From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karrin Allyson (pronounced KAH-rin;
born Karrin Allyson Schoonover on July 27, 1963 in
Great
Bend, Kansas) 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."[1]
Career
Allyson grew up in Omaha, 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.[2]
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.
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)
External
links
Official sites
Biography
Music
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