New York, NY (Top40 Charts) EARLY REVIEWS:
"The Pink Room"
There is nothing more joyful and bittersweet than falling in and out of love. One day you're seeing the stars, the next you're cursing the darkness. Rondi Marsh's "Pink Album" is the soundtrack for modern love and the full range of emotions that it stirs in our hearts and minds. Graceful, poised, and enchanting, Rondi delivers a rousing and first-rate performance, breathing new life into vintage, classy tunes that will make you hear them afresh and anew.
"Flamingo," the famed jazz standard, begins with a gentle and colorful flute solo by
Wouter Kellerman, giving way to Rondi's lush voice that fills each register with gravity and heart. Though she sings about a flamingo flying like a plane, it's truly her voice that soars above the rest. "Misty" is an upbeat rendition of the 1954 composition by Erroll Garner in which Rondi and the violin have a thoughtful musical interchange. "Boy on a Dolphin" is originally from the 1957 romantic film Greece in which the statue of a Greek boy is featured prominently. On this song, Rondi sings poignantly about how love is an article of belief, which can turn even inanimate objects into those deserving our attention. "Slow Hot Wind" and "Slap That Bass" are two standards that feature Rondi's breadth, both musically and stylistically, as she doesn't just sing these songs but inhabits them, infusing them with personal experience and emotional depth.
You can't but help tap your foot to the vivid "Mambo Italiano" or sway to the sensual "Angel Eyes." Yet it is "Black Denim Trousers and
Motorcycle Boots" that will have you grinning from ear-to-ear. A duet with "Wanz," the rendition is exquisite with the forward-pulsing rhythms, as if you can hear the traffic bustling down the expressway - next stop love (or heartbreak)! "Walk On Over" is Rondi's original composition, a well-crafted blues, with rich harmonies and a "gypsy jazz" aesthetic that she describes as a "flirtatious fun song." That it is, and the unfolding story makes you listen intently, curious as to whether the hide-and-seek of romance will reveal itself in full. "
Last Call" is an appropriate ending track as Rondi sings about that lonely feeling that absorbs and inflicts us all, as we wait on someone we love or wish to love. It's a tasteful and refined song that paints an affecting and nostalgic feeling.
Gorgeous and grand, beautiful and bittersweet, The Pink Room will envelop you with Rondi's sophisticated mind and supersized heart. A dazzling and brilliant production.
Kabir Sehgal
New York Times bestselling author
Multi-Grammy Award Winner
"A feisty but amiable firecracker with a contagious smile, (she) seems to bring positive from the negative in her songs. But one thing's for sure: Her music makes listeners think."
- Maisy Fernandez, writer, Yakima Herald Republic
"Her new release (Cache) ...is a stunning collection of music that brings to mind the voices of Alannis Morrisette, Joni Mitchell, Ricky Lee Jones, etc., and songs that reflect the many journeys this very talented performer has taken. Don't miss her!"
- Tim Anderson, Editor, Central Washington Entertainment News
"…(she) writes memorable tunes and delivers them with vivid yet well modulated emotion...commercial yet genuine, polished and powerfully expressive. Kitty Dakota is a major-league talent. Her students are lucky to learn from her.
- Robert Doerschuk, music critic/journalist, Starpolish.com
"Kitty Dakota (aka Rondi Marsh), the finest female vocalist in the world (no joke). We actually have a number of great artists in our talent pool, (she) is truly the voice of the angels."
- Founder, Charlie Harrelson, Ev:Or.com
"Amber Sunset" (track 3) selected as 'song of the week". "(she) blends lush vocals with rich lyrics and memorable music. 'Amber Sunset' is just one of a tremendous CD."
- Webentertainmentawards.com
"Thousands of listens and downloads to date. Four songs to be in the top ten in the Folk/Rock and jazz vocals categories in 2001. Her song "Ramblin' Wind" was selected to be included on MP3.com's "For the Road" compilation CD."
- MP3.com
*Showcased live on KBCS radio in Seattle for Northwest Folklife festival May 2002 with Dan Maher as host.
Beautifully Rich" aired on "Women In Music", a nationally syndicated radio program
-Laney Goodman.
"More Than You're Sayin'", "Walk on Over" aired on Northwest Public
Radio on
Robin Rilette's
-Fresh Blend" radio program.
