Patricia Adams

"I remember the first few times I caught Patricia Adams doing her monthly gig at Ryles. She was personable and did a fine job of engaging the audience. And she was a game vocalist, . . . I was drawn to her willingness to fail . . . Since that time I have—almost as a byproduct of my reviews of her performances—documented her progress from those early stages in her development. One of the intriguing things about the evolution of her performances is that she did not start out as a graduate of Berklee or some other music school. She began her musical pursuits in retirement. If we use “normalcy” as a measure, what she did was just plain stupid. When one considers the late start and the fact that she began her career when most vocalists’ voices are failing, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that she has some screws loose. And, while she may in fact have some screws loose, they haven’t gotten in the way of her pursuit. Over the years she has plodded away, working on new material, seeking advice from Ray Santisi and other experienced musicians, and showing up at the Inman Square club with sword in one hand and microphone in the other, tackling with determination each week’s (usually) full house. I was thinking about such things as I listened to her work with Ray Santisi, Dave Zox (doing a fine job subbing for Greg Loughman), and Gary Johnson 3/7 at the club. Patricia’s progress has been more than remarkable. Her voice has improved and—even more important—she has much better command of how to use it. Even on those rare occasions when she finds herself in over her head, she does not fight the song. She let’s it—sometimes eventually—come to her. And all of this improvement has resulted in confidence, not the studied and sometimes forced “confidence” she and others on the upward path engage in, but a great calm of self-assurance indicating that she knows what she is trying to do and that occasional failure is merely a price you pay on the way. Now the larger fundamentals are behind her, and she can hone the finer fundamentals and pursue—as all the fine vocalists preceding her did—the art of repertoire. That’s an ongoing tall order. But at least she has no reason to fight her way through the material. Happily I saw no evidence of the sword on my March visit to witness her music... " Boston Jazz Scene, March 2010 CD Review: “First Sundays comes from a regular first Sunday of the month gig at Ryles Jazz club in Boston where a quartet led by vocalist Patricia Adams holds forth. It’s an old school presentation, even to the point of announcing the songwriters before doing each song, but it works. Adams has a deep, mature voice with a hint of Carmen McRae to it and she is experienced enough to find some new life in the old chestnuts she sings. Her vibrating, veteran voice is an asset for conveying the requisite emotion of rueful ballads like “If You Could See Me Now” and “I’ve Got It Bad.” She has sensitive and classy backing also with Ray Santisi doing a lot of frisky arpeg¬gios behind the singing and also sneaking in a perky solo here and there.” Jerome Wilson, CADENCE Magazine, April/May/June 2009 "Patricia Adams and the Ray Santisi Trio (with Greg Loughman and Gary Johnson) - - the trio is superb and the vocalist keeps growing. The changes are subtle. She has worked with a good deal of confidence for some time now but she's taken another step beyond mere assuredness. Her presence these days is calm. There is no hurry. There is no angst. As a result her stage presence is smoother and her interaction with the audience is more "informal". None of this is casual. It all has intent, an intent that shows to advantage in her singing. Because she is focused and calm, her voice seems to obey her more effectively. Wherever she takes the sounds, the impression is that the result is exactly what she wanted, even when she takes chances. It's a lot of fun to witness." CADENCE Magazine, Spring 2008 “Ryles was having a private party 6/2 and wanted to follow that with a Jazz group. Patricia Adams, Ray Santisi and friends took up the challenge. Throughout the first set the audience did grow, and it was a lucky audience. Patricia Adams is supposed to be retired, but she’s offering the best singing of her life right now. Ray Santisi grabbed Dave Zox and Bob Savine to replace the regulars and two very interesting things happened. The three instrumentalists do not play with each other regularly, but they are all reliable veterans. And so we had the fine experience of hearing very good music during the first set and the group really came together during the second set. That’s what real pros can do. The other interesting development was the clinic that Ray put on. I’m not a piano player but even in my ignorance I found myself shaking my head in amazement. No doubt any piano player in the audience would have been inspired-or perhaps frightened into giving up the instrument. It was a master indulging in the sheer joy of tackling the possibilities (maybe the impossibilities of the instrument.” Stu Vandermark, CADENCE Magazine, August 2007

