"One of the most charismatic figures on tour today." Thus did the New York Times describe hot vocalist Karrin Allyson, was back at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis for a three-night run, on June 14-16. Barely six months since her last appearance on the Dakota stage, Allyson is frequently draws a crowd here, and why not? With a sure and smoky alto, a wide-ranging repertoire from ballad to samba to blues, and a presence that nearly pulls you onstage beside her, Allyson is a deservedly popular jazz chanteuse—not to be confused with a "jazzy" pop singer. Of her distinctive voice, jazz historian/critic Gary Giddens notes, "she brings a timbre that is part ice and part grain...incisive, original, and emotionally convincing." She can swing, she can scat, she can croon the blues—and she plays one mean piano.

Born in Kansas and raised in Omaha, Karrin Allyson studied classical piano before being turned on to jazz as teenager. She spent her early professional career in Kansas City and Minneapolis before moving to New York City with orchestra conductor husband Bill McGlaughlin three years ago. In addition to her frequent appearances in jazz clubs and festivals around the world, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall (tribute to Ella Fitzgerald), Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, the New York City 92nd St. YMCA, on Public Radio International's A Prairie Home Companion, and with symphony orchestras around the country, including the new Carnegie Hall concert series at Zankel Hall.

In the past decade, Karrin Allyson has made nine recordings for Concord reflecting classic American jazz roots, as well as French and Brazilian influences. In fact her minor in college was French (her major was music), and her love of both French and Portuguese seeps into her live performances as well as recordings, most notably on From Paris to Rio. Her 2001 CD, Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane, was nominated for a Grammy (best female vocalist). Hot off the press is her tribute to the popular songs of her youth, Wild for You (released by Concord on June 8^th). "These are the songs I grew up with," she said, "the songs that made me want to sing in the first place. Before I got into jazz, I studied classical piano. But when I became a teenager, I heard these songs, and they piqued my interest. I got the sheet music and learned to play them and pretty soon thought, 'I'd like to do this for a living.' "