The International Language of Jazz

Hi there -

Last time I wrote Rod Fleeman and I were headed for Europe. Our first performances were at the Blue Note in Milan, Italy. I had been there before and enjoyed this trip even more. I find Italian audiences to be extremely warm and enthusiastic. Throughout Europe, I tried to greet each audience with a SHORT greeting in THEIR language. They seemed to appreciate that, even when I fumbled. Since languages have always interested me, this is not a chore; it's a fun challenge.

In Milan (and London and Turkey) we played with the London players: Alec Dankworth on bass and Tristan Maillot on drums. We had played with them 'way back when' while at Pizza on the Park in London, so it was great to see them again.

After Milan, we played Ronnie Scotts in London. It was my first time there. Aside from our sets, it was fun listening to the house band there and the big band. There was a lot of music happening on those nights! We met some wonderful 'local' players and hung out with them along with some great singers as well. It's amazing how this music can bring folks together all over the world. Speaking of which, we then went for a 1-nighter in Vienna at Birdland. What a great place! Rod and I met the wonderful young bassist that same day, who played with us that night. He was also the leader in the house band after our sets, so we got to hear them.

We were out early the very next day and on to Poland. It was my very first time there. Our first stop was in Warsaw. We met our promoter, Yavuz (wonderful man), who really treated us with such gracious hospitality. Played two nights in Warsaw and met some wonderful local folks along the way. One new friend even gave me a spa treatment on a very rare day off - how lovely! We played with two local players there. They were great guys. We also did a workshop at the Chopin Academy of the Arts. What a thrill to be in this historic place! Then, we even had tea with the American Ambassador of Poland. He also came to our performance which was a lovely experience. The next day we all took the train to Poznan, just outside Krakow. Very sweet town and if I say the people were great too often, that's because it's the truth!

Taking the train back to Warsaw the very next day, a cab from the train station to the airport, a plane through Istanbul to Ankara (capital of Turkey), THAT was a LONG DAY! At least we had the 'night off,' getting in around 11:00 pm! In Ankara we played a beautiful theatre. I was told the Turkish Ambassador was there. Something I find interesting is how it seems that government officials in other countries really enjoy jazz and make an effort to get to the concerts. What an unusual thing that is! In Brazil and Japan this is certainly true as well.

The next day we were off to the amazing city of Istanbul. What a place - unlike anywhere I've seen! We stayed on the Bosphorous and could see Asia from the hotel room. (What I didn't know was that Istanbul is part of both Europe and Asia.) The beautiful club we played is really THE place to be there. They packed the place and so many people knew our music. That was really true everywhere. It’s a real a thrill to go so far away and get requests for songs we've recorded over the last 15 years. The three gentlemen who own it are great entrepreneurs with real style and a great love for jazz. We met a wonderful young pianist (Uraz) who sat in with us. He was Yavuz's son. They also took us to a bizarre in Istanbul. That was quite an experience to bargain with the shop owners. We saw several beautiful mosques. I truly can't wait to return to all these places. They were all so very kind to us.

Back in the US, our gig in Jacksonville, FL was great in spite of the gale force winds that blew everything and everyone all over the place! What a great festival though! After Jacksonville we headed south to Miami to the Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club. It’s a very cool place in a very old, grand hotel. Great crowd there too. We loved playing with the Omaha Symphony again at the Holland Center. This was a celebration for Cancer Survivors. Bill McGlaughlin conducted and my 'KC band' played beautifully.

Then, we went to Minneapolis’ Dakota Bar & Grill, a favorite place. We had a great band there with Steve Wilson, Laura Caviani, Larry Kohut and Phil Hey. And it's always good to see family and friends there.

Then to another favorite spot: Birdland in NYC. We had another amazing band there: Steve Nelson, Rod Fleeman, Todd Strait and Doug Weiss. It was a wonderful week in that great club.

We played a very sweet festival in Edmond's WA, where they are focused on music in the schools (yeh!) and also a fund raiser for kids who are burn victims. The kids and community orchestra bands played concerts all week long. It was a very good vibe for all and great to be a part of.

We record at the end of June. We’ve been working hard on that. Hope it will be released at the beginning of '08.

Hope to see you out and about soon and THANK YOU for listening.
Karrin

Gigs Across America

Greetings!

Last time I wrote it was late October 2006. A very belated Happy New Year to you.

In November we played Washington D.C.'s historic club, Blues Alley. It's got that old true jazz club feel and was great fun with Rod, Todd and bassist Ed Howard who is from DC. He was Shirley Horn's last bassist and is a beautiful player. The Sharon Lyn Center for the Arts in Brookfield, Wisconsin (suburb of Milwaukee) was sold out and a beautiful theater. Bruce, Bob, Todd and Rod played beautiful as ever too.

