…with PCJ since 2010 and 6 albums later…
CD Review:
KATHY SANBORN – “RECOLLECTING YOU”
Pacific Coast Jazz
Kathy Sanborn, vocals/composer; Keerthy Narayanan, keyboards/bass; Aman
Almeida, piano; Abhinav Khanna, drums; Wayne Ricci, trumpet; Rocio Marron,
violin; Vito Gregoli & Ciro Hurtado, guitars.
Here is a smoky voice, with Peggy Lee character and contemporary jazz
arrangements. She has composed all the tunes on this, her eighth CD
release. In partnership with Narayanan, her producer, keyboard man and
bass player, they have a finished product that’s polished and
smooth-jazz-friendly.
Sanborn has a comfortable style to her voice, cozy, soft and sexy like a
favorite cashmere sweater. You slip into her music and curl up on the
couch. This is romantic music, not only the artist’s voice, but her
accompanying ensemble make her compositions come alive. Her music
breathes, whispers and flows. Her poems have been put to music. They don’t
always rhyme, but they are prose that capture the moment and tell vivid
stories. Each original composition flows into the next, like lovers,
breathing as one. Kathy Sanborn was a 2015 American Songwriting Award
winner.
Wayne Ricci is simplistic, but strikingly present on his trumpet as he
improvises around Sanborn’s vocals. Pianist, Aman Almeida, is mixed
perfectly into the arrangements and adds his attentive accompaniment in
all the perfect places, cushioning her warm tones. There is something
ethereal and captivating about this artist, about her band and her
stories. The freedom they personify is striking, both musically and
lyrically. The producer, and multi-talented musician, Keerthy Narayanan,
is to be congratulated. Thanks to the combination of his talent with hers,
you’ll remember the Kathy Sanborn sound long after the last tune has
finished.
EXCLUSIVE VERITAS VAMPIRUS CD REVIEWS:
KATHY SANBORN – Recollecting You (2017 / Pacific Coast Jazz)
Kathy Sanborn’s eighth CD, Recollecting You, is quite remarkable in a
number of ways. First, how the hell a woman so fully evocative of the
post-West Coast School Of Cool could have escaped my attention, and that
of the major labels and cinematographers, for so long is baffling, as
evidences of complete maturity mark every inch of this breath-taking disc.
I guess it’s possible, but…I missed eight releases? Amazing. Nonetheless,
Recollecting You is a singularly unique immersion in musical romance,
hedonism, and achingly wistful reminiscence.
Sanborn takes up where the cherished Misty Miss Christy left off in the
late 50’s, then slides gently over to slip into the throne Sade vacated,
enveloped in warm fog and balmy breezes. Along the way, she’s embraced the
sensual depths of Ricki Lee Jones and Kimiko Itoh, not to mention Kenny
Rankin at his most sensitive. Every cut on the 10 track collection,
completely written by Sanborn, drips with consummate sensuality from the
most profound intensities of the feminine soul, passions turned around to
quietly smolder in smoky renditions.
Then there are the masterful embelllishments of her backing quartet led by
producer Keerthy Narayanan on keyboards and bass, exquisite in both cases.
The gent may be India-based but he’s overpowered this splinter of the
Western jazz genre and made it his own. He arranges all the songs, an
exceedingly artfully stripped-down Nelson Riddle or Henry Mancini but with
every ounce of the lush passions of the two compressed into every moment.
Brilliant readings from the ensemble weave luxury into delicacy, guest
guitarist Ciro Hurtado appearing in “Kissed (Shoobop, Shoobop)” while band
member Wayne Ricci is a reborn Chet Baker on trumpet.
Most of this disc is the equivalent of a down-tempo enthrallment in soma,
Aldous Huxley’s fictive pleasure drug, though “The Boys are Back Again”
suddenly glides uptempo, as does its follower, “Always You”, illustrating
Sanborn’s heady zest for life, band bouncing along beside her, somewhat
like some of Sergio Mendes’ older work a la Fool on the Hill. Nonetheless,
if Recollecting You doesn’t establish Ms. Sanborn as a major presence,
then I give up and you’ll find me wandering the world in sackcloth and
ashes…but with a portable CD player and this disc, of course.
by Mark S. Tucker
Kathy Sanborn is an American female jazz singer, pianist, and composer. Famous for her velvet voice, Sanborn performs with an elegance that can take your breath away. Kathy takes jazz music into the modern era with her sultry, contemporary sound. Fantasía, Kathy’s sixth album, released June 2014. Fantasía recently reached iTunes Latin Top 100 list.
Kathy’s music includes the albums Sultry Night, Six Degrees of Cool, Blues for Breakfast, Small Galaxy, and Peaceful Sounds. Kathy’s fifth album, Sultry Night, released September 3, 2013. The MP3 version of Sultry Night recently reached Amazon’s Vocal Jazz Bestseller Charts.
John Shelton Ivany of the National News Bureau says: “Kathy Sanborn is able to convey emotional truths with a sound no one else can produce–a quavering joy that works equally well over an ocean or acoustic chords of ballads. No one else sings like that.”
Sanborn released her first CD, Peaceful Sounds, to critical acclaim in 2008. Peaceful Sounds, a jazzy-new age blend of philosophical songs, also features trumpeter Wayne Ricci.
Listen to Kathy’s latest music here:
Buy Kathy’s music here:
Small Galaxy, Sanborn’s second project, was released in April 2010 throughPacific Coast Jazz. Upbeat and inspirational, Small Galaxy garnered a #4 ranking on the Top Chart of radio station WSCA.
Blues for Breakfast, released in March 2011, features a tune dedicated to the jazz masters of yesterday. The album includes the artistry of GRAMMY® nominee bassist Scott Petito, sizzling drummer Chris Carey, and soulful trumpeter Wayne Ricci. Blues for Breakfast reached Amazon’s vocal jazz MP3 bestseller list.
Released in 2012, Sanborn’s fourth album, Six Degrees of Cool, has something for every jazz lover, even social commentary. Packing a punch on the nature of economic hard times are “Bitter Winter” and “Shanty Man,” the last a song describing the effects on a family in the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Six Degrees of Cool also reached Amazon’s Vocal Jazz MP3 Bestseller charts.
Sanborn released the sensual single, “Magnetized,” an homage to Hollywood film stars of the past who could electrify an audience with their presence, as an MP3 single July 5th, 2011.
Released for Christmas 2011: “Christmas Time,” a soothing, peaceful single to celebrate the joys of the holiday season.
The sultry songstress is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (GRAMMY Awards®) and the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Latin GRAMMYs). Sanborn’s biography is displayed in the celebrated Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who of American Women. As a composer and songwriter, Sanborn is a member of BMI.
Wayne Ricci – Trumpeter
Ever since winning the John Philip Sousa award as a youth, trumpeter Wayne Ricci has performed in many bands and ensemble groups. More recently, Ricci has contributed to composer/vocalist Kathy Sanborn’s six albums: Peaceful Sounds, Small Galaxy, Blues for Breakfast, Six Degrees of Cool, Sultry Night, and Fantasía.
JazzTimes says Ricci’s trumpet envelops the listener in a “sable plushness.”
Ricci shines as the soloist on the title track of Six Degrees of Cool, demonstrating an excellence of cool jazz style and control.
For More info on Kathy – please go to her fabulous website and catch up there!
click here: KathySanborn.com