KARRIN ALLYSON

‘ROUND MIDNIGHT

RELEASE DATE: 03 MAY 2011
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ
CAT # CJA-32662-02
1. Turn Out The Stars 4:05
2. April Come She Will 3:14
3. Goodbye 4:28
4. I’m Always Chasing Rainbows 4:40
5. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most 6:38
6. Smile 4:54
7. Sophisticated Lady 4:38
8. There’s No Such Thing As Love 3:04
9. The Shadow Of Your Smile 4:24
10. Send In The Clowns 4:48
11. ‘Round Midnight 5:51
Click here to buy this album on Amazon.

Concord Jazz is delighted to announce the release of Karrin Allyson’s new album, ‘Round Midnight. The 11 track collection was recorded at Sear Sound in New York City. The tracks on ’Round Midnight come from a wide variety of sources, including Bill Evans, Paul Simon, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mandel, Thelonious Monk, Stephen Sondheim, even Charlie Chaplin. But regardless of who wrote the songs and when, Allyson ties them all together with the same melancholy thread with which they were originally spun.

The three-time GRAMMY nominated vocalist describes her new album best in her liner notes: “Imagine yourself, in the city, walking late at night,” she writes. “It’s ‘Round Midnight. The wind is cold, but you hear some warm sounds and you follow your ear down into a small, dark club. There’s a woman at the piano singing these intimate ballads – one after the other. Maybe you’ve just recently suffered a heartache, or maybe the lyrics, melodies and harmonies evoke feelings you have somewhere deep down inside.”

This album marks the first time in 13 records that Allyson plays all the keyboard parts — piano and Rhodes. “In a way, I’m just returning to my roots. I’ve been playing keyboards more and more in my live shows for the last three years, and it just seemed like the natural thing to do on this album. The shape and emotional feel of ‘Smile’ and ‘I’m Always Chasing Rainbows’ grew directly from my piano playing.” In ‘Round Midnight Allyson is joined by her long time partner, guitarist Rod Fleeman, with Bob Sheppard on woodwinds, harmonicist Randy Weinstein, bassist Ed Howard, whose previous associations include balladeer Shirley Horn, and drummer Matt Wilson.

In the end, telling the story is what it’s all about – even if the story is about heartbreak. Sometimes the best way to do it is to draw people into a quiet space in the late hours ‘Round Midnight – a time and place where their guard is down and they’re open to music that speaks the language of the heart.

“What I’m most interested in doing on this record – and on all my records – is reaching people and communicating with them,” says Allyson. “That’s the thing that inspires me more than anything else.”

GRAMMY NOMINATED

BY REQUEST

RELEASE DATE: 30 JUN 2009
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CJA-31459-25
1. Night And Day 5:28
2. Moanin’ 6:02
3. What’s New 5:55
4. O Pato (The Duck) 3:54
5. Sous Le Ciel De Paris (Under Paris Skies) 4:07
6. Life Is a Groove (Jordu) 4:12
7. Everything Must Change 6:45
8. A Felicidade (Happiness) 4:20
9. Sweet Home Cookin’ Man 6:12
10. Nature Boy 6:20
11. And So It Goes 3:44
12. Cherokee 3:49
13. Next Time Around (Soultrane) 4:54
Encompassing a variety of Styles, By Request: The Best of Karrin Allyson spans Allyson’s recording life to date, from her 1993 debut, I Didn’t Know About You, to 2007’s Imagina: Songs Of Brasil, and features one of her top downloaded tracks, “Cherokee,” plus a previously unreleased tune, “Next Time Around (Soultrane).”

Vocalist and pianist Karrin Allyson enjoys a rare relationship with her record company. She’s not only been allowed to follow her creative impulses that have stretched her vocal prowess beyond the mainstream jazz realm, but she’s also been such an esteemed member of the Concord Jazz imprint that she’s recorded every single album of her career for it. Signed by Concord founder Carl Jefferson in 1993, Allyson has recorded 11 albums (all still in print) for the label-including her self-released I Didn’t Know About You debut album that Concord later reissued.

