The unique, genre-crossing vocal/guitar jazz duo Tuck and Patti are back to woo Maltese audiences with their skilful guitar playing and soulful jazz.

Tuck and Patti.

“We don’t sing or play a single note that doesn’t come from our hearts.”

These are Patti’s words, one half of the unique, genre-crossing vocal/guitar jazz duo called Tuck and Patti, when asked how the duo manages to sing about love without sounding cheesy.

Although I only meet the American duo virtually, that is, we chat over e-mail, their authenticity still comes across.

We don’t speak through agents and their lingo is fun, chatty and peppered with quips. They are humble and follow comments about how talented they are with a “thank you”. And they are definitely easygoing.

The two hardly need an introduction, firstly because this is going to be their third time in Malta (they first came here in 1995, and then in 2002), and secondly because they have been around the musical scene for an impressive 36 years as two talented musicians.

Their bios on their website are effusive, honest and sometimes tongue-in-cheek. We read: “Tuck Andress is a world-class guitarist, but he’s also imbued with the rare gift of good taste.”

His musical partner and wife, Patti Cathcart, is an uncommonly soulful and inventive jazz stylist and among the best scat singers since Ella Fitzgerald.

Further exploration on their website leads to a somewhat original ‘bio’ of Tuck, which starts, and ends, with “I was born”. There goes that sense of humour. But it also leaves the rest of his life as an open slate as it were.

This openness is what drives the couple, what keeps them and their music fresh. Tuck and Patti have been a musical duo for 36 years.

They have been married for 33. Yet, despite having been creating for almost four decades, the two still succeed in keeping things fresh from a creative point of view.

The winning formula? Uncertainty. “I still have no idea what Patti is going to do next, in music or in life!” says Tuck.

That’s a guaranteed recipe for keeping it fresh. “The thing that got us hooked on the duo format was the challenge to pay attention constantly and the combination has made it an unending adventure.”

Patti agrees, noting how their “commitment to being open to go where the music leads us has really made all the difference. That willingness keeps the music fresh and ever exciting.”

Despite having been creating for almost four decades, the two still succeed in keeping things fresh

It comes as no surprise then, they have absolutely no idea what they will be playing in Malta. Well, not quite, and having given concerts for 36 years surely means these musicians know what they are doing, even though Tuck tells me he “hasn’t made a set list in over 26 years, so I never know what’s going to happen, either”.

He reveals how the duo has received some messages from people requesting a favorite song (“We try very hard to accommodate requests”), and he knows they will be presenting some songs from their upcoming CD, “but after that we will all be surprised together”.

Speaking about the new CD, Tuck “thought it was done, but started writing new songs, so he wants to include them.

Patti is renowned for her remarkable ability to touch hearts directly with her voice. She sings like a powerful and gracious gospel singer. Often, one of the signs of talent and skill is that the task is made to appear effortless. The same goes for this duo.

Patti says how as a singer one of her most important jobs is to communicate with every-one listening.

“I truly feel like I am singing to each and every heart that is present.”  In order to prepare, she loves to spend a quiet day with her humidifier putting out stream in my room, but the realities of touring life don’t always make that possible.

But, she says: “A sense of gratitude and joy will take me a long way.  One of the most important things is to be relaxed in your body and your spirit. It makes singing feel effortless.”

But the couple does not keep their talent all to themselves. When they are not touring, they live in San Fransisco Bay Area, where they record and teach students, in person, and via Skype.

After their first album came out in 1988, the two were so busy touring that they had to set aside teaching, which they always both loved.

Finally, a couple of years ago they committed to doing it again.  Students book their own lessons on the duo’s website. “It’s like booking a hotel room online,” says Tuck.

“You choose an available time and select from a menu of lesson types with descriptions, and we all get automatic notifications.” It was really this system that made it practical for them to consider teaching some students again. Recently, they have also been producing, recording and mixing other artists in their studio, and some of this happens via Skype as well.

When asked whether Tuck has a concert that particularly stands out in his memory, he says it’s usually the last one.

“For us each is a singular, unique experience.” How exciting that their next memorable one will be Malta’s.

Tuck and Patti will perform on Tuesday at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta. The Animae Gospel Choir will open the performance.

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