Jean Mancini Gough is a
classically trained singer, and some may recognize her from her longstanding
role as a featured vocalist at the First
Unitarian Church
in Worcester.
But about 10 years ago Gough decided to explore the jazz scene in Worcester and
was told that a good place to start was the weekly jazz jam guitarist Jay Tyer was
at the time running at the Java Hut .
“I was surprised,” Gough says
looking back. “Just because I was trained in classical, I didn’t
know what I was doing in the jazz setting, especially about the improvising. It
opened my eyes.”
But the experience didn’t turn
her away from jazz. Gough studied with Tyer and attended summer programs at the
Vermont Jazz Center.
By the time came to record her CD
“With Friends,” Gough had plenty of experiences working a jazz repertoire
throughout Massachusetts
with a good bench of fellow freelance players.
“With the CD, the master plan was
not detailed. I just trusted the players
I chose to do their own thing,” she says.
And she did hers; Gough sings
with a precision and control that simply enhances the emotional resonance of
her performances. She can take the well-trod “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” for
example, and turn it mesmerizing.
Gough admits to a fondness for
melancholy songs, but promises an appropriately cozy performance for her
Valentine’s Day show at the Coppertop. The music starts at 8 p.m. Thursday, and
Gough will have a keyboard player, drummer, guitarist, and bass player joining
her
“I like happy-go-lucky songs
too,” she says
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