THE AWARD-WINNING SONGWRITER JOINS VIRTUOSO BASSIST/COMPOSER JOËL DILLEY IN AN INTIMATE EXPLORATION OF THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK.
“What might well be the most honest, haunting and intense version of 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' committed to CD.” —Jim Beal, San Antonio Express-News
“Breathes new life into old songs with fresh arrangements and a flair for the exotic.” —KUT Radio host Jay Trachtenburg, Austin Chronicle
SAN ANTONIO TX: Jazz vocalist/pianist Bett Butler―better known for her off-beat songwriting about dark subject matter (Gilbert Garcia of The Current likens her to a female Charles Bukowski)―now releases American Sampler, her third studio album and first recorded collection of jazz standards by Gershwin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, and others.
She and producer/bassist Joël Dilley chose songs which resonated personally and politically and approached them from a singer/songwriter's point of view, stripping each one to its essence and striving to tell each story as simply and honestly as possible. The result is an album listener comments have characterized as “totally different," “fresh," “mesmerizing," “poignant" and “nuanced," drawing comparisons to Blossom Dearie, Eartha Kitt, and Marlene Dietrich.
The album is dedicated to lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg (“April in Paris,” “Old Devil Moon”). Butler's solo rendition of his timely protest against economic injustice “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” is garnering intense audience and critical reaction: “Never has the song been recorded with such tension and edge," writes Enrique Lopetegui of The Current.
Also included is Harburg's “Over the Rainbow,” with a rarely performed introductory verse breaking into a surprising but joyous samba on the chorus; “My Melancholy Baby,” a soothing lullaby of reassurance; “I Got Rhythm,” an exultant and childlike celebration of romantic love; Irving Berlin’s “Say It Isn’t So,” a world-weary plea for truth; “Witchcraft,” a devilishly playful song of seduction; and Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” delivered with sophisticated cynicism barely masking a shattered heart.
A CD release at Austin's fabled Elephant Room was followed by performances on Florida's west coast, a showcase at SxSW, and a major CD release party at San Antonio's Josephine Theatre. Performances at the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York and a tour of Florida's east coast are scheduled for later this year.
A multi-faceted and eclectic song interpreter who counts Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, Etta James, and Tanya Maria among her influences, Bett Butler frequently conducts songwriting workshops for nationally-recognized literary arts center Gemini Ink's University Without Walls in her home base of San Antonio. She and Joël Dilley are recipients of numerous honors and awards: Butler's song “When Love Has Left the Room" won first place in the jazz category of the 2006 International Songwriting Competition, and Dilley's song “Luz de la Luna" was a nominee last year in the jazz category of the Independent Music Awards. Dilley's music has been licensed for use on HBO, the Discovery Channel, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Playboy Channel, and more. Together, they hold the distinction of being the only married couple to have both won individual grants from the Artist Foundation.
More Praise for Bett Butler
“Butler is a unique package....Her voice, a smooth, slightly husky alto that can slide up to thrilling high notes, has a comfortable, soothing timbre; but she changes attitudes from song to song with the facility of a trained actor, striking a balance somewhere between the silken elegance of Norah Jones and the edginess of Patricia Barber.” —John Swenson, United Press International
“As made clear on 'When Love Has Left the Room' from the new Myths & Fables CD, this San Antonio singer/pianist is a true artist....Her forte is creating rich story songs fluttering over a South American/South Philly soundscape we have to call jazz because the right word hasn't been invented." —Michael Corcoran, Austin-American Statesman
“This talented married couple practically read each other’s minds at this stage of their tasteful musical partnership, which only means the surprises at these intimate shows are conveyed by a nod or a wink or a slight breath between the two. Their musical output has been especially superb of late, from Butler’s piano gracing Dilley’s latest jazz album A New World to the acclaimed collaboration with Azul Barrientos....Playing since she was 3, singer-songwriter Butler’s jazzy, bluesy compositions are a joy to discover — and rediscover." —Hector Saldaña, San Antonio Express-News
“What might well be the most honest, haunting and intense version of 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' committed to CD.” —Jim Beal, San Antonio Express-News
“Breathes new life into old songs with fresh arrangements and a flair for the exotic.” —KUT Radio host Jay Trachtenburg, Austin Chronicle
SAN ANTONIO TX: Jazz vocalist/pianist Bett Butler―better known for her off-beat songwriting about dark subject matter (Gilbert Garcia of The Current likens her to a female Charles Bukowski)―now releases American Sampler, her third studio album and first recorded collection of jazz standards by Gershwin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, and others.
