Kathleen Grace


Whether she's singing a standard like "April in Paris" or a moody ballad by Leonard Cohen, Los Angeles based vocalist Kathleen Grace brings a contemporary spirit to each melody. Her debut album, "Sunrise," was released in late 2005 to rave reviews. Herb Wong awarded it a Blue Chip prize as one of the best vocal jazz albums of 2005, and "All About Jazz" declared it "debut of the year."

In 2004 she was selected to participate in the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency for young composers at the Kennedy Center. The same year she was honored by the Hilton Head Jazz Society and headlined her first international festival at the Jazz in Lima festival in Peru. She was a finalist in the Montreux Jazz Festival's international vocal competition in 2003.

Kathleen studied at USC's Thornton School of Music, with pianist Shelly Berg and vocalist Tierney Sutton.

“Grace personalizes a song with subtlety and nuance, intimately enveloping each song with her classically trained three-octave voice... Sunrise is one of those albums that gets better and better with each listen. Kathleen Grace is my pick for Best New Jazz Artist of 2005.” - Jim Newsom, Portfolio Weekley

"Grace provides the perfect vocal, infused with character, a sense of adventure and hint of danger ..." — Mark Miller, Sliding Door Jazz

http://www.kathleengrace.com/


Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Perry Smith started playing guitar at the age of ten. While in high school he was accepted into the California All-State and San Francisco All-Star High School Jazz Bands. After graduating he entered the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. At USC he played in the Thornton Jazz Orchestra (TJO) where he performed with jazz legends such as Nancy Wilson, Bobby McFerrin, Louie Bellson and Dave Brubeck. Perry also studied privately with Joe Diorio, Frank Potenza and John Clayton.

Along with fellow guitarists Brady Cohan, Matt Roberts and John Storie, he started the New West Guitar Quartet NWGQ, a unique jazz-guitar ensemble, which was sponsored by USC to record a CD and tour internationally.

In May of 2005, Perry graduated from USC with a Bachelor in Music and currently resides in Los Angeles, where he performs regularly with the NWGQ.

http://www.perrysmithmusic.com/


Twenty-three year old Harish Raghavan has quickly become one of the most acclaimed bass players in Los Angeles. He started his study of the instrument at age 17 and recently became a graduate of the music program at the University of Southern California, where he studied with John Clayton.

Raghavan has appeared on stage with many well-known and respected artists such as Ralph Moore (the Tonight Show), Kei Akagi (Miles Davis Band), Ernie Andrews, Anthony Wilson, Gilbert Castellanos, Taylor Eigsti, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Stix Hooper, Billy Childs, Stefon Harris, Brian Lynch, Willie Jones III and many more. Raghavan is also an accomplished composer, writing jazz and arranging for a wide variety of other styles.

http://www.harishraghavan.com/


Drummer Andrew Fockel is a freelance musician based in Los Angeles. He currently works with Eldar Djangirov, Alan Pasqua, Kyle Eastwood, Patrick Williams, the Henry Mancini Institute, as well as many other local jazz and pop artists.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in jazz studies from the University of North Texas. While at UNT, Andrew toured and recorded with the Grammy nominated One O'Clock Lab Band, and studied with renowned drumset teacher Ed Soph.

As a participant in the Henry Mancini Institute summer programs, he has had the opportunity to play with Christian McBride, John Clayton, Roy Hargrove, Bob Mintzer, Abe Laboriel, Claudia Acuna, Randy Newman, and others. He is also an active educator, involved in private teaching, clinics, and master classes nationwide.


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