On June 30, Concord Jazz celebrates Allyson’s illustrious career with her 12th album for the label, By Request: The Best of Karrin Allyson, a 13-track collection that provides a remarkable overview of the musical journeys the thrice Grammy-nominated vocalist has embarked on in the last 15 years.

Produced by Allyson with her longtime producer Nick Phillips, By Request features songs that her fans have requested over the years at her live performances. “When I moved from Kansas City to New York nine years ago, I recorded Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane,” says Allyson. “That was my first Grammy nomination which gave me new fans who began to discover the first seven albums I recorded. When I performed some of my earlier material in shows, they would tell me which ones were their favorites. The songs they requested are included here.”

Phillips, Vice President, Jazz and Catalog A&R for the Concord Music Group, produced or co-produced nine of Allyson’s previous 11 albums. He says, “Karrin is one of the best singers in jazz today. We’ve had such a great working relationship over the years. She has such a natural ease when she sings. She has a beautiful voice with a unique sound and a unique way of phrasing that lets her get deep into a song.”

Allyson is pleased that her entire catalog has been documented by Concord. “That’s very unusual to be with one label, so I feel really lucky,” she says. “It’s been one of the constants for me. I’m happy to continue that relationship. And to do a best-of album is great. I feel like it helps usher in a new chapter of my career, pays homage to the time before it-while also inviting new possibilities of creativity in this music for me.”

One of the most noteworthy characteristics of Allyson’s career is the diversity of material she has explored, which is fully represented on By Request. “Karrin has expanded the jazz vocal repertoire,” says Phillips, who cites her ease and authenticity in both French and Portuguese as well as her embrace of the Great American Songbook, roots music, blues and jazz. “She is remarkably talented.”

Allyson has written the liner notes to By Request, reflecting on each song in the collection. For example, in regards to “Moanin’,” the Bobby Timmons-Jon Hendricks number that she recorded on her 2002 CD In Blue, she writes, “Who doesn’t love, get, and somehow need to hear the blues? I wore out Lambert, Hendricks and Ross’ Everybody’s Boppin’ album-‘Moanin” has always been a favorite tune and still is.” As for the Brazilian-vibed “O Pato (The Duck),” from her 1999 From Paris to Rio album, she writes, “So many folks say that this is our hit-and we rarely get out of a show without doing it-it’s a groove and we love playing it.”

Another favorite on By Request is Ray Noble’s classic tune “Cherokee,” originally recorded on Allyson’s 1996 Collage album. She comments: “This version is on the edge. I mean, it’s seriously fast! Kim Park plays an outrageous sax solo and I am lucky to just keep up at this tempo-we all were! Being from K.C., we wanted to include some tribute to Charlie Parker, so here it is. It’s been one of our most downloaded tracks.”

The previously unreleased track included on By Request, “Next Time Around (Soultrane),” is a leftover from an earlier session. Allyson explains, “We intended to include this Tadd Dameron composition on the [2005] album Footprints but could not clear the rights for the new lyrics in time. Luckily we have them now! I think it’s one of Chris Caswell’s best lyrics. Bruce Barth plays so reflectively here as does the rest of the trio.”

By Request highlights Allyson’s 11-album career. “I often say that my CDs are my kids,” she writes in the liners. “I love them all for different reasons…all in all each one captures a point in time for me and my life.”

