Lauren Kinhan Musician - All About Jazz (2024)

The first thing you notice is her voice, and then her savvy choices. Lauren Kinhan possesses a rare and beautiful instrument, tough and tender, clear and fine-grained in every register, she dips down into husky chest notes and ascends into silvery head tones. Whether on her own highly-acclaimed solo albums, 29-year member of the internationally acclaimed vocal group New York Voices, or as co-founder of two diverse and inventive supergroups, Moss and JaLaLa, the singer and composer has always forged her own path as a performer, composer and improviser.

With her latest album on her Dotted i Records, A Sleepin’ Bee, Kinhan once again steers herself in unexpected directions that is at once the first all-standards collection of her career, a loving tribute to legendary vocalist Nancy Wilson, and unmistakably a Lauren Kinhan album – with all the unique perspective and idiosyncratic personality that has come to imply. In particularly Wilson’s collaborations with Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing proved the jumping-off point for Kinhan, who utterly transforms these classic and obscure numbers with the help of pianist/creative partner Andy Ezrin and veteran producer Elliot Scheiner as well as a stellar band featuring bassist Matt Penman, drummer Jared Schonig and special guest trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. “Every single song in this collection hits a sweet spot of a different sort, but the most pleasing aspect of the recording is how it uncovers the stripped-down, soulful side of Kinhan's voice,” All About Jazz. And Downbeat crowned the recording with 4 1/2 stars, a near perfect rating from their discerning ears.

Her remarkable journey with New York Voices since 1992 has contributed to their full color catalogue of recorded works, logging millions of touring miles, and created an educational division that is highly respected across the globe. Recent recordings celebrate their 30th Anniversary...the first, collaborating with the Bob Mintzer Big Band to create Meeting of Minds for the MCG Label in 2018. And in the fall of 2019 they released the stunning Reminiscing in Tempo on Origin Records. Dedicated to compositions by Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Duke Ellington, Ivan Lins, Fred Hersch and the Beatles and a sprinkling of a cappella Cuban Dances by Ignacio Cervante and a few originals by the members, this album is the typical varietal bouquet we’ve come to expect from this group who so often color across genres and use the voices to paint so liberally.

New to Lauren’s resume is the role of being a presenter. In 2018, with her co-partner Janis Siegel, they began curating a monthly live vocal centric salon called Vocal Mania, made up of the amazing talent in boroughs near and far and showcased them at the Birdland Theater and the Zinc Bar. This popular event became a wonderful place to hear stars and unknowns alike and celebrate the vocalist. When the pandemic hit, they took this idea, rebranded and launched Vocal Gumbo. Partnering with Laurie Green, Janis and Lauren made their homes into recording and video editing studios and their kitchens broadcast sound stages. They produced collaborations with artists from all over the world and created a way to stay connected and creative while sequestered.

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Lauren Kinhan

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