She and producer/bassist Joël Dilley chose songs which resonated personally and politically and approached them from a singer/songwriter's point of view, stripping each one to its essence and striving to tell each story as simply and honestly as possible. The result is an album listener comments have characterized as “totally different," “fresh," “mesmerizing," “poignant" and “nuanced," drawing comparisons to Blossom Dearie, Eartha Kitt, and Marlene Dietrich.
The album is dedicated to lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg (“April in Paris,” “Old Devil Moon”). Butler's solo rendition of his timely protest against economic injustice “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” is garnering intense audience and critical reaction: “Never has the song been recorded with such tension and edge," writes Enrique Lopetegui of The Current.
Also included is Harburg's “Over the Rainbow,” with a rarely performed introductory verse breaking into a surprising but joyous samba on the chorus; “My Melancholy Baby,” a soothing lullaby of reassurance; “I Got Rhythm,” an exultant and childlike celebration of romantic love; Irving Berlin’s “Say It Isn’t So,” a world-weary plea for truth; “Witchcraft,” a devilishly playful song of seduction; and Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” delivered with sophisticated cynicism barely masking a shattered heart.
A CD release at Austin's fabled Elephant Room was followed by performances on Florida's west coast, a showcase at SxSW, and a major CD release party at San Antonio's Josephine Theatre. Performances at the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York and a tour of Florida's east coast are scheduled for later this year.
A multi-faceted and eclectic song interpreter who counts Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln, Etta James, and Tanya Maria among her influences, Bett Butler frequently conducts songwriting workshops for nationally-recognized literary arts center Gemini Ink's University Without Walls in her home base of San Antonio. She and Joël Dilley are recipients of numerous honors and awards: Butler's song “When Love Has Left the Room" won first place in the jazz category of the 2006 International Songwriting Competition, and Dilley's song “Luz de la Luna" was a nominee last year in the jazz category of the Independent Music Awards. Dilley's music has been licensed for use on HBO, the Discovery Channel, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Playboy Channel, and more. Together, they hold the distinction of being the only married couple to have both won individual grants from the Artist Foundation.
More Praise for Bett Butler
“Butler is a unique package....Her voice, a smooth, slightly husky alto that can slide up to thrilling high notes, has a comfortable, soothing timbre; but she changes attitudes from song to song with the facility of a trained actor, striking a balance somewhere between the silken elegance of Norah Jones and the edginess of Patricia Barber.” —John Swenson, United Press International
“As made clear on 'When Love Has Left the Room' from the new Myths & Fables CD, this San Antonio singer/pianist is a true artist....Her forte is creating rich story songs fluttering over a South American/South Philly soundscape we have to call jazz because the right word hasn't been invented." —Michael Corcoran, Austin-American Statesman
“This talented married couple practically read each other’s minds at this stage of their tasteful musical partnership, which only means the surprises at these intimate shows are conveyed by a nod or a wink or a slight breath between the two. Their musical output has been especially superb of late, from Butler’s piano gracing Dilley’s latest jazz album A New World to the acclaimed collaboration with Azul Barrientos....Playing since she was 3, singer-songwriter Butler’s jazzy, bluesy compositions are a joy to discover — and rediscover." —Hector Saldaña, San Antonio Express-News
