I recently found such an appreciation for jazz music and various musicians. I listen to jazz music every day and even my 8 year old son, has grown to appreciate listening to jazz. Lizzie Thomas is a jazz artist that recently caught my attention. Her smooth and beautiful vocals are so effortless, and set listeners up for such an original experience.

Lizzie started studying classical piano at the age of 8, clarinet at 10, and at age 12 she began working on her vocal craft. She lived in Nashville (my hometown :)) for about 10 years and with a Vocal Performance BA degree from Belmont University where she studied with Sandra Dudley. During her time in Nashville, she worked with many indie alternative bands on keyboards while developing her authentic jazz presence and voice.

 

Lizzie currently lives in NYC as a jazz singer with also a career in fashion management that she retired from 2 years ago. She also has released 4 albums. She has won high praise performing and/or recording with many, including Russell Malone, Jay Leonhart, Xavier Davis, Alvester Garnett, Michael Kanan, Ron Affif, Frank Lacy, Antoine Drye, Pasquale Grasso, and John Colianni. Lizzie Thomas performs regularly in NYC at jazz clubs, hotels, restaurants, private parties and corporate events. For ten years she has held a resident monthly gig at 90 Thompson St in Soho, NYC.

“I love that I can call a tune, for the rest of my life and I will never sing it the same way. That’s freedom, that’s provocative – That’s jazz.”

 

Lizzie Thomas has recorded four albums to date and released each independently. More Than You Know (2010), Easy To Love (2013), and her timeless holiday offering Santa Baby. Her latest album New Sounds From the Jazz Age released in January of 2020 has a very unique sound with the recreation of a vintage technique. The vocalist and all musicians are in one room with no booths, headphones or separation. The technique Lizzie chose for her latest album allows for her and the musicians to have a very authentic recording experience. Lizzie’s decision to record this way instantly reveals the level of musicianship on this album. Musicians must be incredibly skilled with solid intonation for vintage recording to be successful. The challenge of this style has no overdubs or do overs. Basically, everyone on the recording has to be on their A-game. This album is a raw and real expression of jazz music with the sultry yet strong jazz vocals of Lizzie Thomas.

Check out Lizzie Thomas at the links below. She also has a live streaming show on Sunday November 15th with details below!

“JAZZ on 38” Live Stream from The Four Seasons 
NOVEMBER 15th ⭐️ Sunday Jazz ⭐️ 3pm EST ⠀
Lizzie Thomas (voice) with John DiMartino (piano)
Tickets $15
Buy your ticket pre-show and watch the show LIVE or anytime after it airs on Lizzie’s website.

 

 

 

The food portion of this feature was so fun to create. Lizzie Thomas loves a variety of different flavors on her plate!

I don’t mind if my food is all piled on top of each other, or separate flavors on a plate, that I then pile on top of each other! I love sauces, & chutneys. So bring on a lingonberry, cranberry and orange chutney while it dances along side of a fresh cooling cucumber, dill and yogurt type sauce. I believe each dish must have some type of fresh herb, veggie, fruit to top it off.
Her favorite spices are tarragon, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. She does crave salty snacks and in particular tortilla chips with guacamole or salsa are her go-to snacks. Lizzie’s favorite desserts include caramel or Lemon Italian Ice. She starts her day with an Americano with cinnamon and a dab of cream or half & half. When she sings, she drinks water and hot water with lemon & honey. After the gig, she’s craving whatever has cheese on it since she can’t eat dairy before a gig and a nice glass of red wine. She’s a huge wine fan that loves the Sangiovese grape, so Brunello di Montalcino is her favorite wine and Tuscany region wines. Lizzie is not a huge fan of cooking herself, however, her mom was a dietician so she knows what to cook and is actually a good cook. She loves trying new foods and recipes in cookbooks.
I tend to make fish and meat dishes that I prepare, throw in a baking dish into the oven and then come back to. Of course it must be topped with a fresh herb and a sauce! haha.
For Lizzie, I felt like some chutney and good cheese are in absolute order. With the holiday season, a cranberry chutney would be a great part of any appetizer. I decided to use the chutney two ways by topping it on a warm crostini with Brie and trying it on top of a baked Brie served with a fresh, sliced baguette. Both ways are phenomenal and an easy, crowd pleasing appetizer for a night in or hosting friends during the holidays. Check out the recipe below!

 

 

Cranberry Chutney with Warm Brie Crostini or Baked Brie

Ingredients

  • 1 baguette freshly sliced or a multi-grain bread if you prefer ( you will need this for either recipe style)
  • 1 package of  6 oz. Brie 
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 12 oz package of fresh cranberries
  • 1 granny smith apple, diced
  • 3/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup of raisins
  • zest of an orange
  • 1/4 cup of chopped pecans for topping
  • Rosemary sprig for garnish along with extra orange zest

 

 

Directions

  1. In a medium sauce pan, combine cranberries, orange juice, raisins, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and apple and stir. Bring to a boil on medium high, stirring occasionally until cranberries begin to pop. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes until thick. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool. You can make the chutney 1-2 days ahead of time.
  2. For crostini, start by preheating oven to 375°F.
  3. Take the sliced multi-grain crostini or baguette on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush olive oil onto each slice.
  4. Add slices of Brie to each piece of bread.
  5. Bake for 7 minutes until Brie is melted. Remove from oven and add a spoonful of chutney to each and sprinkle with pecans, orange zest and a sprig of rosemary. Serve immediately.

 

 

  • If you decide to create this recipe with the baked Brie option
  • Simply make your chutney as described above. Do not slice the Brie and leave it whole.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the Brie on a parchment lined pan and bake for 7 minutes.
  • Serve immediately topped with chutney, pecans, orange zest and rosemary sprigs. Serve fresh baguette slices or even crackers on the side.