Jazz singer-songwriter Courtney Cutchins announces debut album, S.C. performance

Part-time HHI resident to bring grunge-influenced sound home

A singer with an uncommon command of her luminous voice and an organic, soulful and dramatic sense of phrasing a lyric, Seattle native and part-time Hilton Head Island resident Courtney Cutchins is also a vivid storyteller and prolific songwriter.

All of those qualities come to bear as she debuts as a leader with “Grunge to Grace” (Laseryn Music), available everywhere from Oct. 18.

Cutchins is backed by a stellar crew of rising stars on the New York jazz scene, her other part-time home. With help from pianist-producer David Cook (Taylor Swift, Mark Guiliana, Lizz Wright), guitarist Nir Felder (Keyon Harrold, Terri Lyne Carrington), bassist Matt Clohesy (Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Maria Schneider Orchestra) and drummer Obed Calvaire (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Dave Holland, Cécile McLorin Salvant) — Cutchins deals in purely authentic terms on six stirring originals and three re-imagined anthems from her ’90s youth in Seattle by grunge rock luminaries Nirvana and Soundgarden.

The album’s songs of self-discovery reveal a singer-songwriter immersed in jazz through her college years in Seattle and New York but still felt a symbolic connection to the music of an earlier time in her life. Both sides represent the full picture of a singer coming into her own with “Grunge to Grace.”

“These deep, introspective grunge rock songs make sense to me,” said Cutchins, who spent three years in New York City and currently splits her time between there and the Lowcountry. “They fit the theme of this album, which is about living in your authentic truth. It’s about the journey to become who you are and who you want to be.”

Recorded at Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, “Grunge to Grace” is the culmination of an idea that was sparked nine years ago and picked up momentum through the years. As Cutchins wrote in the liner notes:

“In 2015, while navigating difficult times, I found my way to a supportive music therapy exercise that encouraged people to rediscover songs from early childhood that bring you joy. After combing through dozens of Disney soundtracks, folk songs and Muppets movies, an unexpected memory hit me from when I was growing up in the Seattle area — hearing Soundgarden’s mystical, soaring ‘Black Hole Sun’ on the radio. With this song as my muse, I created a variety of reinventions of grunge tunes from my youth and had some of the most fun ever performing them in NYC.”

Cutchins will celebrate the album ahead of its release with a performance at Soundwaves on Hilton Head Island, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m., with special guest David Cook. Tickets and additional information are available at courtneycutchins.com.