Salt Lake City, Utah we had another sold out concert. This WONDERFUL series is headed by Gordon Hanks who really knows how to run it and how to treat musicians (and the audience). We had one more 2006 concert (in warmer climes!) in amazing Palm Springs. CA at the Annenburg Theater. It’s a lovely place to be, especially for a few days.

Just before Christmas we suffered a real blow when our drummer, Todd Strait broke his collar bone. It has been a real challenge for him and us. He is a trooper and still dealing with it not being totally healed. How did he do it? I'll let you ask him but it was very scary bad luck and we're lucky and glad he's alive.

So, needless to say Todd needed to take some time off. We were very lucky to get the wonderful KC based drummer, Tommy Ruskin, on very short notice for our New Year’s Eve performance at the KC Repertory Theatre (and the National Public Radio live broadcast for “Toast of the Nation”). He also played with us at our Inaugural Performance for Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Danny Embrey and Paul Smith joined us for the the New Year’s Eve gig. It was great to play with both of them again. It was an honor to be part of both of these gigs!

While in KC a dear friend and I visited a beautiful bird refuge called Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Many eagles hang out there because there are a lot of geese around. It’s beautiful to watch the formations and hear that incredible racket they make as a group - pretty intense!

Between each of the KC area gigs, we rushed in the new year with a lovely time in Sanibel, Florida. We were lucky in finding the great drummer for this concert. Marty Morrell is based near there. (Remember Marty from the Bill Evans Trio days.) It is a real pleasure to work with him as well as Rod, Bruce and Bob. While there I visited another refuge (the "Ding Darling") by myself. I came across a very large crocodile, fortunately with some warning by other tourists. We found out later that ‘she’ is a regular there. We steered clear and were pretty astounded. What a lovely place! I'm always on the look out for these natural places, especially if I have time while on the road (and when I can make time). It's very important to me to GET OUTSIDE!

Back in New York Bill and I attended some fun holiday gatherings for some favorite musicians and other folks in the biz ... the annual Nola Recording Studio party (with host Jim Czak) in the Steinway building. Saw tons of musicians there including Blossom Dearie, George Shearing, Grady Tate, Jackie Williams, guitarists Howard Alden and Joe Giglio, pianists Mike Renzi, Larry Ham and Lawrence Hobgood. We heard several very cool duo and trio piano tunes (lots of pianos in there of course). What a treat!

Also attended the 10-year celebration for the independent label “ArtistLed” of David Finckel and Wu Hann (talented cellist and pianist dynamic duo). No small feat and they were forerunners of the idea of artists running and owning their records/label. They have been very successful.

During IAJE in NYC we went to hear Nancy King at The Jazz Standard, also Terrell Stafford. We got to hear Jon Hendricks and his group at Birdland and I sat in with them (a very quick 'Cloudburst' - Lord help me!). They all sounded great. Very sadly, it was also announced during this time that we lost Alice Coltrane and Michael Brecker. Big losses for us all.

Our next gig was in the LA area (Fullerton) at Steamers with Nancy King and her wonderful pianist Steve Christofferson, Todd (his first gig back and sounded amazing) and our dear friend and great bassist, Tom Warrington. Many of my family members were there (Mom, two sisters and Bill).

Then, we all attended the Grammy's. I had been asked to be a presenter during the pre-telecast portion (this is from about 1:30 until 4:30 when the telecast part starts). I presented 15 Grammy’s in all. Among them some amazing artists like, Ruby Dee (for Best Spoken Word), Chic Corea, Tony Bennett, several to Michael Brecker presented posthumously, Dave Douglas, and Peter Frampton (!). Among my fellow presenters were Lynn Redgrave and Charlie Pride.

I was truly happy for Nancy Wilson who also won this year. For me to be nominated in the same category is a great honor, especially with two of my inspirations: Nancy King and Nancy Wilson. The after party was great fun. We found the room with "Kool and the Gang" playing their hearts out and danced ours out. Love that band!

Back to reality: the weather and trying to fly in it. Trying to make it to Omaha to do our POPS concerts with the Omaha Symphony was a challenge. It took 36 hours to make it from NYC to Omaha. So, we missed our first rehearsal completely (stuck in Detroit) and Rod, coming in from Europe, missed both rehearsals and of course, lost his luggage. The show must go on and everyone rose to the occasion. It was a real thrill for me to sing and play with my band (in this case, Rod, Paul, Bob and Todd) and a symphony orchestral with Bill (McGlaughlin) conducting. I hope to record that way some day. Bill's arrangements fit our approach very well as he had heard our band countless times.

I saw so many old friends, even my first grade teacher! It was wonderful to be a part of all that and also to see my Dad and Ardi in the audience.

After Sunday's performance we went to hear Luigi and his band at Mr. Toad's in the Old Market - my old stomping grounds. It was great to hear them and we loved it.

Looks like it's onto Europe in about three weeks and we are looking forward to it.