Born and bred in Yakima, Washington, Rondi Marsh grew up with the sights of rolling mountains and the sounds of an ever-expanding metropolis around her. Her mother and sister were influences. Her mother sang in church and community choirs and her sister was an artist and classical singer. During her formative years, she studied tap, ballet, toe, baton, acrobats, and jazz dance. Her attention shifted in her early teens to music when she picked up her mother's antique 1935 guitar.
Almost immediately, she began writing songs and singing harmony with a childhood friend.
Her earliest influences came from the local pop and rock radio stations where the songs of the Monkees, the Beatles, and Motown artists shaped her impression of melodic timing. Female vocalists across the music spectrum inspired her to sing including: Ann Wilson of Heart, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin,
Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt,
Sarah Vaughn, and Diana Krall. Her mother's love of Big Bands, classical music, pop chanteuses, and jazz crooners also had an indelible effect on her. She sang in her high school concert choir and jazz choir as well as a quartet.
She studied voice at Central Washington University on a voice scholarship, though she chose to study psychology and music education. She received her BA in
Music Education and later earned a Masters degree in Education. Her love of dance continued through college where she choreographed and danced for Central's dance group Orchesis. She also continued her experience with vocal jazz while there.
As a live performer, she sang in several styles stretching from mainstream folk, country, and hard rock to the more sophisticated classical and jazz breeds. In her trove are two full-length albums, Cache which was released in 2000, and Thorny Bouquet in 2002. Comprised of all original songs written for the folk-rock-pop markets, the albums garnered airplay on internet and terrestrial radio programs based in countries from around the world.
Marsh chose to go in a new direction with her third recording The Journal in 2006. The CD presented her performance as a jazz vocalist, and writer venturing into the sensual nuances of her register. She became interested in learning about vocal jazz and studied with many of the top jazz recording and performing artists of our times such as: Karin Allyson, Cyrille Aimee, Rene Marie and Sachel Vasandani, Dee Daniels, Gretta Matassa, and Kim Nazarian of New York Voices fame.
She found her stride and moved forward as a jazz vocalist with her fourth studio album The Pink Room. Rather than repeating herself, Marsh infuses elements of gypsy jazz and Latin swing into her music.
The 11-track CD is a tableau of one of life's essential cycles, expressing the various facets of experiencing a romantic bond through song. Her alto register gives depth to the emotions of unbridled love, brooding loss, and inconsolable heartache. Comprised of ten covers and one original track penned by Marsh, the album signifies her place as a jazz vocalist. She demonstrates the skill set to handle American Songbook standards with the assurance of its forbearers and equally contributes to its roster.
She taps into the diverse aspects of her rhythmic timing, delivering a sultry groove with a Ziegfeld Follies-twist in "The Bass Song," and illuminating a dreamy bossa nova lilt along the lulling swells of Henry Mancini's signature piece "Slow Hot Wind." Marsh integrates
George and Ira Gershwin's "Slap that Bass" with Meaghan Trainor's pop hit "All About the Bass" on "The Bass Song," making for a dynamic and complimenting mash-up.
The sleek swivels of
David Lange's accordion rope around Marsh's vocals like a pair of tender arms in "Flamingo," traversing into gypsy-tinge raptures along "Boy on a Dolphin." The latter accentuates the Greek flare of Ben Lange's ruminating mandolin, augmented by lyrics that describe how love can be applied to an inanimate object, deserving of adoration.
The Latin swing staple "Mambo Italiano" is embellished by the glittering trills of the horns fashioned by Brent Irwin's trumpet, Jeff Chang's alto saxophone, Ed Ullman's trombone, and Vince Beard performing the trumpet solo. Originally written by Bob Merrill for Rosemary Clooney, Marsh's treatment has all the pageantry of a classic requiem for jazz ensembles.
The gyrating beats of "Black Denim Trousers" are gilded in gypsy accents that enhance the jubilant atmosphere. Penned by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song features Michael "Wanz" Wansley as a duet with her. (Best known for being featured on the mega hit "
Thrift Shop" with
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.) The duet of Marsh and Wanz is evenly keeled with each acting as the filament for the other.
Another highlight of the album is Marsh's reimagining of Erroll Garner's elegantly crafted "Misty." Joined by Neil Andersson on guitar,
Michael Gray on violin, and Ryan Donnelly on bass, Marsh aborts all preconceptions related to the song and concentrates on honing her own communication with the musicians, exhibiting a flirtatious repartee. Her original composition "Walk on Over" stands out as well, driven by a country waltz and a hearty vocal drawl in Marsh's elocution. Some listeners may think she is channeling the iconic country maven Patsy Kline.
