Anaïs Reno At PizzaExpress Live - In London (PX Records) Out now

(5 / 5)

There is a very good reason why this album has been chosen as Music Republic Magazine’s 2023 ‘Live Album Of The Year’ – and why 19-year-old Anaïs also gets a nod in our best “New Artist” category in the end of year ‘Best Of’ round-up.

The reason is simple: This artist’s voice is astounding for one so young and for the style of music she sings. This live album, recorded in London, is simply wonderful.

Her sublime voice, a throw back to the days of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, stops traffic; especially when we realise Anaïs is still a teenager. The New York artist’s “Anaïs Reno At PizzaExpress Live – In London”, offers up 11 jazz standards sprinkled with loveliness. It is quite special.

Born in Switzerland in 2003 to an opera singer father and violinist mother, Anaïs Reno moved with her parents to New York as a baby. At 12-years-old, she began to sit in regularly at Birdland in New York at open mic’ nights.

After winning the 2016 Forte International Competition’s Platinum Award at Carnegie Hall, Anaïs went on to achieve second place at Michael Feinstein’s Great American Song Book Academy competition in the summer of 2018 [At 14, the youngest contestant ever.] At 16, Anaïs released her debut album “Lovesome Thing”, which debuted at number six in the jazz charts.

Channeling the greats such as Ella and Ms Vaughan, this album showcases a classy and mature voice. It’s no clever impression either of what she thinks a classic jazz singer should sound like; her silky smooth voice is as innate as it can be, and could be a 40, 50, 60+ year-old veteran of this music ,singing her heart out across this album.

But as already established, this lady is a 19-year-old teenager with a flawless voice. Recorded in July 2023, and backed here by the accomplished band of Pete Malinverni on piano, Dave Green on bass and Josh Morrison on drums.

Most of the jazz standards here are well covered by many artists across decades. But Anaïs Reno makes them her own and is totally at ease; as natural sounding as she could be; like a veteran of many decades of doing this job in front of an audience of jazz fans – and many of those fans will know this material word for word, note by note.

Opening with Cole Porter’s “It’s De-Lovely”, then on to Duke Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me”, Jobim’s “Girl From Ipanema”, Irving Berlin’s “Supper Time”, Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite” and among the songs chosen is a second Porter-penned tune, “At Long Last Love” and to close the set, Billy Joel’s “And So it Goes”; my favourite vocal of the 11.

It would be impossible to be too verbose about just how good this artist is and how unique a voice she has for her age. I’ll shut up now, but while I do not wish to come across as an advertising copywriter or make this review into a giant plug, as though I am on the record label’s marketing team; I urge every reader to grab this album and marvel at what you will hear. Thank me later.

I am smiling now broadly – not just because of this gorgeous record, but because I cannot help visualising the likes of Ms Fitzgerald, Miss Vaughan et al wearing Converse boots with their concert gown, just like the teenage Ms Reno does!

A star is born…..