Miss Tess
Named by the Boston Globe as a "Local on the Verge" for 2008, Miss Tess is a young, Boston-based performing songwriter. Aptly naming her style “Modern Vintage” , her music bridges eras and genres. Miss Tess is celebrating being named “Outstanding Folk Artist of the Year” at the December Boston Music Awards. The Folk part was a surprise but the award is much appreciated. Another small career breakthrough came from being booked on the 2008 Cayamo cruise with headliners Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett. This came about after she won the prestigious 27th Biannual Open Mic Shootout at Eddie’s Attic, Decatur, GA. She has just released her fourth album, "Live on the Road", a collection of live performances from venues including Club Passim (Cambridge), Eddie's Attic (Decatur, GA), Norm's River Roadhouse (Nashville), and WDVX (Knoxville).
"Although it may be true that every musician is a dreamer, only the good ones can convince you to join in on their fantasies. Armed with a rhythm guitar, a songbook full of down-on-your-luck lyrics, and a seemingly endless supply of fancy hats, Miss Tess is reimagining the golden age of jazz in 21st-century Boston and taking the rest of us along for the ride.
Tess finds her muse in anything old-fashioned, harking back to that bygone era when musicians wore suits or dresses and jazz was played as often in ballrooms as in bars. Accompanied by The Bon Ton Parade, a small ensemble that leans heavily on brushed drums and saxophone, the group taps into that laid-back cabaret sound that appeals to the vagabond lurking inside of all of us.
Tess has recorded four albums of standards and original songs, but the best way to experience her is live. A her smoky voice drags seductively behind the rhythm, she transforms even the dingiest barroom into a dance floor and tempts you–for one night, at least–to drift back to a classier time." –Justin Shatwell, Yankee Magazine