Stephanie K.

Vocalist Stephanie K. releases US debut CD: Subterranean Dream Produced by Aaron Goldberg and Reuben Rogers

This album, the first to be produced in Stephanie K’s native U.S.A., is a book that is hard to put down. From the first phrase, you can’t wait to hear where it will go next. She is joined here by an impressive group of young New York musicians. Pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Eric Harland, saxophonist John Ellis, and guitarist Ryan Scott create a perfect complement to Stephanie’s vocal style, surrounding her with a rich texture that rarely intrudes, expanding on her implicit harmonic and rhythmic statements. Highlights include her intimate rendering of James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”, the lush, haunting “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “Straight Ahead”, a tune by the legendary Mal Waldron. In his remarkable solo on “Straight Ahead”, Goldberg seems to channel the composer, with an uncanny recreation of Waldron’s distinctive left-hand-centric piano style. “Can’t We Be Friends” begins with a near-telepathic duo with bassist Rogers, establishing once and for all Stephanie K’s considerable musical chops. A growing passion for writing her own tunes and lyrics is reflected here in three original compositions: the feisty “Should We or Should We Not”, an impressionistic “Subterranean Dream” and the eerily cool “Whispers With the Wind”. Her talents as a lyricist are also evidenced in her version of Wayne Shorter’s classic “Infant Eyes”, a performance that perhaps best characterizes her unique fusion of jazz and torch styles. Stephanie K’s American recording debut is destined to capture the attention of the jazz public.

Bio

Stephanie K has emerged like the "Venus of jazz" with a fully- developed style that is more in keeping with that of a veteran artist. Her voice has a presence that immediately captures your attention, drawing you into her sphere of musical influence, emitting flashes of Aretha Franklin, Carol King, Diana Krall and Billie Holiday. Yet Stephanie K is no derivative jazz singer; she is a true original. She has at her command an impressive level of musicianship, with the phrasing, intonation and time sense of the seasoned jazz musician. That she came by all this as a mother of four living in Northern Germany for the past thirteen years is powerful testament to her natural abilities. Stephanie K’s musical tastes run to rich, rarely-heard ballads that are brought to life by her torchy vocal style, fresh renderings of canonical popular tunes and vivid transformations of chestnuts from the American songbook.

After a brief career in molecular genetics, vocalist and lyricist Stephanie K. (Klco-Brosius) relocated to Germany with her growing family in 1995. She performs diverse styles of music ranging from blues to the American songbook, with ensembles from duo to big band. Stephanie has performed in many international festivals, notably an opening act for trumpeter Randy Brecker, and private celebrations including functions and clubs in Europe, the US and Tunisia. She concentrates on expanding and enriching her repertoire by cooperating with musicians both in Europe and the US to form duo to extended combo situations supporting her interpretations of standards, torch songs and ever more prominent, her own originals. “Going Vocal” ( 2002) a project with big band was the first of three recordings under the MUSICOM, Germany label. A live recording supported by jazz combo, “Do Something” followed in 2003, and “Subt erranean Dream” (2007), a mix of standards, pop tunes and Stephanie K. originals, is her most recent. Show less