COMPILATION

IMAGINA: Songs of Brasil

RELEASE DATE: 25 MAR 2008
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ
CAT # CCD-30428-25
1. A Felicidade (Happiness) 4:20
2. Correnteza 2:27
3. Só Tinha De Ser Com Você 3:45
4. Medo De Amar (Surrender The Soul) 3:42
5. O Morro Não Tem Vez (Favela) 5:18
6. Estrada Branca (This Happy Madness) 4:49
7. Outono (Stay) 5:02
8. Double Rainbow 5:32
9. Imagina 2:55
10. Desafinado (Slightly Out Of Tune) 5:13
11. Pra Dizer Adeus (Time To Say Goodbye) 4:46
12. Vivo Sonhando (Living On Dreams) 4:48
13. Estrada Do Sol 3:07
14. É Com Esse Que Eu Vou 4:41
From Karrin’s liner notes:

I began this recording project as I do all others, wanting to sing songs I love with players I love. Since there are far too many songs and players I love to put them all on a single album, one has to choose, of course. During this process, my dear friend and “Brazilian mentor,” Lúcia Guimarães, was coaching me on my Portuguese pronunciation for the various songs I had already chosen. At the time, I had been reading a lot about Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes and was lamenting the fact that I had not chosen more songs that were penned by them—there are so many great ones. One particular day that Lúcia and I were together, I expressed this idea to her and she proceeded to show me several lesser known (at least to me) gems by Jobim (such as “Imagina” and “Correnteza”), de Moraes (such as “Medo de Amar”), and Jobim/de Moraes collaborations (such as “Estrada Branca”)—songs that I immediately fell in love with.

So, although the concept of recording an album of Brazilian songs wasn’t changing, many of the song choices were—and this was less than three weeks before we were scheduled to record! For me—a non-native speaker of Portuguese—this presented a real challenge: learning all that Portuguese and new material in such a short amount of time. But, as Leonard Bernstein said, “To achieve great things, two things are needed; a great idea and not nearly enough time.” Also it has been said that “revelations take time.” Ha! With this in mind, we went a step further as I was also very keen on making this recording “user friendly” to non-Portuguese speakers/listeners. I wanted folks to get these songs no matter what language they speak, while trying to remain as true to the Brazilian feel and sound as possible.

Enter Chris Caswell. On our previous recording project, Footprints, Chris wrote beautiful lyrics to well-known jazz instrumental standards. Why not tap his talents for this project too? He was (of course) game, and I am delighted to be the first to record his new English lyrics to Vinicius de Moraes’s “Medo de Amar” and Edu Lobo’s “Pra Dizer Adeus.” It’s hard for me now to imagine these songs without his lyrics. Along with Chris’s new lyrics, I’ve also included a very sensual English lyric by Paul Williams to Rosa Passos’s song “Outono,” lovely English lyrics by Susannah McCorkle (“A Felicidade” and “Vivo Sonhando”), Jon Hendricks’s classic English lyric to “Desafinado,” and the sweet English lyrics of Gene Lees to “Estrada Branca” and “Double Rainbow.” So, while many of the songs on this recording feature the alluring beauty of the original Portuguese lyrics only (what a gorgeous, poetic sounding language!), I am pleased to be able to present several of the songs with wonderful English lyrics too.

But truly the most important language in this project, and easily the most universally understood, is that of the Brazilian music—that evocative, intoxicating combination of unforgettable melodies, rich harmonies, and infectious rhythms. Whatever your native language is, I hope that these Songs of Brasil speak directly to your heart, as they have to mine.

–Karrin Allyson

GRAMMY NOMINATED

FOOTPRINTS

RELEASE DATE: 18 APR 2006
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CCD-2291-25
1. Something Worth Waiting For (Con Alma) 3:29
2. All You Need to Say (Never Say Yes) 4:19
3. Lightning (Lazy Bird) 2:56
4. A Long Way to Go (Equinox) 4:37
5. Strollin’ 4:40
6. I Found the Turnaround (The Turnaround) 3:59
7. Follow the Footprints (Footprints) 4:03
8. Life Is a Groove (Jordu) 4:12
9. A Tree and Me 3:08
10. I Can’t Say (Teaneck) 3:42
11. But I Was Cool 4:05
12. Give Me a Break (Unit 7) 3:45
13. Everybody’s Boppin’ 3:31
Singer Karrin Allyson has never been satisfied merely to repeat herself. With Footprints, her tenth Concord Jazz CD, she fulfills the dream of recording with two of her vocal heroes—Jon Hendricks and Nancy King—while illustrating that she too is undeniably one of today’s most distinctive and masterful jazz vocal stylists. The album also introduces Chris Caswell, whose literate, inventive new lyrics bring fresh perspectives to several of the modern jazz perennials featured herein. With a spirit that is, by turns, ebullient and affecting, Footprints shows Karrin Allyson to be a pacesetter among contemporary jazz singers.

