For Immediate Release
August 7, 2018
Four-Star DownBeat Review; Expansive Interview in M Music & Musicians Magazine, as Five-Time Grammy Nominee Karrin Allyson Celebrates Release of New Album of Original Music, ‘Some of That Sunshine’
JazzTimes, Jazziz, M Mag Run Exclusive Song Premieres
U.S. Tour Extended
With a four-star album review in the new issue of DownBeat Magazine, an expansive interview feature with the Publisher of M Music & Musicians Magazine, Exclusive Song Premieres via JazzTimes, Jazziz and M Magazine and more, five-time Grammy nominated singer and pianist Karrin Allyson has much to celebrate as she releases her all-original album, “Some Of That Sunshine” to critical acclaim. In his DownBeat review, veteran writer Bob Doerschuck praised, “There are so many ways to savor Karrin Allyson’s artistry. Start with her voice, its rare clarity and resonant timbre. She phrases impeccably, staying close to the melody, except on the occasional scat chorus. Everything she sings seems to rise from a smile.” And JazzTimes commented, “Allyson is as talented at writing a classic-sounding ballad as she is at vocally delivering one.” Read all the national coverage, and listen to a few of the diverse, groovy and reflective new songs, below.
DownBeat Magazine – Four-star album review By Bob Doerschuk, 9/18 print edition:
There are so many ways to savor Karrin Allyson’s artistry. Start with her voice, its rare clarity and resonant timbre. She phrases impeccably, staying close to the melody, except on the occasional scat chorus. Everything she sings seems to rise from a smile. The flip side is that, more than most of her peers, she shies away from any blues influence. Here and there she’ll adorn the melody with a flat-third filigree, though more as a sprinkle of spice than a fundament of her style. These qualities make every moment on Some Of That Sunshine unmistakably Allyson. As does her writing. Each track is concise, built on an unvarying verse/chorus/bridge structure, her band providing perfect support. The solos are not about stretching out; their purpose is to frame the lyric and bring out the luster in Allyson’s performance. Houston Person does this by complementing her nearly transparent purity with his smoky tenor on “Just As Well.” In contrast, violinist Regina Carter mirrors Allyson’s playful feel on the title cut by plucking the first verse of her solo. Allyson keeps this same focus through the last two songs on the album. From its first few notes, “You Don’t Care” surprises with its old-school country vibe and compositional simplicity. It’s easy to imagine it being played on the Grand Ole Opry stage—not today but maybe 50 years ago. And the #metoo message of “Big Discount” couldn’t be more timely, though even here Allyson maintains her tuneful vibe. By Bob Doerschuk
M Music & Musicians Magazine – Expansive Interview with the Publisher, plus Exclusive Song Premiere of ‘Nobody Said Love Was Easy’. By Merlin David, 8/2018
Read the full feature and listen to the song, here:
JAZZTIMES Exclusively Premiered the song ‘Just As Well’. Listen to it here:
https://jazztimes.com/departments/songpreviews/jt-track-premiere-karrin-allyson-just-as-well/#.W2Hc5FiqtVE.twitter
Excerpt of JT write-up:
On her new album, Some of That Sunshine, to be released by her own label Kasrecords on Aug. 3, singer Karrin Allyson unveils a skill that many of her listeners may believe is new for her: songwriting. But it turns out that she was already engaged in tunesmithery well before the release of her debut album in 1992—she’s just never presented her work to the public in this way before. “As a young musician I was writing songs in a variety of styles,” Allyson says, “even before I discovered jazz. I loved the singer/songwriters of my youth and I followed their influence. Now, after years of performing all sorts of jazz and Brazilian and French music, I’m coming back to where I started.” JazzTimes is pleased to premiere one of Some of That Sunshine’s 13 original tracks, “Just as Well,” which shows that Allyson is as talented at writing a classic-sounding ballad as she is at vocally delivering one.
JAZZIZ Exclusively Premiered ‘Shake It Up’. Listen to it here: https://www.jazziz.com/jazziz-exclusive-listen-karrin-allysons-new-single-shake/
Allyson will tour throughout 2018 in support of the release, and preliminary dates are here:
Upcoming 2018 tour dates:
August 6 Unity Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN
August 8 The Racine Zoo Racine, WI
August 17 Scullers Boston, MA
August 24-25 Smoke NYC
October 10 NY Cabaret Conv NYC
October 11-13 Catalina Jazz Los Angeles, CA
October 18 The Side Room Omaha, NE
October 24 Dakota Minneapolis MN
October 25 Tsakapolous Ctr Sacramento, CA
October 28 Half Moon Bay San Francisco CA
October 29 Kuumbwa Santa Cruz CA
October 30 MIM Phoenix AZ
November 1 Exodus to Jazz Rochester, NY
November 6-9 Jazz Alley Seattle WA
November 20 Dazzle Denver, CO
November 25 Sarah’s Wine Bar Ridgefield, CT
Updated tour info here: http://www.karrin.com/events/
More about Singer/Pianist Karrin Allyson:
Allyson’s most recent release was Many A New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein – praised as “masterful” by The Associated Press, and “beautifully nuanced” by USA Today – her 14-song CD deftly created a bridge between the worlds of jazz and musical theater, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Prior to her current nomination, Four consecutive Allyson albums — Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane (2001), Footprints (2006), Imagina: Songs of Brasil (2008), and ‘Round Midnight (2011) — received GRAMMY nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album. ’Round Midnight, her 2011 breakout album, received 5 Stars in Downbeat and earned raves in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, NY Times, NPR, Associated Press, JazzTimes, Jazziz and scores of other publications. In 2013, Allyson was voted the #1 Rising Star Female Vocalist in the DownBeat 61st Annual Critics Poll. In 2014, her independent release Yuletide Hideaway garnered coverage from top magazines and newspapers in America.
Visit www.karrin.com http://www.karrin.com/
Visit https://www.facebook.com/KarrinAllyson
Hi-res photos & background info here: http://aiartists.com/artists/karrin-allyson/