Recorded at
David Lange studios in Edgewood, Washington, the album is produced by Marsh as well as arranged by her with the assistance of
Brett Irwin. Engineered by
David Lange, the recording is dedicated to her son Kenai Whitney.
Accolades and Awards
In 2003, Rondi Marsh was awarded "Winner of Best Harmony and Aesthetics Award" at the "Call to the Arts" conference in Los Angeles, California for her song "Alice May" from her album Cache. She received the award under her stage name Kitty Dakota. To her credit, she has been featured on the nationally syndicated radio show Women in Music, in addition to receiving airplay on Northwest Public Radio's program
Fresh Blend, and Northwest Folklife's live broadcast featuring "Songwriters East of the Cascades."
She is a full-time music educator, and as such, is a member of a number of organizations including: the
Music Educators
National Conference, Evergreen Orff Chapter,
National Association for
Music Educators, and Washington
State Music Educators Association. She has been a presenter, and an Orff instrument arranger and site coordinator for the All-State Children's choir at the Arts Time music conferences in Yakima. As an active Recording Academy member since 2001, she was bestowed with the privilege of being a voting member for the last four years.
In 2017, Marsh was an assistant producer for the newly released Deepak Chopra, Kabir Sehgal, and Paul Avgerino's album and book compilation called Home: Where Everyone is Welcome: Poems & Songs Inspired by American Immigrants. Adding to her list of achievements, she was recently appointed by the mayor of Des Moines to serve on the Arts Commission while living in the city.
TRACK INFORMATION:
1."
Flamingo" (Ted Grouya, Ed Anderson)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Flute:
Wouter Kellerman
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Drums:
Aaron Hennings
2. "Misty" (Erroll Garner)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
3. "Summerwind"
(Heinz Meier,Hans Bradte, Johnny Mercer)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Background vocals:
Rondi Marsh, Anne Chapman:
Horns: Brent Irwin (trumpet)
Jeff Chang (Alto Saxophone)
Ed Ullman (Trombone)
Drums: Don Kinney
4. "Boy on A Dolphin"
(Hugo Friedhofer, Takis Morakis, Jean
Fermanoglou, Paul Francis Webster)
Lead Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Mandolin: Ben Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
5. "The Bass Song"
("Slap That Bas"s:George & Ira Gershwin)
("
All About That Bass": Meghan Trainor,,
Kevin Kadish)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Piano: Bart Roderick
Background vocals: Rondi Marsh, Anne Chapman
Horns: Brent Irwin (trumpet) Jeff Chang (Alto Saxophone) Ed Ullman (Trombone)
Drums: Don Kinney
Background Vocals: Rondi Marsh,
Brett Woodruff
6. "Slow Hot Wind"
(Henry Mancini, Norman Gimbel,)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Background vocals: Rondi Marsh, Anne Chapman
Horns: Brent Irwin (trumpet) Jeff Chang (Alto Saxophone) Ed Ullman (Trombone)
Drums: Don Kinney
7. "Mambo Italiano" (Bob Merrill)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Mandolin: Ben Lange
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Background vocals: Rondi Marsh, Anne Chapman
Horns: Brent Irwin (trumpet) Jeff Chang (Alto Saxophone)
Ed Ullman (Trombone)
Trumpet Solo: Vince Beard
Drums:
Aaron Hennings
8. "Black Denim Trousers"
(Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh & Michael Wansley (Wanz)
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Piano: Dave Gross
Background vocals: Rondi Marsh, Anne Chapman
Horns: Brent Irwin (trumpet)
Jeff Chang (Alto Saxophone)
Ed Ullman (Trombone)
Drums: Don Kinney
Bell: Brent Irwin
9. "
Angel Eyes" (John Hiatt and Fred Koller,)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Michael Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Horns: Brent Irwin (trumpet)
Jeff Chang (Alto Saxophone)
Ed Ullman (Trombone)
Drums: Don Kinney
10. "Walk on Over" (Rondi Marsh)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Piano: Bart Roderick
11. Last Call (Danny O'Keefe)
Vocals: Rondi Marsh
Accordion:
David Lange
Violin: Micheal Gray
Guitars: Neil Andersson
Bass: Ryan Donnelly
Piano: Bart Roderick