GRAMMY NOMINATED

WILD FOR YOU

RELEASE DATE: 08 JUN 2004
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CCD-2220-25
1. All I Want 4:33
2. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight 4:11
3. Wild World 5:11
4. (Goin’) Wild For You Baby 5:27
5. Help Me 5:29
6. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word 5:08
7. I Got Eyes 4:19
8. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress 3:25
9. It’s Too Late 3:52
10. Mind On My Man 3:21
11. The Right Thing To Do 2:56
12. Feel Like Makin’ Love 4:18
13. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 4:49
One of most lauded voices in jazz today—and, not coincidentally, a true artist who views the spirit of jazz as a license to let her boundless creativity run wild and free, not as a cage of arbitrary limits—the always-adventurous and engaging Karrin Allyson now presents an entire album of the songs she “grew up with.” These are the songs that inspired the Grammy®-nominated vocalist to sing in the first place—the now-classic pop gems by such singer-songwriters as Elton John, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, and others. Artfully restyled by her unmistakable alto voice, Karrin’s favorite songs are utterly transformed and unleashed by her untamed passion and unbridled artistry.

CLASSIC POP GEMS

IN BLUE

RELEASE DATE: 13 AUG 2002
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CCD-2106-25
1. Moanin’ 6:02
2. Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy 3:57
3. Long As You’re Living 4:35
4. The Meaning Of The Blues 7:35
5. My Bluebird 4:32
6. Hum Drum Blues 5:40
7. How Long Has This Been Going On? 5:41
8. West Coast Blues 5:02
9. Evil Gal Blues 4:13
10. Blue Motel Room 6:03
11. Bye Bye Country Boy 4:11
12. Love Me Like A Man 4:20
13. Angel Eyes 4:50
One of the most captivating voices in music today, Karrin Allyson’s In Blue is an artfully eclectic mix of songs that range from soul jazz classics and ballads, to Bonnie Raitt blues and timeless Joni Mitchell pop. Each song – and each story – is vibrantly painted in glowing and swinging Karrin Allyson hues, as she passionately recasts them, In Blue. Featuring: Karrin Allyson – vocals Danney Embrey – guitar Mulgrew Miller – piano, Fender Rhodes Peter Washington – bass Lewis Nash – drums Steve Wilson – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone

CLASSIC BLUES

BALLADS-Remembering John Coltrane

RELEASE DATE: 22 MAY 2001
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CCD-4950-25
1. Say It (Over And Over Again) 5:59
2. You Don’t Know What Love Is 5:34
3. Too Young To Go Steady 5:04
4. All Or Nothing At All 6:47
5. I Wish I Knew 4:17
6. What’s New 5:55
7. It’s Easy To Remember 5:59
8. Nancy (With The Laughing Face) 4:42
9. Naima 6:36
10. Why Was I Born? 3:37
11. Everytime We Say Goodbye 5:59
Karrin Allyson sings straight from the heart of the music, with a warmly personal style that draws listeners in and holds them close. She is both a vocalist and a pianist.

