Kate McGarry

Kate McGarry delivers—not the all-too common, pleasant but benign songbook fare – but personal renditions from an eclectic repertoire that redefines the realm of vocal jazz. Last spring, Kate released The Target (Palmetto), her most challenging and rewarding recording yet. Showcasing Kate’s elastic contralto and inventive phrasing, The Target is enveloped in a lush tapestry of engaging instrumentals. Yet the attentive listener—to the recording or live music- will also be rewarded by the nuances evolved from a childhood of Irish folk melodies, a study of African rhythms and avant garde experiments, spiritual reflection, and an unwavering mission to infuse each song with new meaning. Her trio gigs this weekend—at Stone (September 14) and 55 Bar (September 15^th)—will likely include a few tunes from the new release as well as other gems from her eclectic repertoire. Her compatriots will be husband/guitarist Keith Ganz and drummer Clarence Penn.

Growing up in a large Irish Catholic family in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Kate McGarry and her nine siblings were surrounded by diverse musical influences—Celtic folk songs, The Mills Brothers, the Beatles, 70s funk and pop. The urge to sing was ever-present, from family talent shows to sing-a-longs in Irish pubs to her first introduction to jazz through the music of Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald and later Keith Jarrett. Next came more serious study of African American music with Dr. Horace Boyer and of avant garde jazz with Archie Shepp at the University of Massachusetts. Singing around Boston led to connections in Los Angeles, and soon Kate was part of the LA scene, with regular appearances at Catalina’s, the Jazz Bakery and Le Café. Here, Kate’s journey on record had its auspicious beginning in 1992 with Easy to Love, prompting Music Magazine to call her "...a strong improviser who shows taste and restraint worthy of the most mature jazz singer.”

Jen Shyu

Vocalist Jen Shyu performs ritual invocation about Chinese laborers in 19th Century Colonial Cuba at The Jazz Gallery

September 27, 2007 (One Night Only)
2 Sets: 9:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson Street, New York, NY
$12 ($10 members)

(New York, NY – September 27, 2007) – Known mostly for her virtuosic singing with saxophonist/composer Steve Coleman & Five Elements, Jen Shyu takes her own group and compositions to the Jazz Gallery for one night only, September 27, 2007. Shyu’s powerful and sensuous music paints the throbbing landscape of Chinese labor narratives from 19th century colonial Cuba and other stories in the form of ritual invocation. Joining her in bringing these stories to life are virtuosos David Binney on alto saxophone, Shane Endsley on trumpet, Thomas Morgan on bass, Miles Okazaki on guitar, and Dan Weiss on drums.

Kenny Werner © Andrea Canter

A child prodigy, Kenny Werner was born in Brooklyn and joined a children’s song and dance group at age four. At age 11, he recorded a single with a fifteen-piece orchestra and played stride piano on television. Still in high school, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music, later becoming a classical piano major. His interest in improvisation led him to the jazz program at the Berklee School of Music; he began recording in the late 1970s, appearing on Charles Mingus’ “Something Like a Bird.” In the 1980s, Werner toured with Archie Shepp and the Mel Lewis Orchestra, worked in duo formats with Rufus Reid, Ray Drummond, and Jaki Byard, and performed solo concerns in Europe and New York. Three National Endowment of the Arts grants helped further his career as a composer and enabled him to present his compositions at Symphony Space in New York. He also wrote compositions for the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, which became the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. With Ratzo Harris and Tom Rainey, Werner spent 14 years experimenting with trio formats, and in the 1990s, this format became his main focus. Bob Blumenthal (Boston Globe) noted that Werner’s ensemble “has provided an ever-evolving definition of the spontaneity that remains at the heart of jazz... unsurpassed as a working trio.”