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Katie Ernst
Katie Ernst is described by the Chicago Tribune as "a versatile young bassist who plays in far-flung bands and sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity." She is co-leader of the adventurous Chicago-based jazz trio Twin Talk, folk-jazz duo Wayfaring, indie rock band Edith Judith, and has received widespread critical acclaim for her Dorothy Parker poetry song cycle Little Words, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Recent performances and recognitions include receiving a composing residency at the Ragdale Foundation, performing in Mexico City, MX for a Chicago/CDMX Improvised Music Exchange; performances at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and Chicago Jazz Festival; representing the USA as bassist and vocalist for the EuroRadio Jazz Orchestra in Riga, Latvia; and being named a Luminarts Fellow in Jazz.
Ernst is an active sidewoman in the jazz and improvised music communities of Chicago, regularly performing with Alvin Cobb Jr. Trio, Gustavo Cortiñas’ Kind Regards, and Ted Sirota’s Hungry Brain Fellowship Trio. She travels throughout the US as a guest artist/clinician for young musicians. She is a teaching artist for the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Masters Residency Program in Chicago Public Schools, and serves on faculty at Birch Creek Music Academy for the Jazz I summer program. Ernst joined the board of directors for the Jazz Institute of Chicago in 2023.
Katie Ernst holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where she studied double bass with Jeff Campbell and James VanDemark.
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Alvin Cobb Jr: You'll Need This Later
by Hrayr Attarian
Atlanta-native, Chicago-based drummer Alvin Cobb, Jr puts his heart and soul into his debut You'll Need This Later. Using a melange of acoustic and electronic instrumentation as well as spoken word and singing, Cobb crafts an autobiographical album featuring several of Chicago's brightest rising stars. Cobb crafted these 13 originals on the basis of his journal entries, both written and recorded. “Before You Go" features vocalist Nola Adé whose chant floats over Cobb's rumbling polyrhythms. Pianist Julius Tucker's ...
Continue ReadingTwin Talk: Twin Talk Live
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The trio Twin Talk makes music that is best described as stealthfully hip. This Chicago ensemble of drummer Andrew Green, tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi and bassist/vocalist Katie Ernst does not trade in a clamorous and flamboyant sound. Still, in their own way, the trio stands out as expressive and captivating. Their fallaciously titled Twin Talk Live is the trio's third release and it follows Weaver (37d03d, 2019) and a self-titled 2015 disc on Ears&Eyes Records. Each of the ...
Continue ReadingKatie Ernst: Bass Notes and Murder Ballads
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, the Spotlight shines On bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst. In addition to many other things, Katie is one half of the duo, with last week's guest James Falzone. Katie is also co-leader of the Chicago-based jazz trio Twin Talk, and the indie rock band Edith Judith, and has garnered much acclaim for her Dorothy Parker poetry song cycle Little Words (Self Produced), which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Katie is a working ...
Continue ReadingGustavo Cortinas: Kind Regards
by Hrayr Attarian
Drummer Gustavo Cortinas' previous album was cinematic in scale, and he has followed it with the more intimate yet equally enchanting Kind Regards (Saludos Afectuosos). Leading a quintet of young, intrepid, Chicago musicians, Cortinas interpretes ten of his own songs that explore themes of social justice, love, and life in general. “When I Leave You" has an effervescent cadence. Vocalist and pianist Meghan Stagl endows the lyrics with nostalgia while her keys chime with melancholy. Trumpeter Emily Kuhn ...
Continue ReadingThe Pete Ellman Big Band: The Twelve Grooves of Christmas
by Nicholas F. Mondello
As we enter the Holidays, the airwaves and digital streams flow with seasonal fare of all types of genres. And, once we ring in the New Year, said music heads back into hibernation until the next Thanksgiving and December roll around. The Pete Ellman Big Band's The Twelve Grooves of Christmas is such a fine recording that it might not be surprising for listeners to listen to it year around. The effort is that good. This high-energy ...
Continue ReadingPress "The album [Little Words] is a concise set that winningly blends jazz, pop and classical elements, showcasing Ernst’s buttery alto and her creative way with melody."— John Frederick Moore, Jazziz Magazine "Anyone who has attended Chicago jazz performances during the past couple of years probably has noticed her: a versatile young bassist who plays in far-flung bands and sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity." —Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune "Ernst sings with a tenderness and unpretentiousness that focus attention on the lyrics, not on the singer, a rare quality among contemporary jazz vocalists." —Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune "...one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene" —Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader "The bassist, singer and composer makes music with a soft, tumbling momentum, somewhere between literate indie pop and low-lit vocal jazz." —Giovanni Russonello, CapitolBop Chicago Jazz Festival Preview of TWIN TALK
