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Carol Fredette
“Carol Fredette is everything you need in a jazz singer. She thinks, swings and phrases like a creative instrumentalist, yet her way with words captures the essence of a lyric,” says critic Dan Morgenstern, one of her many fans. Her deep expressive voice, strong sense of swing and charismatic presence have wowed audiences, critics and fellow musicians the world over. Fredette’s reputation has continued to grow as a fine educator, vocal coach and record producer.
As a kid growing up in the Bronx, Carol was weaned on the music of Chet Baker, Stan Kenton and Frank Sinatra. Barely 18 and fresh out of Florida State University, where she sang regularly with the college jazz band, she hit New York and immediately landed a gig at Greenwich Village’s infamous Page Three. At “The Page,” Carol formed close relationships with Sheila Jordan and Dave Frishberg, which have lasted to this day. Around the same time, she worked opposite Bobby Short at The Arpeggio and when Carol auditioned for the Sal Salvador band at Basin St. East, she was hired on the spot. She then toured country-wide with his 17 piece band which included Eddie Gomez, Mike Abene, and Ronny Cuber. Stints with Larry Elgart and Neal Hefti followed and eventually Carol started touring with her own bands one of which included guitarist John Scofield. This led her to headline as a solo performer across three continents.
Off the road and back in New York, Carol settled quickly into the NewYork Jazz scene. She’s headlined every major jazz club including the Blue Note, Birdland, Michael’s Pub, Fat Tuesday’s, Café Carlyle and is a favorite at the Midday Jazz Series at Citicorps Center. She’s appeared twice in concert at Pace University, once opposite Buddy Rich and the other with an all Brazilian program. Carol’s also performed at the Vintage Jazz Series at the Vineyard Theatre and is about to make her 25th appearance at the long standing Monmouth County Library concert series.
Around the country, she’s done stints at Scullers and Regatta Bar in Boston, Milestones in San Francisco, Vine Street in Los Angeles, and Stephen’s After All in Chapel Hill, NC. Highlights of her concert and festival appearances include The British Embassy in Washington, D.C., where she performed John Dankworth’s jazz interpretations of Shakespeare’s poems and sonnets, the Kansas City Women’s Jazz Festival, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. with Richard Rodney Bennett, the American Popular Song series with Loonis McGlohon in Charlotte, NC, and a much acclaimed program with Dave Frishberg at the University of North Carolina. She’s won fans around the world on the QE2, SS Rotterdam, Banlieues Bleues Jazz Festival in Paris, Veinte-Un in Rio, Cancun Jazz Festival, The Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal and Regine’s in Paris.
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Carol Fredette at Jazz at Kitano
by Nick Catalano
Carol Fredette Jazz at Kitano New York, NY November 19, 2015 Jazz at Kitano, the club in Gotham's Kitano Hotel on Park Ave. and 38th St., continues to grow in popularity with artists and audiences alike -the former avidly competing for the best dates and the latter chatting about the room's intimacy and sensible pricing policy. On November 19th we caught Carol Fredette's opening set joining the packed house ...
read moreCarol Fredette: No Sad Songs For Me
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
The fact that Carol Fredette's CD is going to be a rare treat is suggested by its very first track, the lesser-known Cole Porter gem, I Am in Love." As arranged with ingenuity and class by bassist/producer David Finck. (who also wrote the wry title track), this jubilant samba makes one thing clear from the jump: that this high-level group swings like crazy, but in the cool and masterful way that doesn't require knocking over the furniture. There ...
read moreCarol Fredette: No Sad Songs For Me
by C. Michael Bailey
We last heard from vocalist Carol Fredette on her first Soundbrush recording, Everything in Time (2009). Her repertoire was replete with, Light latin jazz, humid islands, and secure mainstream treatments." Fredette remains fairly true to this mix of styles on No Sad Songs For Me, specifically addressing all songs of upbeat content, if not tempo. The singer calls upon much the same band as on the previous recording, specifically pianists Helio Alves, Dario Eskenazi and Andy Ezrin.It is ...
read moreCarol Fredette: Everything In Time
by C. Michael Bailey
Jazz vocalist Carol Fredette's singing is characterized as a clinic in singing with perfect diction. With a linguist's ear, Fredette concretely pronounces every word to every song she sings as if to commit them to platinum casts for use by International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Fredette accomplishes this not in some self-conscious way, but with a humor and grace that betrays a fully lived jazz life. This is further reflected in the breezy tone Everything in Time takes. Light ...
read moreSoundbrush Records and Carol Fredette
by Nick Catalano
A new record label is making itself prominent on the Gotham jazz scene. Soundbrush Records is a Latin Grammy Award-winning independent record label focused on latin, jazz and world music. Founded in 2004 by pianist/composer Roger Davidson to promote cross-cultural projects, the label has developed a unique client list. In addition to Davidson's own musical projects, Soundbrush artists include bandoneonist Raul Jaurena, Venezuelan flutist Marco Granados, Argentine guitarist Francisco Pancho Navarro and Klezmer star Frank London. A couple of months ...
read moreCarol Fredette Releases "Everything in Time" CD After a 10 Year Hiatus
Source:
Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
New York, NY - January 12, 2009-When a legendary jazz figure like Stan Getz states, “She’s as good as they come,” surely long time vocalist Carol Fredette must feel that is a lot to live up to. With her long awaited release, Everything In Time people in the jazz community and critics alike are bound to be lavishing the vocalist with praise once again.
When you hear Carol sing and listen to her music, you know ...
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