Setsuko Hata
The Gardenia, West Hollywood, CA, November 10, 2023
Review by Les Traub
Singer, songwriter, and arranger Setsuko Hata made an impressive debut at the Gardenia. Billed as the Setsuko Hata Quintet, featuring guitarist, Dave Snow, the ensemble had some top-notch instrumentalists, including Dalton Hayse on piano. This was also a debut of sorts for Hayse, who had just received his musical degree from USC; pleased be advised that you will hear a lot from this brilliant pianist in the future.
Hata kicked off with an unorthodox opening, Clifford Brown’s wordless jazz composition “Sandu,” in which she traded a series of “oh, oh” phrases with the audience before soaring out on her own. This was a really effective way to begin the evening. It also displayed the versatility of her voice and her bona fide jazz chops.
She engaged directly with the audience during the show, which offered a mix of jazz standards and some originals that held their own with the standards. She introduced each of the standards by saying what the song was trying to convey and what it meant to her. After describing herself as being “spiritual” (in the broadest sense), she spoke deeply about her connection with the songs.
Hata’s first standard, “The Very Thought of You” (Ray Noble), was taken at an easy pace that enabled her to display her sensitivity to the lyrics, which is not always the case with some jazz singers who want to showcase the voice. She took a joyous ride through another standard, “No More Blues” (Antonio Carlos Jobim/Vinicius de Moraes, English lyric by Jon Hendricks/Jessie Cavanaugh). The lyric tied into the positive nature of her originals. “Time Flames” (Setsuko Hata) was all about connections, and connecting with the audience was something she did throughout her show. She followed with an ethereal take on “You Stepped Out of a Dream” (Nacio Herb Brown/Gus Kahn).
Hata and Snow had attended the Gardenia Open Mic a few days earlier, and they decided to add “Some Other Time” (Leonard Bernstein/Betty Comden & Adolph Green), a song they had heard that evening, to the song list for this show. Hata demonstrated her arranging skills by quickly coming up with a beautiful arrangement, and the instrumentalists demonstrated the high level of their musicianship by performing it flawlessly with no rehearsal. Throughout the evening they all showed their individual talents in their solos in most of the songs. Snow’s accompaniment effectively paired with Hata’s vocals, and his solos were a pleasure to listen to.
Hata closed with another of her originals, “All I Have Been Searching For,” that once again again communicated a very personal journey into her soul. Her combination of meaningful attention to the lyrics, a versatile wide-ranging voice, very skillful scat singing, and a confident manner made for an enchanting evening.
