Lisa Rich - Listen Here (1983)

"At a time when the economics of the art of jazz singing are certainly not at their best and it even seems as though a few new enemies of the legacy of Louis Armstrong may be raising their ugly heads on the horizon it is doubly heartening to hear the best LP I've heard since Tom Lellis, a couple of years ago, from Lisa Rich. You the listener probably will agree with me that herein your ears will find excellence on many levels. Pitch, tone, improvisation, song selection, and arrangement just sheer talent, too. Just sheer talent. Give this young lady the years of vocal employment she deserves and even her excellence will grow. Besides a varied and contemporary repertoire, she even sings us a complex Bulgarian piece to remind us of the cultural influence of many centuries of Moslem Ottoman Turkish rule over Bulgaria- the traditions of sliding and "whining" vocal styles that the many talented black people in their forced migration during the hideous institution called slavery) brought with them from the Moslem north of Africa. It is this cultural phenomenon, that over the years, later opened up the possibilities that Louis Armstrong's voice made into our Ameri can art of singing like a horn (or "playing" like early singers)-jazz singing. So, here's our newest, Lisa Rich. Enjoy.”--- Mark Murphy

"Lisa's voice is a great instrument.”--- Steve Kuhn