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"I remember the first few times I caught Patricia Adams doing her monthly gig at Ryles. She was personable and did a fine job of engaging the audience. And she was a game vocalist, . . . I was drawn to her willingness to fail . . . Since that time I have—almost as a byproduct of my reviews of her performances—documented her progress from those early stages in her development. One of the intriguing things about the evolution of her performances is that she did not start out as a graduate of Berklee or some other music school. She began her musical pursuits in retirement. If we use “normalcy” as a measure, what she did was just plain stupid. When one considers the late start and the fact that she began her career when most vocalists’ voices are failing, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that she has some screws loose. And, while she may in fact have some screws loose, they haven’t gotten in the way of her pursuit. Over the years she has plodded away, working on new material, seeking advice from Ray Santisi and other experienced musicians, and showing up at the Inman Square club with sword in one hand and microphone in the other, tackling with determination each week’s (usually) full house. I was thinking about such things as I listened to her work with Ray Santisi, Dave Zox (doing a fine job subbing for Greg Loughman), and Gary Johnson 3/7 at the club. Patricia’s progress has been more than remarkable. Her voice has improved and—even more important—she has much better command of how to use it. Even on those rare occasions when she finds herself in over her head, she does not fight the song. She let’s it—sometimes eventually—come to her. And all of this improvement has resulted in confidence, not the studied and sometimes forced “confidence” she and others on the upward path engage in, but a great calm of self-assurance indicating that she knows what she is trying to do and that occasional failure is merely a price you pay on the way. Now the larger fundamentals are behind her, and she can hone the finer fundamentals and pursue—as all the fine vocalists preceding her did—the art of repertoire. That’s an ongoing tall order. But at least she has no reason to fight her way through the material. Happily I saw no evidence of the sword on my March visit to witness her music... " Boston Jazz Scene, March 2010 CD Review: “First Sundays comes from a regular first Sunday of the month gig at Ryles Jazz club in Boston where a quartet led by vocalist Patricia Adams holds forth. It’s an old school presentation, even to the point of announcing the songwriters before doing each song, but it works. Adams has a deep, mature voice with a hint of Carmen McRae to it and she is experienced enough to find some new life in the old chestnuts she sings. Her vibrating, veteran voice is an asset for conveying the requisite emotion of rueful ballads like “If You Could See Me Now” and “I’ve Got It Bad.” She has sensitive and classy backing also with Ray Santisi doing a lot of frisky arpeg¬gios behind the singing and also sneaking in a perky solo here and there.” Jerome Wilson, CADENCE Magazine, April/May/June 2009 "Patricia Adams and the Ray Santisi Trio (with Greg Loughman and Gary Johnson) - - the trio is superb and the vocalist keeps growing. The changes are subtle. She has worked with a good deal of confidence for some time now but she's taken another step beyond mere assuredness. Her presence these days is calm. There is no hurry. There is no angst. As a result her stage presence is smoother and her interaction with the audience is more "informal". None of this is casual. It all has intent, an intent that shows to advantage in her singing. Because she is focused and calm, her voice seems to obey her more effectively. Wherever she takes the sounds, the impression is that the result is exactly what she wanted, even when she takes chances. It's a lot of fun to witness." CADENCE Magazine, Spring 2008 “Ryles was having a private party 6/2 and wanted to follow that with a Jazz group. Patricia Adams, Ray Santisi and friends took up the challenge. Throughout the first set the audience did grow, and it was a lucky audience. Patricia Adams is supposed to be retired, but she’s offering the best singing of her life right now. Ray Santisi grabbed Dave Zox and Bob Savine to replace the regulars and two very interesting things happened. The three instrumentalists do not play with each other regularly, but they are all reliable veterans. And so we had the fine experience of hearing very good music during the first set and the group really came together during the second set. That’s what real pros can do. The other interesting development was the clinic that Ray put on. I’m not a piano player but even in my ignorance I found myself shaking my head in amazement. No doubt any piano player in the audience would have been inspired-or perhaps frightened into giving up the instrument. It was a master indulging in the sheer joy of tackling the possibilities (maybe the impossibilities of the instrument.” Stu Vandermark, CADENCE Magazine, August 2007

" . . . It happens every time I go there [Ryles Jazz Club]. Again, I ended up sitting at the bar during the 4/1 brunch because there was a twenty-minute wait for a table. And this was after noon. Later I was able to get a table down close because things settle down by 1:30. If you came for the piano, there was plenty of it in the form of Ray Santisi's trio featuring Greg Loughman and Gary Johnson . By now they really work as a team. But it is Patricia Adams' gig, and the focus is her singing (in conversation with an active piano, bass and drums). So, no matter what you show up to listen to, you get plenty of it, and it's all high quality stuff. I found Patricia's singing particularly convincing on that gig." Stu Vandermark, CADENCE Magazine, June 2007

"How can a woman with this many years in middle management sound so warm and personable, and even a bit like Lena Horne? Go! doesn't know, but she's got it." The BOSTON GLOBE, December 2004

"I went to Ryles 2/5 to check out the jazz brunch featuring the music of Patricia Adams, Ray Santisi and friends. It was one of the coldest days of the year; I figured I'd have an easy time getting a good seat. Much to my surprise people were lined up outside the club waiting to get in. I'm a coward. I abandoned the idea of getting a table and carried out an end run by having my meal at the bar. I was able to hear most of what was happening within the quartet above the din. It's easy to say that people show up Sunday mornings to get some food and chat; there is a lot of talking that goes on. But the audience seems to get bigger each time I show up. There has been no change to the menu. Some local convention may account for an occasional increase now and then,. But it would not account for the gradual increase in audience size over time. I doubt that the conversations are improving. Maybe it's the music. Maybe the audience is hearing it better and wants to hear more. I suppose that it's possible really good music could draw a crowd. Maybe that's what's going on . . ." CADENCE Magazine, April 2007

"10/1 brunch at Ryles . . . And then there's Ray, perhaps buoyed by the happy connection between bass and drums, dancing even more beautifully than usual (yes, it is possible). No wonder Patricia Adams sounded so upbeat throughout the last two sets that I caught. She had plenty to be happy about, not the least of which is the fact that more and more listeners are showing up. It's food for the ears." CADENCE Magazine, December 2006

“ . . Ryles 8/5 turned out to be quite a highlight in August. In a town having more than its share of superb bass players John Repucci . . . was operating in a trio setting with Ray Santisi and Bob Moses, both performing up to their substantial reputations. . . backing up Patricia Adams who was telling stories to a very attentive audience. Oh if all audiences could be that good at the usually noisy club. But maybe they heard what I heard, a vocalist who has developed a rep and who keeps getting better anyway. A special evening.”, CADENCE Magazine, October 2006

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