New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Concord Jazz) Grammy-nominated vocalist and pianist
Karrin Allyson has earned early raves for her upcoming album 'Round Midnight, out May 3rd on Concord Jazz. In the 4/12 edition of USA TODAY, respected critic Elysa Gardner selected a track as a 'Listen Up
Music Pick', praising Allyson's "exquisite voice and elegant delivery." In the syndicated tastemaker site BlogCritics, Jack Goodstein buzzed, "this is a true artist at work." See the full write-ups, below. A wide range of jazz, Broadway, mainstream and regional press coverage is set to run in conjunction with the CD release and its accompanying U.S. tour, from JazzTimes Magazine to The CW Network/WGN-TV to WBAI Radio's
Everything Old Is New Again, from Theatermania to Bay Stages Magazine, from JazzPolice to Examiner.com, to The New York Jazz Record and much more.
USA TODAY: "Exquisite Voice and Elegant Delivery"
BlogCritics: "This is a True Artist at Work" "...Great Songs Interpreted with Real Emotional Truth"
Grammy-Nominated Vocalist Karrin Allyson Earns Early Raves for Dreamy CD, 'Round Midnight, Out May 3rd on Concord Jazz
Understated Album Features Melancholy Takes on Jazz/Broadway/Pop Songs by Ellington, Sondheim, Monk, Bill Evans, Paul Simon, Anthony Newley, Johnny Mandel, and More
On 'Round Midnight, Allyson weaves an elegant, understated dreamscape featuring 11 songs by some of the most storied writers in jazz, Broadway and pop music, from Duke Ellington to Stephen Sondheim to Paul Simon -- a full track listing follows. The acclaimed release, the singer's thirteenth on Concord Jazz, marks the first time that Allyson plays all the keyboard parts - piano and Rhodes. The subtle production lets Allyson's voice shine, as she delivers melancholy, mature takes on such classics as 'Send In The Clowns,' Charlie Chaplin's 'Smile', Johnny Mandel's 'The Shadow of Your Smile," Ellington's 'Sophisticated Lady,' and more. Allyson will tour this Spring in support of the album, and an itinerary follows, below.
USA TODAY: Listen Up Music Pick
By Elysa Gardner, 4/12/11
'April Come She Will'
"Simon's old ballad fits Allyson's exquisite voice and elegant delivery like a silk glove on the latter's 'Round Midnight."
https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2011-04-11-listenup12_TV_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
BLOGCRITICS: CD Review
By Jack Goodstein, 4/11/11
https://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-karrin-allyson-round-midnight/
Also ran via SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER and numerous other outlets:
'Round Midnight, jazz vocalist and pianist Karrin Allyson's latest, is set for release in May, and let me tell you, it's a winner. The 11 songs she has chosen are an eclectic mix of pop and jazz standards, a bit of Broadway, and a bit of Hollywood. Most are songs you've heard before, but never quite the way Allyson sings them. The elegant clarity of her voice, combined with the subtle nuances of her organic phrasing make these songs her own. She can be sad. She can be plaintive. She can be sultry. She can't be cliche. This is a true artist at work. The album opens with Bill Evans' "Turn Out the Stars." In her notes, Allyson points out that Evans usually played this up-tempo, but she takes it at a slower pace "with lots of stretched out time." The slower tempo focuses on the darker pathos of the lyric, "Let eternal darkness hide me." "April Come She Will," a Paul Simon composition, is delivered with a simplicity that remains true to its folk rock roots. "Goodbye," perhaps most often associated with Benny Goodman, is treated with what she calls a "rhumba groove," while still echoing the plaintive sadness inherent in the lyric. It is a masterly reading of this favorite. Melancholy music, like this, pervades the album. Her version of "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" drips with the sadness of unfulfilled dreams, while her take on the classic "Smile" focuses less on the stiff upper lip advice than the tears that need to be hidden. Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" gets a similar treatment. These are great songs interpreted with real emotional truth. Jazz standards "Sophisticated Lady" and the title track ("'Round Midnight") highlight the album. The Duke Ellington classic is handled with a nice, easy, swinging tempo and some sweet harmonica accents from Randy Weinstein. Allyson's vocal has a sultry quality that is unique on this album. Monk's "'Round Midnight" is a duet between Allyson and bassist, Ed Howard. His accompaniment and evocative solo work provide an interesting counterpoint to her melodious vocals. Although most of the songs on the album are well known, there are two that I hadn't heard before. "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" gets a swinging treatment that, unlike most of the other songs on the record, contrasts with the sadness of the lyric. Allyson's notes point out that according to Fran Landesman, who wrote the song with Tommy Wolf, the lyric was based on the T.S. Eliot line about April being the cruelest month in "The Wasteland." It is certainly bleak enough. "There's No Such Thing As Love," she calls Anthony Newley's "heartbreaker." It is an ironic evocation of all the losses encompassed in the loss of love. Here, Allyson's vocal is accompanied by her solo piano. Indeed, the singer handles all the piano and keyboard work on the album for the first time, she tells us in the liner notes. Besides Howard and Weinstein, she is joined by guitarist Rod Fleeman and drummer Matt Wilson. Bob Sheppard plays woodwinds. His solo work stands out on a number of tracks. He plays tenor sax on "Turn Out the Stars," bass clarinet on "Goodbye," soprano sax on "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," and flute on "The Shadow of Your Smile." With the exception of Wilson, this is an ensemble that has played together and knows each other well. More importantly, this is an ensemble that can play. 'Round Midnight is not a collection of happy songs. They are songs of lost love and heartbreak. They voice the hurt of loss and betrayal. While there may be some who find themselves overwhelmed by the melancholy of her selections, Allyson is clear that singing these songs of love gone bad is cathartic. "Embracing the difficult emotions is part of the healing process," she says. If singing them can do the healing, listening to a great singer singing them might do the job for the rest of us.
