She may be just 22 years of age, but jazz singer Veronica Swift is no novice.
The daughter of veteran jazz pianist Hod O’Brien and vocalist Stephanie Nakasian, Swift’s professional career began at age nine when she began touring with her parents.
The family act appeared at the Jazz Standard in New York City, the Blues Alley Jazz Club in Washington, D.C. and for the New Jersey and Hilton Head jazz societies.
Such solid experience—along with some decidedly dynamic genes—has turned her into a powerhouse vocalist with remarkable range both musically and emotionally.
Listen to her unusually uptempo version of the 1941 standard, “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” Delivered in a scolding, scorning, sarcastic tone, the melodious lyrics give way to a lengthy carefree scat climaxing in a falsetto finale.
Then—accompanied only by piano—Swift does justice to “Lonely Woman,” written by Benny Carter and popularized in 1955 by June Christy and Stan Kenton. Singing with conviction, Swift steers the ballad from whisper to wail before her higher range suddenly dips into baritone musing, revealing a depth of feeling that belies her youthful beauty and innocence.
“Men spurn and shun me,” she sings. “Please send someone to love me to take my loneliness from me.”
Her repertoire leans toward bop on tunes such as “Tunisia,” “Just in Time” and “Yardbird
