Photo by Lucie Monk Carter
Quiana Lynell’s commanding voice radiates from the microphone, from start to finish, sometimes as an outpouring of lyrics or an unpredictable freestyle bop that runs circles around the brain. Her vocals and personality are at the forefront of each song, bringing a modern flair to the jazz covers in which she and her band, the Lush Life, are rooted. However, the range of tempo and tone make Lynell and the Lush Life hard to place firmly in one genre. Lynell’s soulful vocals extend through the rhythm and blues spectrum, jazz and blues, pop and funk—even opera.
It’s that widely ranging talent that landed her a spot in the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s (BRSO) upcoming Pops concert, titled Home for the Holidays, on December 4 and 6 at the Baton Rouge River Center. The concert, directed by maestro Timothy Muffitt, invites numerous musicians to perform alongside the orchestra and symphony chorus. But Lynell, in addition to her trademark style of scat and variety of musical influences, brings to the stage a story of heartbreak and of personal revival.
Singing on stage has been a dream of Lynell’s since childhood, but her rise in the local scene has only been recent. “That came after I realized I’m worth everything I needed and wanted to accomplish in life,” said Lynell. “No one’s going to find you unless you’re making some noise, and now I’m making noise.”
Starting in the local bars and clubs in New Orleans and Baton Rouge covering the jazz standards, Lynell made enough noise to build a network of jazz and blues musicians in the area. Most recently, Lynell and the Lush Life have put together their first original EP, titled Loving Me.
The EP—five original tracks and one jazz cover—is a retelling of Lynell’s journey to self-acceptance after an unhappy marriage, she said. The album is scheduled to be released on New Year’s Day.
“The transition of learning to love myself and realizing [that] the foolishness I was dealing with was not even acceptable,” she said. “Whatever love you give to someone you should expect to receive in return. I had to learn how to value myself and value what I’m worth. The songs really talk about that transition of figuring out, This isn’t quite right, and that, once you’ve found something that’s right, how to hold onto it, because you’re so used to something that’s wrong.
“It was a process. When you’re in a marriage, and your whole life you’ve been wanting [to be married], half of you says, ‘It’s not that bad. At least he’s not a gambler; at least the bills are paid.’ I would say I was a hopeless romantic before I was scorned, but I’m not scorned anymore.”
Just like her major influences—Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Tina Turner, to name a few—Lynell uses her own experiences to comfort her audience through music. “A couple of the songs I have, I’m not in that moment anymore; but it’s where I was and it’s where someone else is and is going to be.”
Being such a wide-ranging vocalist is one thing, but being a performer and a storyteller who can make those moments come alive is another, she suggested. “Every time I step on stage, I am delivering my soul.”
That soulfulness must have shone through when, while teaching a group of children at a blues-themed summer camp at the West Baton Rouge Museum (Lynell is also a full-time music instructor for elementary students in Gonzales), a local musician overheard her singing. Shortly thereafter, James Hanna, director of BRSO’s artistic operations, contacted Lynell to see if she would perform at the holiday pops concert. “We don’t consider her just a blues musician,” he said. “We consider her someone who can do everything. She’s got an incredible range, and I think she’s a perfect fit for what we do.”
Lynell is scheduled to perform several pieces throughout the two-hour concert alongside the orchestra, symphony choir, and other guest musicians, beginning with traditional holiday standards, such as “O Holy Night,” and ending with the much jazzier “Santa Baby” and other popular Christmas tunes. “Usually when places call me, it’s to do one thing. [But] I get to sing everything that I can do with my voice at the pops concert,” Lynell said. “That’s exactly what I want to do. … That makes me excited.”
Details. Details. Details.
Home for the Holiday Pops Concert Friday, December 4 at 7:30 pm Sunday, December 3 at 3 pm brso.org
