LOS ANGELES - Indie rock, Alt-country, even Britpop are all genres that have had groundbreaking years at SXSW (the South by Southwest Music Festival). This March, the festival welcomes some of the top young jazz performers in the U.S. - the Kathleen Grace Band.
Only a handful of jazz artists were selected for SXSW, which is March 9-18 in Austin, Texas. Fellow Angeleno jazz players, Kneebody, also will make its SXSW debut.
The music of vocalist Kathleen Grace and guitarist Perry Smith capitalizes on their mastery of jazz melody and harmony. Their lyrics, however, take inspiration from folk heroes like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. Whether a lush, full-band arrangement or an intimate voice-guitar duos, all KGB songs reflect the Los Angeles music scene, where genres constantly blend and cross-pollinate.
“I admit to being a bit surprised when I got the invitation to SXSW. We're not an indie rock band," said vocalist Kathleen Grace. “But it also felt very validating to our musical path. We just use the musical language we know to express stories that mean something to us."
Grace and Smith each are award-winning composers in their own right: Grace was awarded a spot at the 2004 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency for young composers at the Kennedy Center, and Smith won ASCAP's 2006 Young Composer Award. He is also a founding member of The New West Guitar Quartet.
The duo's first album together, “Songbird," will be released April 2. The title track is a finalist in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition (winners will be announced in March), selected from among thousands of entries.
For their SXSW showcase, the pair will be joined by Matt Politano on piano, Sam Minae on bass, Ryan Doyle on drums and Bobby Wilmore on percussion.
Only a handful of jazz artists were selected for SXSW, which is March 9-18 in Austin, Texas. Fellow Angeleno jazz players, Kneebody, also will make its SXSW debut.
The music of vocalist Kathleen Grace and guitarist Perry Smith capitalizes on their mastery of jazz melody and harmony. Their lyrics, however, take inspiration from folk heroes like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. Whether a lush, full-band arrangement or an intimate voice-guitar duos, all KGB songs reflect the Los Angeles music scene, where genres constantly blend and cross-pollinate.
“I admit to being a bit surprised when I got the invitation to SXSW. We're not an indie rock band," said vocalist Kathleen Grace. “But it also felt very validating to our musical path. We just use the musical language we know to express stories that mean something to us."
Grace and Smith each are award-winning composers in their own right: Grace was awarded a spot at the 2004 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency for young composers at the Kennedy Center, and Smith won ASCAP's 2006 Young Composer Award. He is also a founding member of The New West Guitar Quartet.
The duo's first album together, “Songbird," will be released April 2. The title track is a finalist in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition (winners will be announced in March), selected from among thousands of entries.
For their SXSW showcase, the pair will be joined by Matt Politano on piano, Sam Minae on bass, Ryan Doyle on drums and Bobby Wilmore on percussion.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