Allyson’s 7th Concord release, Ballads – Remembering John Coltrane, is a respectful homage to one of jazz’s most influential instrumentalists and composers. Allyson reprised Coltrane’s 1961/62 recording of the same title with the help of a crack team of talented players, featuring pianist James Williams, bassist John Patitucci, drummer Lewis Nash, and three outstanding saxophonists – Bob Berg and James Carter on tenor, and Steve Wilson on soprano. Allyson plays piano on “I Wish I Knew,” while applying her unique sound and richly textured voice to Coltrane’s intricate phrasing and evocative tonalities throughout this CD, recorded at Sound on Sound NYC.

GRAMMY NOMINATED

FROM PARIS TO RIO

RELEASE DATE: 03 AUG 1999
LABEL: CONCORD RECORDS
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CCD-4865-25
1. Sous Le Ciel De Paris (Under Paris Skies) 4:07
2. Samba Saravah 5:10
3. Te Amo (I Love You) 5:03
4. O Pato (The Duck) 3:54
5. Ne Me Quitte Pas (If You Go Away) 4:42
6. Plasir d’ Amour (The Pleasure Of Love) 4:56
7. O Barquinho (My Little Boat) 4:28
8. Coracao Vagabundo (My Vagabond Heart) 4:27
9. Parisian Thoroughfare 3:29
10. Des Histoires 5:13
11. Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape) 5:27
12. Catavento e Girasol (Windmill And Sunflower) 5:01
13. Aria (From Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5) / Belo Horizonte 6:48
14. That Day (Cinema Paradiso) 5:01
“Bonjour” and “Bomdia”! Singing in French, Portuguese and English, Karrin Allyson –on her new album From Paris To Rio — threads it all together seamlessly, with a singular combination of unbridled charisma and jazz-steeped finesse. Relaxing with us in a Paris café one moment, then whisking us off to dance the samba in the streets of Rio the next, the multifarious Karrin Allyson is an exquisite hostess on a vibrant and colorful musical excursion. “…a blond Edith Piaf with swing and sunshine in her voice.” – Shirley Christian, The New York Times

FRENCH AND BRAZILIAN

COLLAGE

RELEASE DATE: 30 JUN 1996
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CCD-4709-25
1. It Could Happen To You / Fried Bananas 4:46
2. Autumn Leaves (Les Fueilles Mortes) 4:46
3. Robert Frost 5:07
4. All Of You 4:45
5. And So It Goes 3:44
6. Joy Spring 4:19
7. Ask Me Now 6:42
8. Cherokee 3:49
9. Here, There And Everywhere 4:51
10. Give It Up Or Let Me Go 4:12
11. Faltando Um Pedaco (Missing A Piece) 6:11
12. Live For Life 4:55
Jazz vocal sensation Karrin Allyson is back with her most exciting and eclectic album to date. Singing in English, French and Portuguese, Karrin’s distinctive, brassy-toned voice and melodic inventiveness, improvisational spontaneity, and unbridled, charismatic energy bring a whole new perspective to jazz standards, pop classics and Brazilian grooves. A vibrant collection of musical styles, languages and rhythms that come harmoniously together in a colorful musical Collage that defines the talents of a jazz vocalist who is simply beyond category. FEATURING: Karrin Allyson – vocals, piano, percussion Bob Bowman – bass Todd Strait – drums, percussion Paul Smith – piano Rod Fleeman – acoustic guitar Danny Embrey – electric guitar Randy Weinstein – harmonica Kim Park – alto saxophone Laura Caviani – piano Mike Metheny – flugelhorn Claude “Fiddler” Williams – violin Carter Brey – cello

DAYDREAM

RELEASE DATE: 31 AUG 1997
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ
CAT # CCD-4773-25
1. Daydream 4:36
2. Like Someone In Love 5:51
3. My Foolish Heart 7:47
4. So Danco Samba 5:26
5. Corcovado (Quiet Nights) 6:57
6. Show Me 3:40
7. Monk Medley 6:23
8. Everything Must Change 6:45
9. Donna Lee / (Back Home Again In) Indiana 4:44
10. Nothin’ But The Blues 6:59
11. You Can’t Rush Spring 4:14
“Karrin Allyson…as good as they come, and as good as it gets.”

