Jazz Articles about Karrin Allyson

Karrin Allyson Quintet

by Christopher Jones
March 12, 2004

Karrin Allyson QuintetD’Mitriou’s Jazz Alley Seattle, WA

When I think of Kansas City—specifically the jazz that came out of that city in the 1930s—I think of Count Basie and his big band; I think of Lester Young and his solo on “Doggin’ Around”; I think of cutting contests and gutbucket blues and tight ensemble riffs. Mostly, I think of how jazz, as it migrated north to urban centers like K.C., blossomed from a provincial folk music into ...

Karrin Allyson: In Blue

by Roger Crane
August 21, 2002

Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated, “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Well, maybe, but it also implies conforming to high standards and dependability. In Blue is Karrin Allyson's eighth Concord album and every one of those eight is a topflight jazz vocal album. The “In Blue" concept is a perfect idea for Allyson because her attractive husky voice is tailor made for the blues, and her Kansas City roots are evident in every syllable that she sings. It should ...

Karrin Allyson: In Blue

by Jim Santella
August 1, 2002

Karrin Allyson handles every style of singing so well; it's no wonder she's at home with the blues. A crystal clear artist with a unique vocal timbre, she's always been right on the button with respect to her goals. This, Allyson's eighth album in ten years, comes as yet another reminder of her consistency. She scat sings, interprets swinging lyrics, and dedicates each performance to communicating with her audience. One listen and we're hooked. Audio samples are available at Allyson's ...

Karrin Allyson: In Blue

by C. Michael Bailey
August 1, 2002

How Does One follow-up Ballads?... With the Blues Kansas City cum Omaha/San Francisco native Karrin Allyson has been recording since the early 1990s. She produced six well-received recordings for Concord Jazz before she reached the pot-of-gold with 2001's Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane. Celebrated by the critical community on many end-of-the-year lists (including mine), Ballads jettisoned Ms. Allyson into the same rarefied orbit as Cassandra Wilson, that orbit of the best jazz vocalists. As one would expect, ...

Karrin Allyson: Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane

by C. Michael Bailey
August 1, 2001

I am listening to The John Coltrane Quartet's Ballads as I write this piece. I have never considered Coltrane a player of “pretty music." Where Charlie Parker was “just looking for the pretty notes" during his frenetic creative spurts, Coltrane was just planning to look for a place for all notes, presented in just the right order and at the right tempo. Coltrane's solo on Miles Davis' “'Round Midnight" on 'Round about Midnight is a perfect example of what would ...

Karrin Allyson: Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane

by AAJ Staff
June 1, 2001

After 20 years of working as a singer originally in Minneapolis and primarily in Kansas City, Karrin Allyson has recorded the album her fans have awaited... ..the album that no doubt will expand her recognition beyond those listeners who have savored her work as almost a private find. And she has achieved all of this without compromising her dedication to jazz. In fact, she has achieved it by emphasizing that dedication. Ballads connects ...

Karrin Allyson: Ballads - Remembering John Coltrane

by Jim Santella
June 1, 2001

"Naima" and two other ballads that John Coltrane recorded have been appended to the program line-up borrowed from his 1960-61 album Ballads. It is Karrin Allyson's plan to pay homage to Coltrane by recreating that influential album. James Carter, Bob Berg and Steve Wilson lend a significant hand; a solid rhythm section backs her up appropriately; and Allyson succeeds in creating a sterling tribute album that's neither imitative nor retro-productive.Allyson assumes the spiritual role of Coltrane's saxophone on ...