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| NYC Vocalist/Songwriter KAREN MACK's Debut "CATCH & KEEP," produced by Peter Eldridge Vocalist KAREN MACK, a regular at some of the top New York City jazz venues, is releasing CATCH & KEEP, her debut jazz album. The album is a collection of jazz standards and several songs that are off-the-beaten path, including a couple of originals. CATCH & KEEP was co-produced (along with Mack) and arranged by PETER ELDRIDGE, a founding member of the internationally acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices. Eldridge, who also plays piano and organ on the album, is joined by excellent New York players, including JESSE LEWIS (guitar), MATT ARONOFF (bass), JARED SCHONIG (drums and percussion), and Toronto based BEN WITTMAN (percussion), with special guests DARMON MEADER (saxes), NADJE NOORDHUIS (trumpet and flugelhorn), and ELLIOT ROTH (piano, vocals and arrangement on "It's Hard to Say Goodbye"). Mack has a silky voice and can swing like a big band singer from yesteryear. With her creative roots in jazz, folk, and pop, she is adept at many styles of music. Her first recording, released in 2002, was pop/rock influenced, and though she still performs in a wide range of styles, her focus has been solely on jazz for the last several years. Mack moved to New York City in the late '90s to pursue a career in music. She soon found herself very busy performing around town, doing session work, and as a sought-after producer and music contractor for events and new works. Always drawn to rich and complex vocal harmonies, Mack spent years in professional vocal ensembles, and in 2016 co-founded Those Girls, a contemporary women's quartet that performs an eclectic mix of music. They made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2019, their Jazz at Lincoln Center debut in 2022, and will be returning to JALC this fall. She was also part of the 25th Anniversary Gala for the NY Pops and has performed at venues like Birdland and Feinstein's/54 Below. Mack currently has a residency at Pangea in NYC's East Village with pianist and vocalist Elliot Roth, and she has toured around the country, singing at clubs like B.B. King's, Nashville Jazz Cave, Parker's in Austin, Sony Hall, and Tula's Jazz in Seattle. Although Mack can master just about any vocal style and has found success across several musical genres, she ultimately found herself returning to her love of vocal jazz and songwriting. She says, "Before the pandemic, I was incredibly busy working on projects with and for other singers that had very specific creative roles and were very presentational. But being stuck at home during the pandemic, I had time to reevaluate what I wanted to do for myself as an artist. I wanted to lift people up and find my own voice - for me, that involves having the freedom to improvise and to explore new ways of creating music and storytelling." CATCH & KEEP was first conceived as an EP of standards as a gift for her mother-in-law's birthday. She worked on the project with her old friend, renowned jazz artist Peter Eldridge. By the time they were done picking songs, they had expanded their concept with more than enough tunes for a complete album. Mack loves lesser-done material, and also wanted to make an album where women composers were well-represented, so songs by female composers or lyricists comprise more than half the album. Mack opens the album with a high energy version of Bob Dorough's and Fran Landesman's "Nothing Like You, " which features a swinging solo by Australian trumpeter Noordhuis. Mack loves Johnny Burke's lyrics to "Imagination, " composed by Jimmy Van Heusen. Eldridge's open, airy arrangement beautifully captures the sweetness of the lyrics. "From Now On" is a Brazilian tune by Basia, a Polish singer-songwriter and recording artist noted for her Latin-inspired jazz-pop music. "Come to Baby Do" is a hip swing tune made famous by Doris Day and Nat King Cole. "This is Always" is a timeless classic. Mack says, "With its gorgeous melody and changes, I think it's one of the most beautiful songs in the standards catalogue." "I'm So Repentant" is by David Cantor, a New York guitarist/ composer/lyricist. A long-time local fan of Cantor's, Mack was attracted to its cha-cha feel and cheeky lyrics. "November Day, " is an original by Mack, Eldridge, and Roth. "Hurry Up and Wait" is by Eldridge and Mack. "I have a notebook full of titles of songs that I intend to write, " Mack says. "'Hurry Up and Wait' is one of those titles that felt like a great fit for collaboration. Peter had ideas for it musically almost immediately, as did I for the lyric, and we were quickly on our way." Eldridge is a fan of Italian jazz singer and composer Chiara Civello and suggested her folk/pop composition, "Here is Everything, " sung gently by Mack with Eldridge providing background vocals. Melancholy yet hopeful, Dave Frishberg's "Our Love Rolls On" is a love song for adults facing the headwinds of life. "I Wanna Get Married, " by Nellie McKay, is a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek tune about the (supposed) joys of being a suburban housewife, although some people miss the lyrics, "As I exhume the gloom / Of my shallow life / I wanna be simple and honest and dimpled / 'cause I am your wife." As we can hear, Mack is in on the joke. "It's Hard to Say Goodbye, " arranged by Roth, is a special bonus track on the album on which he duets with Mack and plays piano. The song was written by Betty Bryant, the treasured Los Angeles jazz and blues pianist, singer, and composer. With a 2024 Bistro Award for her versatility (other winners include Mark Winkler, Tawanda, Gabrielle Stravelli, and The Royal Bopsters), Mack's evolution as a singer from pop/rock to the Great American Songbook to contemporary jazz was a natural progression for an artist who has an affinity for richly textured vocal harmony, wordplay, and improvisation. With her appealing voice, solid sense of swing, and authenticity across a range of styles, CATCH & KEEP is her long-awaited jazz debut and an auspicious new beginning for vocalist Karen Mack. # # # CATCH & KEEP will be available at Bandcamp and digitally on all platforms on June 28, 2024. write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |