The timeline given in the site’s bio is sketchy, but indicates that somewhere along the line she spent five years in Switzerland as part of a duo, singing “Jazz and original tunes of strong R & B and Rock & Roll origin,” as well as playing original material with a group of her own. Back in New York, she continued to pursue the Jazz muse, ultimately hooking up with Michael Franks, with whom she has “toured the world since 1993 (and been) featured on several of the duets he has written.” On this, her “new solo album” (as her website describes it), she certainly validates her cabaret credentials, while earning solid Jazz credits.

Though her website annotator suggests her voice is “reminiscent of early Abbey Lincoln and Carmen McRae,” I found her vocal approach to suggest Audra McDonald unleashed, which is never truer than in the surprising Jazzification of Stephen Sondheim’s “Finch” (from “Sweeney Todd”), which is often treated as if it were simply intended as a showcase for the resident soprano’s vocal virtuosity. Nunn and company clearly have other ideas and slice neatly through the song’s self-mocking air of melodic hyperbole (perfectly appropriate in the context of the show) with a healthy rhythmic surge, in the midst of which Kebbi Williams plays some bristling post-Trane tenor. 

My bet is that Sondheim, himself, would heartily approve. The opening medley contains more Sondheim, and the intertwining of Gladys Rich’s lovely “Lullaby” with “Not While” (also from “Sweeney Todd”) comes off as seamlessly as a hand-sewn Bendel Bonnet, with more strong tenoring from Williams as a bonus. Ms. Nunn can swing, as she demonstrates on “Don’t” and “Wonderful,” both featuring even more gritty tenor from Williams, as well as some Fuller-some slide from Ron Westray. “Living Room,” by Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, is a marvelous track, with a succinctly direct vocal attack from Nunn and a beautifully resolved trombone statement from Westray. Ms. N. sings “Meaning” as well as it can be sung, but “Porgy” is a slight letdown, in that she seems to be avoiding the song’s inherent pathos, by replacing the lyric’s edgy desperation with an inappropriate air of rhapsodic serenity. Certainly, Ms. Nunn is familiar with “Porgy & Bess” and knows what the song is all about, in terms of Bess’ triangular love life predicament. “You Know” is the singer’s own tune, and “Joy” a collaborative effort with Gerald Niewood. Both indicate that Ms. Nunn is as clear-headed and aesthetically economical in composing and lyric writing as she is in employing her voice.