Cat's Meow XO by Suzanne Grzanna
Cat's Meow XO by Suzanne Grzanna
When Suzanne Grzanna emerged in the early ‘90s, a revival of interest in swing and the Great American Songbook was underway. She sang those songs mellifluously, played saxophone melodically, and added to the catalog with original numbers in compatible styles. “I'm dedicated to writing songs that live beyond the moment—music with a timeless heart,” she says.
Interest in the swing-rooted music hasn’t waned, and neither has her productivity. Since her debut album, Cat’s Meow (1994), Grzanna has issued nine albums and other tracks on her Diva label. Her tenth album, Cat’s Meow XO, out this month, puts her signature song, “Cat’s Meow,” in a minor Latin mood. Many of the tracks swing, and others bop to a bossa nova beat.
That purring signature tune keeps popping up in her repertoire. Last year, Grzanna released The Cat’s Meow Anniversary Album, a rerecording of songs originally released 30 years earlier. “It was a fresh, new spin,” she explains, describing the new recording gear, down to the new microphones. “The experience was different [than 30 years ago]—and so was my knowledge of how to listen.”
Musical Family
Both her parents were musicians (“they met at the original Cascio Music,” she says) and she began piano lessons at age five. Grzanna took to the stage early, sang with the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus and graduated with a music degree from Carol University (voice and saxophone) but also studied business administration. She has won shelves of awards and nominations, including recent multiple wins from the Radio Music Awards and the Indie Music Chanel Awards—a run for the trophies that began in the ‘90s with a WAMI and a Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee plaque.
Grzanna has also seen chart action. In 2024 her soul-jazz, saxophone-powered instrumental, “Midnight Blue,” was a hit on iTunes, aided by a sprightly video shot on the streets and subways of New York. A year earlier, The Cat’s Meow Anniversary Album also found favor with iTune listeners. She is increasingly focused on videos, filming her bluesy, sexy “Cedar Lodge” in at atmosphere of purple light and silver glitter. Among other motion picture projects, Grzanna contributed her version of “Oh Christmas Tree” to the Hallmark movie My Family Christmas Tree and added music to Kim Cameron’s animated Seaper Powers films. Under the name Sax Diva, she collaborated on bewitching, contemporary dance tracks with Cameron such as “Running Past the Line.”
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In addition to all that, Grzanna is active with the Recording Academy, working for legislation on behalf of musicians’ rights.
Grzanna’s combos have included many of the same musicians over the years, including bassist Hal Miller, pianist Scott Currier and drummer Brian Ford, and she has worked repeatedly with Milwaukee engineer-producer Dave Vartanian. Although she was played at larger events, including a spot in this August’s Boston Jazz Festival, she feels at home in the Packing House, the Bridgewater and other Milwaukee venues. “I like jazz clubs where you get the most intimate connection with the audience,” she says.
Suzanne Grzanna’s album release party takes place 5-6 p.m. Friday Aug. 22 at Let It Be, 716 Clinton St., Waukesha. She will also perform Saturday, Sept.6 at Bridgewater and Friday, Oct. 31 at Packing House.
