Melanie Charles

A long, long time ago, the jazz critic with the exalted-sounding name George O. von Frank once listed a number of characteristics by which a jazz vocalist could be recognized. At the top of the list is respect for melody and lyrics. This is followed by a feeling for rhythm, intonation and phrasing. Good taste in the selection of pieces is also necessary. Of course the voice, which is used like an instrument and should be capable of all kinds of improvisation. A personal style must be developed, and a certain sense of humor can't hurt. And last but not least, it's about versatility - ballads, blues or musical numbers should be included in the repertoire. Every song, it could be added, must sound as if the performer had written it themselves. If you apply this list of criteria, you will certainly find some singers who meet at least some of them. But there are very few who fulfill it completely and even surpass it with their originality. Melanie Charles clearly belongs to this minority, even though the singer, flautist and composer, who was born in New York City in 1988, cannot yet look back on a rich oeuvre. But if you listen to her albums, which play with all kinds of styles, are enriched with electronics and yet are recorded with a respectful bow to tradition - three of them so far, most recently "Y'All Don't (Really) Care About Black Women" on Verve - then Melanie Charles not only demonstrates a very bright awareness of heritage, but also incorporates genres such as hip-hop or funk, works with overdub and sample techniques or uses breakbeats. This is highly sophisticated quoted jazz, but not in the sense of callousness, rather as a very contemporary revitalization of ancestors such as Billie Holiday, including intense musical delimitations. Last year, Melanie Charles opened the Enjoy Jazz Festival with her trio and sent an enthusiastic audience into six festival weeks. In its review of the evening, the RNZ paid tribute not only to the political aspects that Charles accentuates in the lyrics, but also in the collage-like form of her highly complex music. But also the ever-present Caribbean influences in her pieces - her family has Haitian roots. According to the RNZ, what made the concert so special was the high artistic standards of this singer and composer, who goes far beyond the usual jazz business. That's why it won't be business as usual when Melanie Charles returns to the festival and the Alte Feuerwache in a quartet line-up. Joy of playing, surprises and enthusiasm are pre-programmed, as is a new, even more powerful sound.