CD Review: Marlina Teich
Jazz music usually sounds very old-timey to me. That’s not a complaint or a negative statement of any kind; I love that sound and the way that it takes you back to a time that perhaps you only know from the movies that you’ve seen. But I have to be in a certain kind of mood to be interested in that kind of music. What I found when listening to the five tracks on the EP sent to me by Marlina Teich was that I didn’t have to be in a particular music to hear her kind of jazz. I think this is because Marlina manages to do what few other jazz musicians that I know of have done, melding a very modern sound with this old-timey feel to create music that is timeless.
Marlina Teich definitely has that old jazz sound, that indescribable quality that makes you nostalgic for an era that you might not even have known in real life. On “It Had To Be You” which has a mellow tune to it, she sounds quite a bit like Patsy Cline. And on “Route 66”, Marlina’s voice punctuates the lyrics in that way that upbeat jazz is known for. It’s a sound that inevitably takes your mind to a rainy day in New Orleans in the early twentieth century. But there are moments in these songs when it’s clear that you are listening to someone who is infusing influences ranging from back then (and before) to today and that’s what makes Marlina’s music so timeless. She’s a modern jazz singer who is playing her songs with absolutely no pretension and all of her heart.
On my initial listen-through, I was sure that my favorite song was “Frim Fram Sauce”. This is just one of those very fun songs in which the lyrics are playful. Plus, Marlina’s vocals are really highlighted in this song – and Marlina is a woman whose got vocals that are worth making a note of. She has that warm, earthy voice that exhibits the timeless quality explored through the music itself. “Frim Fram Sauce” shows this off. But after listening to the CD several times, I actually decided I preferred the first track, “Almost Like Being In Love”. It’s not too fast, not too slow … not too old, not too modern … it’s one of those “just right” songs that I could easily listen to in any mood.
Marlina Teich has been performing in San Francisco for years. You can learn more about her (and her awesome Jazzheimers organization) from her interview with San Fran Voice.
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