Peace and Love to all and thank you for listening ...
Karrin

Cool Smoke, Sweet Rhythms & Dizzy Fun

Hi there -

It’s been awhile...

I had some time off in June and July so I took that opportunity to hear and sit in with some folks. Bruce Barth had the weekend gig at the cool uptown NYC club called “Smoke.” Sang a tune or two with them which was a treat for me and they sounded great. In Rochester, NY at the Woodcliff Lodge I was a guest with pianist Eldar Djangirov and his trio. That was quite fun. And what energy! This great venue is sadly not happening for awhile due to a change of ownership. Pete McCrossen was the very gracious host and talent buyer. We will really miss him and the venue.

Next, in Kansas City to play a favorite venue in August, “The Blue Room.” Always good to be there with Bob, Rod and Todd. Saw many friends and lots of family. The Blue Room (part of the American Jazz Museum) is in the historic area of KC called “18th and Vine.” We love and appreciate them for being part of what keeps jazz ALIVE in KC. Back in NYC, I sat in at Sweet Rhythm with the wonderful tenor player, Bob Kindred (also with Kansas City roots). He and his band sounded sweet and lovely.

In September, from the Big Apple to the Little Apple. We played a very cool benefit event at the Kansas State University Alumni Center, Manhattan, KS, for Friend of the Beach Art Museum. I truly loved being 'back on the prairie' at that time of year. While hiking in the area we even heard coyotes and owls at night. (OK, we had to go searching for them a little, but they were there!) While in the area, we were also invited to visit a lovely horse and buffalo farm. We had wonderful hosts during that whole visit to Manhattan. We left there to play a private event in Austin, Texas at the Four Seasons. What a neat city! I wish I'd had more time in it.

Seattle at Jazz Alley was next. Always love being there. That trip also included singing the US National and Canadian anthems for a Seattle Mariner's vs. Toronto Blue Jay’s baseball game. I had done that before and it's a kick!

The next week was in Oakland, CA at Yoshi’s. My Mom and I took an over-night train together from Seattle to Oakland. That was really fun - trains ROCK! Yoshi’s is a great venue. I sang there with both Nancy King and Jon Hendricks. What great nights of music we had! The band (Bruce, Todd and Peter Barshay) played beautifully. We hope to do more of those shows with Jon and Nancy - the Footprints team. Also got to meet Rita Moreno who was in the audience. What a great lady! The wonderful singers Madeline Eastman and Paula West also dropped by.

Back to NYC at Dizzy's (Lincoln Center) with Nancy, Bruce, Todd and bassist Vicente Archer for a great week there. Many 'luminaries' drop in throughout the week: Wynton Marsalis, Eric Clapton (who had been playing across the hall), Mark Murphy, Freddie Cole, Jackie Cain, Helen Merrill and Barbara Feldon. The pianist David Budway played with us the last night. It was great fun.

Our next stop with Nancy was in St. Paul, MN at the Fitzgerald Theatre (where the movie, “Prairie Home Companion” was recently filmed). Loved working there and saw many friends and family. Pianist Laura Caviani, along with Bob and Todd sounded beautiful.

Following were some one-nighters, double billing with Diane Schuur. We played beautiful theaters in Birmingham, AL; Atlanta, GA; and Charlottesville, VA. Great fun. From there we went West to another great venue in El Cerritos CA. in their Performing Arts Center. Todd and I played with favorite 'local' LA players: guitarist, Larry Koonse and bassist Tom Warrington. We were treated to great audiences in a great venue.

Heading East to the Windy City for gigs at a favorite historic Chicago 'joint' (the one and only owner- Dave Jemilo would approve of that term), “The Green Mill.” He runs that place like nobody's business and we love being there. The first time I played there (one of my first 'national' gigs way back when) he gave me a “life-time verbal contract” which I'm happy to still be fulfilling. Todd and I played with great Chicago bassist Larry Kohut and wonderful Seattle pianist Randy Halberstadt. Bill McGlaughlin joined us there and was accompanied by many of his radio colleagues at WFMT.

The next stops were in Omaha and Lincoln. We did a masterclass at my alma mater, University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) for music students. They were held in the same auditorium where as a student, I had attended soooo many concerts, given both my junior/senior piano recitals, and heard Dizzy Gillespie and Mel Torme give masterclasses. It was quite a feeling! That night we performed for the UNO Alumni folks and were happy to do so.

In the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) we performed at the beautiful Lied Center with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra. They've been together for over 25 years. It was thrilling to play with such a great big band. We did lots of masterclasses with UNL students while there and really enjoyed it. Next was in Denver at a great new club called The Soiled Dove. Strange name for a jazz club but don't let that throw you. It's a great place and I hope to go back soon.

That’s it for now. The year will soon be over which is hard to believe. Peace and love to all and
Thank you for listening . . .

Karrin