A talented jazz singer who's beautiful voice blends seamlessly with her tightly supportive and lightly swinging trio. Jazz Critic, Scott Yanow

12 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Jazz Vocals, JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo



Details:
SONGS IN THE KEY OF SEA

Jazz singer Kimberly Fordâs alluring voice brings out not only the beauty in lyrics but also their story; both those she pens herself, and also the many standards which are included in Songs In The Key Of Sea. Her adventurous spirit results in her interpretations being full of subtle surprises.

A native of central California, she recalls, âI explored many styles of music during college before I discovered jazz. The parameters are so wide in jazz that there are countless ways to express yourself through the music; I fell in love with it.â She studied in Seattle, Washington with vocal jazz great, Jay Clayton, recorded the impressive CD Table For One, and eight years ago moved to Santa Barbara, California.

Songs In The Key Of Sea, which teams the singer with guitarist Mark Waggoner,
bassist Ryan McGillicuddy and drummer Jason Harnell, is a recording close to
her heart. âI have been involved with underwater filmmaking and I thought of recording an ocean theme CD which would also draw attention to some of the environmental challenges which face it. Some of the proceeds from this project will benefit marine conservation and education.â

The dozen selections on Songs In The Key Of Sea include jazz standards (How
Deep Is The Ocean, Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, My Ship
and Beyond The Sea), Brazilian pieces (Wave, Oceano , Little Boat and The Island), Chick Coreaâs, Sea Journey and three originals (Sea Change, Sea and Water Mark).

Kimberly Fordâs beautiful voice blends perfectly with her supportive and lightly swinging trio. Among the surprises are the bands interpretation of Wave which is taken as a jazz waltz and Little Boat which is transformed into a romp in 7/4 time. âI loved singing Little Boat in the 7/4 time signatureâ, Kimberly laughingly recalls, âhowever, it left little room to breathe! It took some time to get comfortable with the new phrasing.â

Included with the CD is a special DVD; a music video of underwater footage produced by Emmy Award winning underwater filmmaker Mike deGruy and set to a version of the Waggoner/Ford original composition, Water Mark with Kimberlyâs vocal arrangement. âMike generously offered this beautiful film to the project. I loved the idea of our music being the soundtrack for a montage of underwater footage taken from all over the world and Water Mark seemed like the perfect choice.â

Kimberly Ford has recorded voiceovers and soundtracks for the National Marine Sanctuaries and other environmental groups. She has written and recorded music for television, radio and film, co-founded The Youth Alliance (coaching students in writing, production and filmmaking), teaches vocal workshops at colleges and performs at jazz festivals throughout the US. In addition, she loves performing her music live and sings regularly at venues on Californiaâs Central Coast, including Stella Mareâs in Montecito.


With the release of Songs In The Key Of Sea, Kimberly Ford has perfectly
combined two of her most passionate loves: jazz and the ocean.

Scott Yanow,
Author of nine jazz books including Swing, Bebop, Jazz On Record 1917-76 and
Jazz On Film