“This is what Karrin Allyson does: she sings well chosen, smartly arranged songs in a slender, sunny voice that makes you feel warm inside. She swings-hard. She scats like somebody who knows her way around a piano (which by the way, she definitely does: listen to ‘Everything Must Change’ and hear for yourself). She sings ballads like somebody who knows too much about long nights and second thoughts.

She loves Thelonious Monk and Antonio Carlos Jobim and blues with a backbeat and really, really good instrumentalists, and this album contains generous helpings of all the above. Added to the mix are two ringers, the first of whom hands you his calling card right from the start: who but Gary Burton could be responsible for the gracefully billowing clouds that ease Karrin into the title track? Randy Brecker makes a no less characteristic entrance midway through the first chorus of ‘My Foolish Heart’ slipping in behind the vocal with the quiet delicacy of an old friend who doesn’t need to say hello. Consider them a bonus, a little extra icing on an already tasty cake.”
(excerpted from liner notes by Terry Teachout)

FEATURING: Karrin Allyson – vocals, percussion, piano and special guests: Gary Burton – vibraphone; Randy Brecker – flugelhorn & trumpet with: Bob Bowman – acoustic bass; Todd Strait – drums, percussion; Paul Smith – piano; Danny Embrey – electric & acoustic guitars; Rod Fleeman – acoustic guitar; Kim Park – alto saxophone, flute; Randy Weinstein – harmonica; Laura Caviani – piano

AZURE TE’

RELEASE DATE: 31 MAR 1995

LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ
CAT # CCD-4641-25
1. How High The Moon / Ornithology 5:16
2. Gee Baby 4:34
3. Bernie’s Tune 4:12
4. Night And Day 5:28
5. Blame It On My Youth 6:56
6. Yardbird Suite 4:06
7. Good Morning Heartache 5:55
8. Stompin’ At The Savoy 5:23
9. Azure-te 6:32
10. Some Other Time 6:16
11. Samba ’88 6:17
on piano: Paul Smith, Laura Caviani; on trumpet & flugelhorn: Stan Kessler, Mike Metheny; on bass: Bob Bowman, Gerlad Spaits; Todd Strait, drums: Rod Fleeman, acoustic guitar; Danny Embrey, electric guitar; Kim Park , alto & tenor saxaphones; Randy Weinstein, harmonica

SWEET HOME COOKIN’

Sweet Home Cookin’

On piano: Alan Broadbent, Paul Smith; on bass: Putter Smith, Bob Bowman; on drums: Sherman Ferguson, Todd Strait; Bob Cooper, tenor saxaphone; Danny Embrey, guitar; Randy Sandke, trumpet; Rod Fleeman, acoustic guitar

RELEASE DATE: 28 FEB 1994
LABEL: CONCORD JAZZ
GENRE: JAZZ VOCALS
CAT # CCD-4593-25
1. One Note Samba 3:41
2. I Cover The Waterfront 5:56
3. Can’t We Be Friends 3:28
4. Yeh! Yeh! 4:21
5. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat 5:22
6. No Moon At All 4:20
7. Sweet Home Cookin’ Man 6:12
8. You Are Too Beautiful 5:35
9. Social Call 4:47
10. Dindi 8:03
11. In A Sentimental Mood 5:29
12. I Love Paris 3:27

I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT YOU

1. Nature Boy 6:17
2. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was 4:31
3. Chopin Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 / Insensatez 6:30
4. (Pack Your) Suitcase Blues 3:20
5. I Didn’t Know About You 4:28
6. Line For Lyons 3:29
7. Jesse 4:29
8. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
9. I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You 5:53
10. ‘S Wonderful 4:26
11. Save That Time 3:44
12. Guilty 5:35
13. It Might As Well Be Spring

On this CD, Karrin proved herself to be a great jazz vocalist, a leader and producer who can put it all together and a soulful lady who can climb right into the heart of your emotions.