Karrin Allyson
Encyclopedia
Karrin Allyson is an American jazz
vocalist. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, and has received positive reviews from several prominent sources, including The New York Times
, which has called her a "singer with a feline touch and impeccable intonation."
, where she studied classical piano and sang at her local church. She attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha
on a classical piano scholarship. In addition to her classical studies at university, Allyson was lead singer for her own rock band, Tomboy. She also developed an avid interest in jazz, performing both in a jazz swing choir at UNO and in her own jazz ensemble, which had gigs at various Omaha venues.
After graduating from UNO in 1986, Allyson moved to Minneapolis, and concentrated on her jazz career. In 1990, she moved to Kansas City
, where she recorded her well-received 1992 debut album, I Didn't Know About You, for Concord Records
. In 1998, she moved to New York City
with her longtime partner, radio host Bill McGlaughlin
, whom she met in Kansas City in the early 1990s.
Allyson sings in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. The songs she performs are drawn from a variety of genres, including bossa nova
, blues
, bebop
, pop standards, soft rock
, and folk rock
. She has recorded vocal performances of several instrumental jazz compositions, using both scat
and vocalese
techniques. As of 2009, Allyson has recorded 11 original studio albums, all under the Concord label.
Three of Allyson's albums — Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane (2001), Footprints (2006), and Imagina: Songs of Brasil (2008) — have received Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album
.
In 2009, Allyson released a career-spanning "best of" collection. She tours extensively, both in the United States
and internationally.
Biography
Music
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
vocalist. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, and has received positive reviews from several prominent sources, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, which has called her a "singer with a feline touch and impeccable intonation."
Career
Allyson grew up in OmahaOmaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, where she studied classical piano and sang at her local church. She attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...
on a classical piano scholarship. In addition to her classical studies at university, Allyson was lead singer for her own rock band, Tomboy. She also developed an avid interest in jazz, performing both in a jazz swing choir at UNO and in her own jazz ensemble, which had gigs at various Omaha venues.
After graduating from UNO in 1986, Allyson moved to Minneapolis, and concentrated on her jazz career. In 1990, she moved to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, where she recorded her well-received 1992 debut album, I Didn't Know About You, for Concord Records
Concord Records
Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
. In 1998, she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her longtime partner, radio host Bill McGlaughlin
Bill McGlaughlin
William "Bill" McGlaughlin is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host...
, whom she met in Kansas City in the early 1990s.
Allyson sings in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish. The songs she performs are drawn from a variety of genres, including bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
, pop standards, soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
, and folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
. She has recorded vocal performances of several instrumental jazz compositions, using both scat
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
and vocalese
Vocalese
Vocalese is a style or genre of jazz singing wherein lyrics are written for melodies that were originally part of an all-instrumental composition or improvisation. Whereas scat singing uses improvised nonsense syllables, such as "bap ba dee dot bwee dee" in solos, vocalese uses lyrics, either...
techniques. As of 2009, Allyson has recorded 11 original studio albums, all under the Concord label.
Three of Allyson's albums — Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane (2001), Footprints (2006), and Imagina: Songs of Brasil (2008) — have received Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album
Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album has been presented since 1977. Until 2001 this award was titled the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance...
.
In 2009, Allyson released a career-spanning "best of" collection. She tours extensively, both in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and internationally.
Discography
- 1992 I Didn't Know About You
- 1993 Sweet Home Cookin
- 1994 Azure-Té
- 1996 Collage
- 1996 Daydream
- 1999 From Paris To Rio
- 2001 Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane
- 2002 In Blue
- 2004 Wild For You
- 2006 Footprints
- 2008 Imagina: Songs of Brasil
- 2009 By Request: The Best of Karrin Allyson (compilation)
- 2011 Round Midnight
External links
Official sitesBiography
- [ Karrin Allyson] at AllMusic.com
- Karrin Allyson Biography at MusicianGuide.com
- Biography and Profile in UNO Alumni Association Magazine (Spring 2001), pp. 8–11
- Short Bio in UNO Alumni Association Magazine (March 2003), p. 6
Music
- Amazon's Karrin Allyson Store
- Karrin Allyson at Last.FM
- Karrin Allyson at NPR Music
- Karrin Allyson at Google Music