Looking for a different gig? Kristin Korb fits the bill. While there are many fine female vocalists, far too few women in jazz have tackled the acoustic bass. Kristin Korb is not only a member of the very tiny community of women bassists, she is also equally known as a vocalist—and she often shares both talents simultaneously. A singing bassist? Combining the vocal traditions of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn with the instrumental influence of Ray Brown, Korb will bring her unique talents to the stage at Steamers on Friday, December 29^th.

A Montana native, Kristin grew up surrounded by music. She started playing guitar in elementary school, briefly moving on to violin and piano. Learning that the “hip” group in junior high was the vocal ensemble, she sang in the seventh grade group and played bass guitar with the eighth graders. “I spent my lunch hours and stayed after school listening to the director’s Ella Fitzgerald, Manhattan Transfer, and Diane Reeves recordings. I wanted to know about scat.”

Kristen Korb © Andrea Canter

As her performing career got underway, Korb was highly influenced and mentored by the great Ray Brown, with whom she made her debut recording for Telarc. She has been featured at the International Society of Bassists Conference (in 1999 and 2001) and was recently appointed to their Board of Directors. In addition to touring with Ray Brown and Benny Green, Korb has appeared with Clark Terry, Bill Mays, Bobby Shew, Jeff Hamilton, and Carl Allen, among others, and leads her own ensemble. A committed educator, she most recently served as Director of Jazz Studies at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, where she performed with the faculty jazz ensemble, taught bass and jazz history, and directed their premier Jazz Band I. Now living in LA where she heads the vocal jazz program at USC, Kristin is more focused on performing. Korb notes, “I don’t try to be ‘rhythmically surprising.’ Rather than playing a lot of fast lines I like to use space and rhythmic diversity—put meaning into every single note rather than into a flurry of notes.” This approach is working well--Kristin Korb won the 2005 Jazz Connect Vocal Jazz Competition and released her third recording last month.

Said Ray Brown, “I've never heard anyone scat quite that fast! She has a great feeling –very musical.” Come see and hear this dually talented woman of jazz at Steamers Jazz CLub on Friday, December 29^th.

www.steamersjazz.com. More on Kristin Korb at www.kristinkorb.com.