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Tuck & Patti

For nearly three decades, this unique vocal/guitar jazz duo has cast its passionate musical spell worldwide, capturing the hearts of lovers, the respect of jazz buffs, and the jaw-dropping awe of guitarists.

With 29 years of performing together, and 26 years of marriage, the devotion forged by this extraordinary couple shows no sign of dimming from the pressure of familiarity. For them, this pressure creates more diamond than dust. Their instinct for refining their music, their technique and their career"their home studio makeover"their house and garden renovation"never wavers from their credo: It's not done if it's not from the heart. And what comes from the heart demands excellence.

Onstage and off, guitarist Tuck Andress and vocalist/arranger Patti Cathcart might, at first impression, strike you as an odd couple. The obvious difference in skin color is quickly overshadowed by the contrast of their personalities. Patti exudes the soft, centered yet powerful graciousness of a gospel singer; Tuck almost wears his brain on his skin, anticipating the thousands of musical decisions he'll have to send to his ten fingers during the course of a performance. Seeing the virtuosity and complexity of Tuck's guitar work, most are surprised to learn that Patti is the actual writer, arranger, and producer. Without even blinking, Tuck-the-problem-solver brags, "Patti writes and arranges; I am just the orchestra."

Beneath these layers, however, one hits shared bedrock, from the depth and extent of their musical training to their get-the-job-done focus to their absolute bond of partnership. Their time apart feeds their moments together. "When we're not actually recording an album," says Patti, "I am singing notes into my little recorder to give to Tuck once we get started."

Meanwhile, Tuck might update their database and website. For I Remember You, Tuck worked out parts drawn from a Count Basie recording, then painstakingly figured a way to play all the parts on his guitar. "We might not even use any of it," says Tuck, "You can't do it all at once, just on one guitar. But as a way to explore it, I would try to do it all at once. We hope we are suggesting it somehow."

But Tuck points out that it would be a mistake to too narrowly cast himself as the virtuoso and Patti as the expressive heart and motivator of the duo. "Flying fingers don't impress me much anymore. I'm much more interested in what I call 'soft virtuosity,' where the technique is usually invisible. It's micro-technique, where the subtleties are controlled, and that's where the heart of the music lies. Singers hopefully don't have visibly flying anything, so it's all about 'soft virtuosity.'

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In Pictures

Tuck & Patti at Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli in Cremona

Read "Tuck & Patti at Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli in Cremona" reviewed by Danilo Codazzi


Photos from the Tuck and Patti concert held at Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli in Cremona, Italy, on 29 September 2017, featuring Tuck Andress on guitar and Patti Cathcart on voice. ...

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Album Review

Tuck & Patti: I Remember You

Read "I Remember You" reviewed by Tom Greenland


I Remember You, from guitar/vocal duo Tuck & Patti, is the first in its catalogue to exclusively feature songs from the Great American Songbook. Originally inspired by the duets of Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald, the pair has been a marital and musical team for 30 years, evolving a crossover sound that draws on jazz, R&B, folk, pop and new acoustic music. Jazz fans will appreciate the sensitivity and consummate craftsmanship they bring to these oft-roasted chestnuts from the standards ...

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Album Review

Tuck & Patti: Paradise Found

Read "Paradise Found" reviewed by Dave Hughes


Tuck and Patti, guitar and vocal duo as well as husband and wife, offer up another helping of positive, optimistic musical brilliance on Paradise Found. I think they found paradise about twenty years ago, when they first began performing together. They both possess considerable chops, always utilized in exquisite taste and in perfect tandem.

This time around, they occasionally supplement their duets with other instruments, such as soprano sax and percussion on the opening tune "Lembrancas." ...

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Performance / Tour

Sam Fazio West Coast Pre-Release Show at Catalina Jazz Club on July 17th - New CD Features Tuck & Patti!

Sam Fazio West Coast Pre-Release Show at Catalina Jazz Club on July 17th - New CD Features Tuck & Patti!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

jny: Chicago-based vocalist Sam Fazio has established a name for himself in the music scene over the past several years. Sam brings new life to jazz standards and pop classics. Sam has entertained audiences at some of the most prestigious venues in the country, including Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Andy's Jazz Club, City Winery, Untitled, and SPACE (Chicago); Cliff Bell's (jny: Detroit); Blues Alley (DC); and Iridium, Feinstein's at the Loews Regency and 54 Below (jny: New York City)—to name ...

Tina Hartt
vocals

Photos

Concerts

Jul 12 Fri

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

I Remember You

Self Produced
2008

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Pure

Canyon International
2006

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A Gift Of Love

Canyon International
2003

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As Time Goes By

Canyon International
2001

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Taking The Long Way...

Canyon International
2000

buy

Paradise Found

Windham Hill Records
2000

buy

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