Sunday Night Jazz Showcase
Program #233 (December 9 at 8:00 p.m.)
The first thing you notice is her voice, and then her savvy choices. Jazz vocalist Lauren Kinhan possesses a rare and beautiful instrument, tough and tender, clear and fine-grained in every register, whether she’s dipping down into husky chest tones or ascending into silvery head tones.
With her glorious sound, she could sing anything and make it a memorable listening experience. When legendary Phil Ramone discovered and signed Lauren at a Bitter End performance in NYC in 1997, he saw all that and a vision for creative songwriting that went beyond the norm de rigeur.
Whether on her own highly-acclaimed albums, as a 25-year member of the beloved vocal group New York Voices, or as co-founder of two diverse and inventive supergroups, Moss and JaLaLa, singer/songwriter Lauren has always forged her own path as a performer, composer and improviser.
With three brilliant albums of her own songs under her belt, not to mention her game-changing work with three distinctive vocal groups and wide-ranging collaborations with singular artists from Ornette Coleman to Bobby McFerrin, Kinhan always delivers a 360 degree view of her creative world.
She made a powerful first impression as a Phil Ramone find with 2000’s Hardly Blinking, an eclectic program of original songs exploring an array of topics and instrumental textures. A decade later, she followed up with the highly personal Avalon, an album deeply informed by her experience of motherhood, and the pleasures and challenges of family life.
Her decided journey with New York Voices has run at the forefront of her career, since 1992, recording a full color catalogue, logging millions of miles, and creating an educational division that is in high demand all across the globe.
2018 rings their 30th Anniversary as a beloved ensemble with three recordings in the pipeline, pairings with Ivan Lins and the Danish Radio Big Band and one with the Bob Mintzer Big Band (due in June 2018 on the MCG Label).
In October of 2017, they returned to the studio with Elliot Scheiner for another NYV collection of songs and arrangements slated for release sometime in 2018.
And with all her free time, there are guest artist appearances, co-writing alliances and teaching engagements. Keeping this in-the-moment artist on her toes, on the road and in it for the long haul.
(provided by Lauren Kinhan)