Here is a recently published interview with Allyson from Riveting Riffs: https://www.rivetingriffs.com/Karrin%20Allyson%202011.html
Here is a terrific CD review from the April/May review of JAM Magazine -
https://karrin.com/reviews/041011rm-jam.html
Over the course of her storied career, Allyson has earned coverage from some of the most respected critics in America. In a NY TIMES concert review, Stephen Holden observed: "Ms. Allyson is really a jazz equivalent of Bonnie Raitt. She approaches a romantic song from a perspective that is wised up and well defended but not quite tough. I couldn't imagine her falling for a line of sweet talk." In a separate live review, Holden noted, "She doesn't preen, flirt or act coy. What you see and hear is what you get: a musically and psychologically centered gamine, deeply schooled in jazz...and devoid of grandiosity." The NY TIMES' Ben Ratliff has described Allyson's voice as "expressive, a little scratchy, brassy and generous, more committed to swing." Veteran jazz critic Don Heckman wrote in The LA TIMES, "Allyson has another attribute that has consistently placed her in the top level of jazz vocal artists: utter musical fearlessness." In The Washington Post, Mike Joyce praised the singer's "soulful way with a ballad, quiet and haunting. Part of the fun of listening to Allyson, however, is hearing how gracefully she moves from ballads and bop to contemporary pop and bossa nova."
Concord Jazz introduces the album as follows:
The set opens with Bill Evans's "Turn Out the Stars," a song whose poignant lyrics by Gene Lees are made even more heartbreaking by Allyson's decision to slow down the tempo and stretch the time at certain points along the way. The followup track is a quiet reading of Paul Simon's "April Come She Will" that examines the human heart through the prism of changing seasons.
Further in, Allyson delivers a wistful rendition of "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most," the bittersweet standard by Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf, based on the classic T.S. Eliot line: "April is the cruelest month..." "I've sung this song for years and always wrestled with its long form and many lyrics," says Allyson. "I wanted to make it swing, yet still have it convey the sadness of the story that's told in the lyrics." Allyson closes with the title track, Monk's iconic composition that puts the final touch on the jazz club vibe that has taken shape amid the preceding ten tracks.
In 'Round Midnight, Allyson is joined by her long time partner, guitarist Rod Fleeman, with Bob Sheppard on woodwinds, harmonicist Randy Weinstein, bassist Ed Howard, whose previous associations include balladeer Shirley Horn, and drummer Matt Wilson.
'Round Midnight Track Listing:
1. Turn Out the Stars (Bill Evans-Gene Less)
2. April Come She Will (Paul Simon)
3. Goodbye (Gordon Jenkins)
4. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (Harry Carroll-Joseph McCarthy)
5. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most (Fran Landesman-Tommy Wolf)
6. Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
7. Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington-Irving Mills-Mitchell Parish)
8. There's No Such Thing As Love (Ian Fraser-Anthony Newley)
9. The Shadow of Your Smile (Johnny Mandel-Paul Francis Webster)
10. Send In the Clowns (Stephen Sondheim)
11. 'Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk-Cootie Williams-Bernard Hanighen)
The album was recorded at Sear Sound in NYC, and was produced by Karrin Allyson and Nick Phillips. The CD is available for pre-order via Amazon.com and other outlets. For more press information, Liner Notes, Bio, etc, journalists may visit the Concord Jazz Online Media Kit for 'Round Midnight: https://mediakits.concordmusicgroup.com/32662/
Karrin Allyson 2011 Tour Dates:
4/26/2011 Cabaret at Theater Square Pittsburgh, PA
5/5/2011 TBA Toronto, Canada
5/7/2011 Folly Theater Kansas City, MO
5/8/2011 Mayne Stage Theater Chicago, IL
5/20-21/2011 Sculler's Jazz Club Boston, MA
5/22/2011 Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, MA
5/27-28/2011 Spoleto Festival USA Charleston, SC
5/31-6/4/2011 Birdland New York, NY
7/9/2011 Omaha Jazz Fest Omaha, NE
Visit https://www.karrin.com/tourdates.html for updated tour schedule.
