Saturday, September 17, 2022

Kathy Ingraham: Not Particularly Cool

courtesy of Powderfinger Promo

A little less than a month ago, jazz vocalist Kathy Ingraham released her third solo album. Her first two albums were devoted almost entirely to original compositions. With the exception of the final track, the new album, entitled Everlasting Cool, consists of standards, each with its own take on introspection. It is available as either a CD or digital download through a single Bandcamp Web page.

Many readers probably know by now that I get very picky about vocal work, whether the genre is classical or jazz. On Everlasting Cool Ingraham comes across with an abundance of stylizing and almost no substance where the nuts-and-bolts of pitch, diction, and phrasing are concerned. I suppose I can be accused on being of an age that remembers earlier generations of jazz vocalists that drew upon those nuts and bolts for a solid foundation and then added personal style as the “icing on the cake.” To that accusation I stand guilty as charged. Nevertheless, I shall always stick with performers that are serious enough about technique that I can take listening to them seriously.

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