The voice, a curious mix of Kate Bush, Debbie Harry and Blossom Dearie emerges as 100% Kathy Ingraham… The album began and ended in heaven, deservedly so.
—Lance Liddle
Eclectic jazz chanteuse and composer Kathy Ingraham returns with the release of her latest album, Jazz Dreams, marking her fourth album dedicated to the genre. Ingraham employs jazz arrangements to revisit rock ballads of cultural and personal significance.
The project was initially inspired by the artist’s happenstance viewing of the 1944 Oscar-winning best short film, Heavenly Music, which tells the tale of a bebop jazz band leader (Ted) who must justify his entry into the heavenly Hall of Music before a committee of elitist classical composers. Ted’s goal is to gain “eternal residence into the sanctum sanctorum of music.” Ultimately Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Bach, Wagner et al. are convinced to perform their own interpretations of Ted’s jazz tune in their own notable styles.
This inspired Ingraham’s genesis for Jazz Dreams, proving the film’s theory that a great song can transcend genre through her interpretations of iconic rock songs. At once nostalgic and innovative, the album approaches these songs with a refreshing interpretation, revealing colors and shadows of lyric and melody that were previously obscured by the songs’ original styles.
Each one featured is familiar and yet carries a sensitivity that only Ingraham’s experience, both musical and personal, can offer. Her unique vocal style has been compared to Nina Simone for its mighty richness and Blossom Dearie for its whimsical, intimate quality. Her voice offers a wide bouquet. “She swings a velvet hammer.”
Ingraham defies the restrictions of genre just as naturally as the timeless melodies with which she converses. This mellifluous dialogue with the past includes “Dream On" (Aerosmith), “House of the Rising Sun" (famously recorded by the Animals), “Ruby Tuesday" (Rolling Stones), “Eli’s Comin'" (Laura Nyro) and “Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin).
The album also features two original songs, including “Little Things Redux," a previous version of which was featured in the Johnny Depp film The Professor, earning her an international fan base spanning more than 120 countries.
Her other original composition, “Melusina," is an ethereal homage to a mythical ancestor from whom she descends through the House of Plantagenet.
On Jazz Dreams, Ingraham evokes a magical alchemy with a talented group of musical collaborators, including Randy Brecker (flugelhorn), Pete Levin (piano, bass), Elliott Randall (guitar), Joel Rosenblatt (drums), Evan Christopher (clarinet), Matt Wensor (guitar), William Galison (harmonica) and Lily Del Rosso (backing vocals).
The project was initially inspired by the artist’s happenstance viewing of the 1944 Oscar-winning best short film, Heavenly Music, which tells the tale of a bebop jazz band leader (Ted) who must justify his entry into the heavenly Hall of Music before a committee of elitist classical composers. Ted’s goal is to gain “eternal residence into the sanctum sanctorum of music.” Ultimately Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Bach, Wagner et al. are convinced to perform their own interpretations of Ted’s jazz tune in their own notable styles.
This inspired Ingraham’s genesis for Jazz Dreams, proving the film’s theory that a great song can transcend genre through her interpretations of iconic rock songs. At once nostalgic and innovative, the album approaches these songs with a refreshing interpretation, revealing colors and shadows of lyric and melody that were previously obscured by the songs’ original styles.
Each one featured is familiar and yet carries a sensitivity that only Ingraham’s experience, both musical and personal, can offer. Her unique vocal style has been compared to Nina Simone for its mighty richness and Blossom Dearie for its whimsical, intimate quality. Her voice offers a wide bouquet. “She swings a velvet hammer.”
Ingraham defies the restrictions of genre just as naturally as the timeless melodies with which she converses. This mellifluous dialogue with the past includes “Dream On" (Aerosmith), “House of the Rising Sun" (famously recorded by the Animals), “Ruby Tuesday" (Rolling Stones), “Eli’s Comin'" (Laura Nyro) and “Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin).
The album also features two original songs, including “Little Things Redux," a previous version of which was featured in the Johnny Depp film The Professor, earning her an international fan base spanning more than 120 countries.
Her other original composition, “Melusina," is an ethereal homage to a mythical ancestor from whom she descends through the House of Plantagenet.
On Jazz Dreams, Ingraham evokes a magical alchemy with a talented group of musical collaborators, including Randy Brecker (flugelhorn), Pete Levin (piano, bass), Elliott Randall (guitar), Joel Rosenblatt (drums), Evan Christopher (clarinet), Matt Wensor (guitar), William Galison (harmonica) and Lily Del Rosso (backing vocals).
