MUSIC

Jazz vocalist Claire Dickson, age 14, winner of the national Downbeat Magazine Student Jazz Award for Junior High School jazz vocals will celebrate the release of her first CD, “Scattin’ Doll.” Joining her is her trio of Michael McLaughlin, piano; Greg Loughman, bass; and Eric Rosenthal, drums and special guests. Claire is a remarkable vocalist, regardless of age, and has been turning heads with gigs at Ryles, Amazing Things Arts Center, the Lily Pad, Club Passim, and at Jordan Hall, where she sang on Ran Blake's Chabrol Noir Concert in November.

On her new CD, “Scattin’ Doll, Claire effortlessly spins off tunes by Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Gershwin, and others, material that almost any singer would find daunting. But, as the title implies, she more than just sings the tunes, she has emerged as a remarkable improviser and reinterpreter, scatting wordless Charlie Parker tunes, improvising on standards like “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” and showing a deep sense of the blues on “Black Coffee.”

“Dickson has a voice that sounds uncannily mature and swinging” –Bob Young, Boston Herald