Jazz vocalist Kris Adams presents ten original arrangements of jazz standards for quartet, quintet and sextet.

10 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Jazz Vocals, JAZZ: Bossa Nova



Details:
Kris Adams has something that is the goal of all jazz singers, and it will make her the envy of most. That something is a personal sound. You will remember Adams' voice once you hear it, recognize it immediately and savor what you hear. The harmonic notions she investigates are daring, yet delivered with sure-footed certainty, charging hip blowing tunes and more intimate stories alike with a jolt of contemporary relevance." Bob Blumenthal, mulitiple Grammy winner (liner notes)

Jerome Wilson of Cadence magazine writes, "Kris Adams has a lovely, malleable voice that can either come out as a wistful sigh or sharpen into a peircing soprano sax wail. She shows her ability to ride a Jazz rhythm by including several Jazz compostions in her set, Max Roach's and Abbey Lincoln's "Living Room," Phil Markowitz's "'Sno Peas," Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks" and Steve Swallow's "Ladies In Mercedes." Her voice struts and flies hauntingly over "Living Room" next to a brawny tenor solo by Dino Govoni. "Ladies" is a bubbly Latin number with rocking piano by Steve Prosser and Adams gliding through the Norma Winstone lyrics. "Falling In Love" has a head-bobbing blues pulse and an intriguing bass solo, while on "Weaver Of Dreams" Adams floats over an arrangement with sudden tempo shifts and horns out of a '50's Third Stream compostion. Adams is a lovely and nimble singer who can convey a song's message over complex musical accompaniment. She has very impressive versatility." (February 2003)

"A very talented and subtle jazz singer, Kris Adams (who is based in Massachusetts) performs a wide variety of superior material on this set. Ranging from "The Peacocks," "It Could Happen To You," and "Falling in Love With Love" to Phil Markowitz's "Sno' Peas" (for which Adams wrote the lyrics), Abbey Lincoln's "Living Room," Steve Swallow's "Ladies in Mercedes," and "The 'in' Crowd," the singer is quite expressive in her interpretations while swinging. She is joined by a fine local rhythm section (Tim Ray or Steve Prosser are on piano) with occasional contributions from up to three horns. Well worth searching for." Scott Yanow, AllMusicGuide

"...Adams has good taste in songs and sidemen, an easy, agreeable sense of swing and an obvious appreciation for everything from Ella's scatting to Sheila Jordan's intonation." Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes (November 2002)

"An arresting CD with an interesting edge bookended by "Watch What Happens" and "The In Crowd" underscores Kris Adams' range of abilities, values, and attitudes as a genuinely ripened jazz singer. Singing with a high quotient of different hues, she stretches the listener over and above the melody, directing a focus on shades, tones, and configurations of the line. On familiar tunes, happily her choices of notes in numerous instances are unpredictable and propagate wonderful moments of emotional rushes and refreshment. Overdubbing her voice to produce three-part harmony at the onset of "It Could Happen To You" and her arrangement using Greg Hopkins' trumpet in different juxtapositions are simply knock-out choices. Or take Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks": Adams sings Norma Winstone's lyrics, reinforcing the strengths of her flexible voice-control in shaping her phrases. Another facet of her facile management is the leaping "The More I See You", with the hot rhythm section of Tim Ray, Paul Del Nero, and Bob Tamagni. CD producer/arranger/pianist Steve Prosser's fine charts and playing share the spotlight, too. Besides Hopkins, the other horn players are flutist Matt Marvuglio and saxophonist Dino Govoni. In sum, this is a wake-up call to claim rewards by Kris Adams-a gifted singer with a banquet of personal sounds." Dr. Herb Wong, IAJE Journal (December 2002)