Musicians: Kitty Margolis (vocals), Paul Nagel, Jay Wagner (piano), John Shiflett, Scott Sneed (bass), Eric Crystal (saxophones), Joyce Cooling, Steve Erquiaga (guitar) John Burr (organ), Rich Kuhns (accordion), Jamie Sieber (cello), Mike Spiro (percussion)
Review: I am truly pleased to be introduced to the lovely sounds of Kitty Margolis. Announcing the release of her latest CD 'Left Coast Life,' she continues her reputation as a savvy and often times provocative songstress. This lady can truly blow a standard of vocalese that is unprecedented nowadays. With more and more emphasis being placed on smooth jazz, quality vocals are a difficult commodity to come by. Kitty Margolis does her best to continue the legacies left by Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Merrill, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Betty Carter, Anita O'Day and other female jazz singers. As a straight ahead practitioner, Kitty does not often follow the rules set by tradition, she enjoys experimentation and innovation. She loves to sing from the inside out, as she uses her voice to provide a seemingly endless perspective on a wide range of musical influences.
'Left Coast Life' is the follow-up to Kitty's 1997 release 'Straight Up With a Twist,' an album that rated highly on the nation's jazz charts. This latest effort brings the essence of modern jazz and popular originals to the forefront. Having done so, Kitty Margolis draws upon the music of Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, Randy Newman and others to illustrate her versatility; not only as a singer, but as an arranger as well. Listen for the track "It's You" with guitarist Joyce Cooling. On that cut, Kitty lets loose with a provocative Brazilian-influenced original that allows her to test her musical metal. On the flip-side, she includes Pink Floyd's "Money" as a strong indication of just how versatile she can be as a jazz-activated interpreter of other musical styles.
Kitty Margolis' career began far different than most artists of her caliber. Prior to becoming a performer, she was studying filmmaking and photography at Harvard University. On a trip to New York City, Kitty heard her first concert at the Village Vanguard with Rahsaan Roland Kirk presiding. With that jazz seed firmly embedded in her mind and eventually dropping out of Harvard, she embarked on a quest to pursue other opportunities and ultimately a career in music. As she advanced, Margolis acquired gigs with Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, Elvin Jones, John Handy, Roy Hargrove and Hank Jones. From there she went on to start Mad-Kat Records and to become a viable force as an educator and singer. With that thought in mind, sometimes the round robin approach to music is just as prolific as those spawned by practice and training.
'Left Coast Life' is an outstanding display of musical delights. If you are not familiar with Kitty Margolis, this is a great way to be introduced. The album is uniquely qualified to be fresh and enjoyable. Having been attuned to the talents of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, some of his soulful variabilities can be found in Kitty's music. Even the supporting cast of musicians have helped her to push the envelope of improvisation to another level of acceptance with the songs chosen on this recording. Given the opportunity, 'Left Coast Life' would definitely add another dimensional catalog to any jazz collection.
JazzReview.com
