Kate Hammett-Vaughan - So Lucky To Be Me

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:02
Size: 119,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:42)  1. Lucky To Be Me
(10:09)  2. The Fiddle And The Drum/ Woodstock
( 4:35)  3. Cold Cold Heart
( 6:00)  4. Everybody's Song But My Own
( 3:50)  5. Remind Me
( 4:41)  6. Wait 'Til You See Him
( 5:54)  7. Love For Sale
( 5:22)  8. Sweet Sucker Dance
( 5:46)  9. Please Be Kind

“She can improvise with the best… Kate Hammett-Vaughan has a highly expressive and lovely voice, one that is heard at its best throughout this accessible and tasteful set.” Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene

“ The finest vocal jazz artist of her generation… Hammett-Vaughan’s subtle inflections of tone, timing, make her a standout.” Stephen Pedersen, Chronicle Herald

Since moving to Vancouver, BC from her home province of Nova Scotia in 1979, Kate Hammett-Vaughan has established a reputation as one of Canada’s most individual and creative jazz vocalists, and one of the West Coast’s most respected teachers of the art of jazz singing. Hammett-Vaughan’s ease with all manner of material and her improvisational instincts set her apart from many of her contemporaries. Her highly personal and expressive vocal style incorporates the breadth of her musical interests, from straight-ahead soulful ballads to hard-swinging grooves and improvisational adventures. Her approach is fresh and invigorating, paying tribute to the jazz tradition while interacting and exploring, always seeking to express herself in the moment. 

Equally at home as a front-line performer or as a member of an ensemble, singing straight-ahead swing or participating in free-improv adventures, Hammett-Vaughan makes sure that what she is performing remains accessible to her audience. Kate Hammett-Vaughan has received multiple JUNO nominations for her recordings, as well as several nods from the Canadian Independent Music Awards and the West Coast Music Awards. She has worked in a number of ensembles over the last two decades, the most notable being her own Quintet and Trio, her long-time bass/voice duo with André Lachance, the improvising jazz trio Garbo’s Hat, and the acclaimed large ensemble, the Now Orchestra. Hammett-Vaughan's artistic sensibilities and musical interests have led her to a variety of related projects, including film scores, guest hosting of CBC television and radio shows, collaborations with modern dance artists and performance artists, and a fulfilling career as a teacher.  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hammettvaughan5

So Lucky To Be Me

---

Kate Hammett-Vaughan - Devil May Care

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:49
Size: 137,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:07)  1. All Of You
(5:03)  2. I Remember You
(5:00)  3. Prelude To A Kiss
(5:51)  4. You Know Who ( I Mean You)
(4:36)  5. Strange Weather
(9:10)  6. Poor Boy
(5:11)  7. Throw It Away
(5:27)  8. Devil May Care
(6:13)  9. Weird Nightmare
(7:05) 10. Show Me

Many contemporary singers who want to get to wear a jazz mantle but at the same time wish to attract a younger set of fans more accustomed to rock and adult pop cut CDs with a mix of songs covering several popular music genres. That's fine, as long as intelligence and discretion are used in shaping the agenda. That Kate Hammett-Vaughan took the time to do just that separates her album from many other contemporary jazz vocalists who were not as discerning in putting together their play list. Hammett-Vaughan has reached back to the 1970s and before to include Tom Waits' "Strange Weather," which she delivers in a nocturnal, moving manner, and Nick Drake's "Poor Boy." This cut sets aside plenty of room for the bass of André Lachance and the drums of Tom Foster. Somewhere along the musical spectrum comes "Show Me" from My Fair Lady. 

This latter track is not only used to display the singer's vocal virtues, but allows for solos and give and take by Jim Pinchin on soprano sax and Chris Gestrin on piano. Then there's a little vocalese with an arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You" refigured to come out as "You Know Who." The obligatory piece by Abbey Lincoln is here as "Throw It Away." (It's either Lincoln or something by Joni Mitchell that predictably shows up on these albums.) But the real point is that whatever Hammett-Vaughan and her quintet chooses to perform, it's done with verve, élan, and a flawless sense of what they are supposed to do with the music. This is a fine album providing both an entertaining vocal and instrumental experience, and is recommended. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/devil-may-care/id210449993

Devil May Care

---

Kate Hammett-Vaughan - How My Heart Sings

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:36
Size: 148,4 MB
Art: Front

(7:37)  1. The Meaning Of The Blues
(7:01)  2. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(6:08)  3. Everything I Love
(6:35)  4. How My Heart Sings
(7:22)  5. Alone Together
(6:35)  6. Something To Live For
(7:46)  7. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
(4:31)  8. Monk's Dream
(4:18)  9. On The Street Where You Live
(6:39) 10. You've Changed

This album earned Kate Hammett-Vaughan a nomination for the Juno Award as Canada's best vocal jazz singer of the year. It is well-deserved recognition not only for the exciting vocal presentations, but also for the instrumentalists on the session. They work hand in glove with Hammett-Vaughan for almost an hour of artistic playing. Don't let the play list fool you. This is not another one of those albums routinely offering classic standards. Nothing is routine with this album. "Alone Together" opens with an off center Hammett-Vaughan chorus, then the musicians take over for a boppish excursion. Jim Pinchin on sax and Chris Gestrin on piano approach the bop small groups of the 1960's. The singer returns taking pleasant liberties with the melody line. 

Hammett-Vaughan's view of Monk's "Monk's Dream" recalls Jon Hendricks' Vocalese treatment of this classic. But not everything is grounded in the Bop mode. Forget about other renditions of Bobby Troup's "The Meaning of the Blues". Hammett-Vaughan's soulful interpretation is dirge like and a Pinchin soulful sax supports her position. But it's the modern, closing in on avant-garde, that prevails. The Duke Ellington/Peggy Lee standby, "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'". is treated like it was a modern classical composition by John Cage or Arnold Schoenberg. The way Hammett-Vaughan presents the lyrics recalls those poetry with jazz sessions of the Alan Ginsberg days. This fishing trip is not a pleasant, relaxed summer outing, but an adventure akin to climbing Mount Everest. 

Hammett-Vaughan's way with "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" would be downright incestuous if "Daddy" in the song was her biological father.For those who are looking for truly different and legitimately innovative expositions of familiar music, this album is for you. It's also for those whose musical ears are in need of significant cleaning. Recommended. Visit Kate at her Internet home, http:// vancouverjazz. com/kate/index.shtml. ~ Dave Nathan  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/how-my-heart-sings-kate-hammett-vaughan-review-by-dave-nathan.php#.VGtBQ8mHmtg
 

Personnel: Kate Hammett-Vaughan - Vocals; Chris Gestrin - Piano; Jim Pinchin - Saxes; 

How My Heart Sings

---