Starting from January 2023
“Susan Tobocman is a Jazz lover’s dream. Her vocals are beyond compare but her arrangements and compositions are beyond description. She is talented and brilliant beyond measure. Touch & Go does not describe the power and beauty of the album; she was full on, right on, every step of the way.”
— The Jazz Owl by Travis Rogers, Jr.
“Tobocman has clearly found her musical home in the world of jazz, and this promising release should bring her much wider attention…It's a testament to Tobocman's arranging skills that each of these pieces feels distinctively hers, their diverse stylistic origins subsumed by her smart, listener-friendly jazz instincts.”
— All About Jazz by Troy Dostert
“Touch & Go'' could be the breakout album for vocalist/composer/arranger Susan Tobocman. This is her fourth album as a leader but here she steps forward with five originals of the dozen tunes, two of which are instrumentals, rare for one known mostly as a vocalist. Of course, Tobocman is more than just a jazz singer, both a composer and arranger, determined to put her own stamp on material, whether it’s hers or an interpretation of others… Her two instrumentals also display quite a musical command with “Leaves
Of Absence” carrying a straight-8th Latin feel and up-tempo title track an exercise in swing. Vocally throughout, Tobocman finds that sweet spot– smooth, sensual, well-phrased, and animated. This is a recording that will lift your spirits – exceptionally well-conceived and delivered.”
— Making a Scene by Jim Hynes
“The smooth and airy feel of Tobocman's vocals make her performance a caressing breath moving like a light breeze across the listener's ears. Finessing the arrangements to a mesmerizing glisten, Tobocman's charismatic vocal strokes display a mastery of the jazz repertoire that transcends the ages.”
— Jazz2Love by Susan Frances
Singer/Composer/Lyricist/Producer/Arranger Susan Tobocman has been making a name for herself among audiences and musicians alike on both the New York City and Detroit jazz scenes for a number of years. whether leading her own gigs at Zinc Bar (where she was the original artist-in-residence), Cornelia Street Cafe, The Flatiron Room, Fine & Rare, Symphony Space, Highland Ballroom, Smalls, The Bitter End, Birdland, Cliff Bell’s, The Blue Llama, Steinway Jazz Gallery, Smoke, 55 Bar, or Cleopatra’s Needle (among others) -- or as the regular guest of musical luminaries such as Barry Harris, Al Foster, or the late Doc Cheatham -- Susan is equally comfortable working as a leader and/or sideman.
Susan’s extensive repertoire of standards -- from the familiar to the obscure -- is distinctly enhanced by her inventive arrangements, not to mention her original compositions, some of which are strictly instrumental. Among her influences, the Detroit-born singer cites Shirley Horn, Carmen Mcrae, Joao Gilberto, Dena Derose, Johnny Mandel, and Andy Bey. Not only is Tobocman the first-prize recipient of the prestigious National Scholastic Writing Award for poetry, she has also received the Ascaplus composer grant for the past fifteen consecutive years. Susan collaborates as both composer and lyricist with many of New York’s finest jazz musicians; including guitarists Elliott Randall and Pete Mccann, pianists Henry Hey and David Hazeltine, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, and trombonist Steve Davis. Her work is signed to renowned jazz publisher/Grammy-winner Don Sickler; Susan has also written for and been recorded by Denise Donatelli, Norman Simmons, Allan Harris, and Rodgers Grant, among others.
Susan’s professional experience includes numerous European tours as featured artist, several off-broadway musicals, a varied array of national television and radio jingles, touring as keyboardist and vocalist with Tom Tom Club (Talking Heads sans David Byrne), and appearing on ‘Late Night with David Letterman.’ In addition to session work for the MCA and Atlantic record labels -- as well as singing background vocals for Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Wailers, Richie Havens, and Garland Jeffries (to name a few) -- Susan is currently featured on four European as well as three Japanese cds, in addition to her own releases entitled Watercolor Dream (first picked up by Mike Longo’s consolidated artists label), Live in Detroit with the Cliff Monear Trio, Love from Detroit with the Cliff Monear Trio, and of course her newest recording Touch and Go. Susan was also chosen to be a featured artist on the Japanese cd compilation Jazz Bar and is currently a signed recording artist on the eponymous Disk Union label. A re-release of Watercolor Dream is currently available in Japan on the same label, along with Live in Detroit, plus Love from Detroit was just released worldwide this past April. Her newest recording project entitled Touch and Go (a unique musical departure from her previous offerings) was released this past July.
