PAPATAMUS REDUX

ORCHARD OF POMEGRANATES RECORDS (RELEASED APRIL 10, 2026)

Singer Katie Bull provides the best review for her sixth release, The Hope Etudes, in the closing lyrics to her take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” — Oh what a beautiful feeling. That feeling may be referring to Bull’s joy of collaborating with musicians she was worked with in the past — bassist Joe Fonda, saxophonist Jeff Lederer and drummer George Schuller — as well as building new musical bonds with pianist Mara Rosenbloom. It may also be referring to the emotional impact of dedicating The Hope Etudes to her two most important jazz mentors — the late Jay Clayton and Sheila Jordan. Bull combines the daringness of Clayton and the exuberance of Jordan with her own edginess on a set of six original and three familiar tunes that stretch the possibilities of vocal jazz. Consider the dramatic mood shift of “Home. Coming,” a tune that morphs from a calming piano/vocal opening to a funky groove powered by Schuller and expressive solos from Lederer, Rosenbloom and Fonda. Bull shows her vocal range on the pleasant melody of  “And It Continues,” which she transforms with her scatting that integrates laughs, expressions of joy, almost operatic motifs and some well-placed “la la las,” which the band can’t help but joining in on. Bull integrates echo effects, for which Clayton was known, on the quirky and mesmerizing “Jalopy Promises.” Her voice floats over Fonda’s strong bass notes and Lederer’s long tones on the lullaby feeling of “Gamma Rays.” The free form nature of “Scatter” is a perfect vehicle for all players to add their own voices to Bull’s wordless incantation. Bull transforms “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning,” in much the same way Jordan transformed “You Are My Sunshine” into an accessible yet atmospheric performance. She does much the same with Isham Jones’ “There Is No Greater Love,” opening with a bass/vocal duo before Lederer’s soprano solo shows another approach to “singing” this classic. The embers glow with Bull’s ethereal take on the Door’s classic “Light My Fire.” As she explains in the liner notes, “The music is a conversation — sometimes we rehearse the arrangements, and sometimes we just say, ‘Let’s go’, and something better happens.” That something better is what gives The Hope Etudes that beautiful feeling.

BOTTOM LINE: Vocalist Katie Bull keeps the legacy of her jazz mentors — the late Jay Clayton and Sheila Jordan — alive with a recording that is daring, delightful and dazzling.
The Hope Etudes literally gives hope that in the right hands and with the right support, the art of jazz singing will continue to evolve.