Grace Kelly
Not to be confused with the famous Philadelphia-born actress who became Princess Grace of Monaco and died in 1982, the Grace Kelly profiled in this bio is a straight-ahead jazz saxophonist/singer who had several albums in her catalog before she was 17. The precocious New England native has made the alto sax her primarily instrument, but she also plays the tenor and soprano saxes -- and Kelly can play clarinet, flute, acoustic piano, and drums, as well. At times, Kelly will put down her saxophone and sing, although she is an instrumentalist first and foremost. Kelly has included original compositions in her repertoire along with jazz and Tin Pan Alley standards, but unlike a lot of straight-ahead jazz artists, she does not shy away from rock or R&B songs. Kelly has recorded her share of Beatles classics, and she has also provided jazz interpretations of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours." Charlie Parker, Jackie McLean, Phil Woods, Sonny Stitt, and Cannonball Adderley are among the saxophonist/singer's prominent influences on alto, whereas on tenor and soprano, one hears elements of Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, and Stan Getz in her playing. In fact, Kelly has been quoted as saying that hearing Getz (who her mother listened to frequently at home) was the thing that inspired her to take up the sax when she was a child.
The Asian-American improviser didn't always have the same name as the legendary actress; she was born Grace Chung in Wellesley, MA on May 15, 1992. Her biological parents are both Korean, but she ended up with an Irish last name after her mother remarried and she was legally adopted by her stepfather Robert Kelly. Her mother, Irene Chung Kelly, did a lot to encourage her interest in music; she began studying classical piano at the age of six and wrote a song titled "On My Way Home" when she was seven. Kelly studied the clarinet when she was in the fourth grade, but she switched to the saxophone -- and even though she was classically trained, jazz became her primary focus. Kelly went on to study jazz at the New England Conservatory Prep School and the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and one of her most famous teachers was veteran alto saxophonist Lee Konitz. She crossed paths with other major-league altoists as well, sitting in with Phil Woods and the late Frank Morgan when they played in New England. A music teacher who can take some of the credit for Kelly's early start as a recording artist is Ken Berman, who encouraged her to record an album when she hadn't quite reached adolescence; Kelly was 12 when she recorded her first album, Dreaming, and released it on her own label, Pazz Productions. Kelly's subsequent Pazz releases included Times Too (a two-CD set) in 2005, Every Road I Walked in 2006, Graceful-Lee (a date she co-led with Konitz) in 2008, and Mood Changes in 2009. Kelly turned 17 on May 15, 2009.
© Alex Henderson /TiVo
Artistas semelhantes
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Trying to Figure It Out
Jazz - Lançado por Pazz em 19/02/2016
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Go Time: Brooklyn 2
Jazz - Lançado por Pazz Productions, LLC em 12/10/2018
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gracefullee
Contemporary Jazz - Lançado por Pazz Productions em 26/10/2007
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Times Too
Jazz - Lançado por Pazz Productions, LLC em 01/01/2005
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All That I Need
Jazz Fusion & Jazz Rock - Lançado por La Reserve Records em 18/11/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Feels Like Home (feat. Elliott Skinner)
Alternative & Indie - Lançado por PAZZ em 11/07/2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A Night in Tunisia
Jazz Fusion & Jazz Rock - Lançado por La Reserve Records em 14/10/2022
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Power of Love (feat. Cory Wong)
Jazz Fusion & Jazz Rock - Lançado por La Reserve Records em 19/01/2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Every Road I Walked
Jazz - Lançado por Pazz Productions, LLC em 01/01/2006
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
True Love (Billboard Hot 100 - No. 03)
Alternative & Indie - Lançado por Music Manager em 19/12/2018
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
True Love (From "High Society")
Lounge - Lançado por Capitol em 04/08/1956
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soul Bossa Nova (feat. Sean Jones)
Jazz - Lançado por La Reserve Records em 08/12/2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Working for the Dreamers
Jazz - Lançado por Pazz em 02/09/2014
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -