pop-jazz pianist/singer Angela Ortiz heads to The Red Door

New York-based pianist and singer Angela Ortiz opens her debut release, “All About You,” with a line that sets an appropriate theme for the remainder of the album. The 27-year old finds herself at a turning point in her life. Nostalgic for the past but eager for the future, weighed down by her troubles but buoyed by her sense of hope, Ortiz’s mood shifts from one moment to the next.  

“One day I’ll be okay, the next I’ll be unkind. / When I catch up with myself, you’ll be too far behind,” she sings in the disc’s opening track, “Everyone Changes.”

At the tail end of a summer tour that brought her up and down both coasts, Ortiz heads to The Red Door in Portsmouth on Monday, Sept. 24, as part of the venue’s Hush Hush Sweet Harlot music series. Traveling to the Seacoast from her home in Brooklyn, her visit comes as the new CD is beginning to pick up steam.

As of last week, “All About You” was listed at number 25 on CD Baby’s jazz-pop top seller list. The CD’s modest success is surely due in no small part to the swell of mixed emotions it imbues. With song titles like “Days of Lemonade” and “Song for Lost Friends,” there is an overbearing sense of nostalgia on the disc. Many of the lyrics wisp of sadness and regret, but there is also a subtle undercurrent of hope that refuses to remain submerged beneath the melancholy surface. Ortiz admits that she has a hard time letting go of the past, but an attitude of optimism will guide her into the future.

“I’m at the age where it’s sort of a bridge between your very young self and your more mature self, looking forward to the future and wondering what’s going to happen,” Ortiz said during a recent phone interview with The Wire.

The daughter of two schoolteachers, Ortiz became an ardent student of music at a young age. She began fiddling with piano when she was six years old, and has become exceptionally proficient at the instrument, despite never having taken a formal lesson.

“I had one of those small keyboards where the keys light up as a kid, and I basically taught myself,” she said. “I was peculiarly drawn to the piano in particular, so I taught myself as much as I could every day. It was like an obsession.”

Ortiz’s talent—both instrumentally and vocally—quickly becomes apparent listening to the CD. Her self-motivation and mounting interest in music fueled her desire to perfect her playing, and her efforts have paid off. “Also, when you’re teaching yourself, there’s not any conflict as to what people want you to learn and what you want to learn, so you can just basically do anything you want.”

Ortiz’s insistence on playing only what she wanted carried her through her college days at New York University, where she studied opera singing. Although she admires many of the singers she studied, Ortiz grew weary of exclusively singing opera and began composing her own songs. The style that emerged blended elements of jazz, pop and classical, but she also retained some of her earlier musical infatuations.

“I listened to a lot of alternative music in the ’90s, Nirvana, basically grunge stuff,” Ortiz said. “That doesn’t come across on the CD, but, stylistically, that’s kind of where I head.”

As a female pianist and vocalist, Ortiz is inevitably compared to Tori Amos. She confessed to being an Amos fan, but pointed to Paul Simon, Ben Folds and Billy Joel as bigger influences. “I think Billy Joel writes probably the most perfect pop songs on piano that there are to find,” she said.

Pop-jazz is an appropriate label for the music on “All About You.” The songs are rooted around graceful piano melodies, complimented nicely by Ortiz’s lush and elegant vocals. Various songs also feature acoustic and electric guitar, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, flugelhorn, bass and drums. (At The Red Door, Ortiz will be accompanied by a single instrumentalist who plays saxophone, clarinet and flute.)

Ortiz has been featuring slews of newer material on her recent tour, and she plans to return to the studio for a follow-up album later this year. Although “All About You” is a strong first effort, there is room for growth. Whereas the songs on the first album glide smoothly from start to finish, usually following a basic verse-chorus-bridge structure, she could benefit from showcasing her piano playing and vocals more heavily by building momentum and reaching greater extremes of vocal and instrumental intensity.

Lyrically, Ortiz’s music is already rife with emotion. Some of the songs are highly personal, at times referencing people she knows or invoking figures who have influenced her work. “Steven” is an unveiled attack on singer-songwriter Steven Morrissey, who she accuses of unconscionable hypocrisy. “No one I know could make such a wonderful living / Out of being such a miserable wretch,” Ortiz sings. “Mr. Thomas” is an ode to poet Dylan Thomas, whose writing has clearly had a profound impact on her work.

“We Must Be All Right,” is a grim reflection on the difficulties of getting by, infused with a dubious twinkle of hope. “But we’re still alive, so we must be alright. / We have survived so we must be alright. / For today,” Ortiz sings.

Despite the gloom that suffuses many of her songs, Ortiz said she strives to ultimately convey an optimistic musical message. Although trivial problems nag at her conscience, she makes a point of convincing herself that she will push through it. “Things can change, they will change and they’re not going to be the same all the time,” she said. “It’s something that I have to remind myself all the time.”

Does hope outweigh the misery?

“It depends on when you’re talking to me, but I think so,” Ortiz said. “It always wins out in the end.”

Christy Hobin and Zach Tremblay will join Ortiz at The Red Door at 8 p.m. on Sept. 24. There is a $5 door charge. “All About You” will be available for purchase at the show. For more information, visit www.angelaortiz.com.