Reviews

• Thomas, a longtime admirer of jazz, wrote Scat as an inversion of the stylistic technique in which jazz singers (Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan and Bobby McFerrin, among many others) imitate instruments either wordlessly or with random syllables and nonsense words. Her combination of oboe (or flute), violin, viola, cello and piano (or harpsichord) employs some gestures and elements typical of jazz, but comes across as a free-form, propulsive chamber work infused with tightly-coiled energy. The Walden performers successfully captured the improvisational spirit of the eight-minute work. Thomas has created a fascinating piece that honors the jazz tradition while avoiding imitative "crossover" techniques. Scat is well worth additional hearings.
  Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle, 14/11/2007