Natalie Cressman Checks In From TAB Tour Ahead Of San Francisco EP Release Party

Trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman recently issued The Traces EP featuring five of her new originals. Cressman has been celebrating with a series of EP release parties, the last of which will be held at the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco on Thursday.

Last night Natalie and the Trey Anastasio Band completed the first leg of an extensive tour at Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, where the group continued a trend of debuting covers. Cressman briefly chatted with JamBase about what’s in store on Thursday and how TAB tour has been going including her thoughts on the flood of new covers.

JamBase: What is the format of Thursday’s show and who will be performing with you?

Natalie Cressman: The show will be a much more live/band format than the elaborate production on the EP, definitely a bit looser with a little more room to jam. I’m really excited to have Jill Ryan, an incredible alto saxophonist, flutist and vocalist playing with my band for the first time. We play and sing together in Peter Apfelbaum’s project SPARKLER and even used to be roommates. She’s a total badass and I’ve known her since high school but she lives in Philly now, so we don’t get to perform together as often.

On drums I have Michael Mitchell, who played on my second album Turn The Sea and was the drummer in my band for several years before he moved out West. I’ve been working with pianist Colin Hogan on and off for the last few years, both doing gigs with my group Secret Garden when out West and for some jazz projects including the tribute to trombonist Melba Liston I did at SFJAZZ last year. This is the first time I’m getting to perform with his brother, Steve Hogan, who’s playing bass with us on the 11th. He’s a tremendous bass player and they have an awesome band called The Hogan Brothers which plays around the Bay Area a bunch.

JamBase: Can you tell us a little bit about how TAB tour has been going?

NC: TAB tour has been an absolute blast so far. It’s so much fun to have [percussionist] Cyro [Baptista] back on the road with us and we’ve had a lot of fun developing the new material and covers in soundcheck. It’s been particularly great the way that Trey has somewhat spontaneously thought to pay tribute to different artists, based either on the city we’re in (Chuck Berry song in St. Louis), or someone’s birthday (Willie Nelson) or someone’s passing (Col. Bruce). It’s given each show a very distinct and exciting energy and I love spending time with this musical family. I’m super excited to play Red Rocks with TAB in a few weeks: it’s my favorite venue and is always such a spectacular experience playing there. Being there with TAB will just take things over the top.

JamBase: How did the decision to cover Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still,” which you sing, come about?

NC: Trey heard “Feel It Still” less than a week before tour started and got all excited about covering it. He first off thought the singer in Portugal. The Man sounded a lot like me, and also thought it would be funny if all the songs I sang lead on were all about years before I was born (1977, 1966, 1986). He had no idea it had just come out, then he looked into it more and realized it was a single from an album that wasn’t even out yet and thought it would be “out-cooling every hipster” to play it, so that was that and we worked it out in rehearsal.