, Jim and Dick Oatts, are also internationally known and respected jazz artists.

Before I took up singing, I was blowin' my tenor sax in jazz band and playing' a duet with Clark Terry at a jazz festival on my clarinet. "I think playing a horn has had a great influence on my singing. I've tried to approach singing from an instrumental mindset. Space is just as important as sound."

After attending college, I began a studio career producing and singing jingles and industrials with a voice-over thrown in on occasion. I spent seven years teaching music theory, vocal studio techniques and being coordinator of the ensemble dept. at MusicTech College in downtown St. Paul.

All of my CD's are available at my web site, amazon.com, cdbaby.com, tcmusic.net and at all live performances.

Sue Tucker: Back Home

Read "Back Home" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone

by Michael P. Gladstone
February 16, 2007

For her third album, singer Sue Tucker wanted to try something different. Her concept was to explore a more earthy jazz vocal album in which “jazz meets the gravel road" through the use of rhythm guitar instead of drums. She was also seeking less familiar tunes with great melodies and lyrics that apply to today's environment--and which haven't been overexposed on recordings. Appropriately, the album is titled Back Home.

Sue Tucker comes from a most musical family. Her ...

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Album Review

Sue Tucker: May I Come In

Read "May I Come In" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone

by Michael P. Gladstone
May 25, 2004

Good things come in small packages! With May I Come In, Minnesota jazz singer Sue Tucker provides nine standards and two original compositions with a first class group of musicians. She harkens back to an era when girl singers, like Chris Connor or June Christy, just sang without gimmicks or artifice, melisma or multi-tracking. Also, there are no show-stopping vocal techniques or three octave range'and if you're looking for improvisational vocalese or scatting techniques, they're not here. What makes this ...

175

Album Review

Sue Tucker: Meant for You

by Dave Nathan
April 1, 2001

Sue Tucker is one of the ever growing group of jazz singers who avoid vocal histrionics having adopted an unembellished straightforward approach to delivering the tunes they sing. There's no scatting, swooping or heavy breathing associated with their performances. They rely on fresh arrangements of standard material and are absolute masters of knowing how to enhance their delivery by using sideman to their best advantage. Tucker had a head start coming from a musical family. Not a family that just ...

165

Album Review

Sue Tucker: Meant For You

by Mathew Bahl
December 1, 2000

I have to admit that, for very superficial reasons, I did not have high expectations for Sue Tucker's Meant for You. An unknown Minnesota-based singer performing standards on a CD produced, engineered, manufactured and distributed by the singer and her husband. It had the feel of a housewife's vanity project. The CD packaging is not exactly eye-catching, and I recognize that this is ridiculous, but even her name sounded boring.

However, I'm pleased to report that there is nothing boring ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sue Tucker

Source: Michael Ricci
April 11, 2009

All About Jazz is celebrating Sue Tucker's birthday today!

JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Sue Tucker

I come from a family of known jazz musicians. “My father, Jack Oatts, was one of the first jazz educators in Iowa. Music was always around... mostly jazz." My brothers, Jim and Dick Oatts... more

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"Back Home is, simply put, one of the finest jazz vocal efforts that I have heard this year. Sue Tucker's voice fits the material like an old lace glove. It is straightforward, husky and warm, with touches of Billie Holiday's world wisdom and Blossom Dearie's playfulness, around the edges. Sue Tucker is what Norah Jones should hope to sound like, as Ms. Jones matures. Ms. Tucker has also selected tunes that complement her voice and the concept. Usually on a collection such as this, I will find myself saying "maybe this wasn't a good idea" about at least one of the tracks. I honestly cannot say that about any of the choices here." By Curtis Davenport/Jazz Improv, Sum.issue 2007, V7N3