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Kathy Kosins

ASCAP award-winning vocalist Kathy Kosins has won the hearts of critics and fans around the globe with her eclectic musical palette that expands the rich history of jazz.

Born and bred during the Motown era of Detroit, she began singing and arranging background vocals for producer Don Was in the early eighties, which led to her becoming one of the most sought after session singers. As a lead vocalist she recorded for both Carrere (Sony) and Quality Records and later toured with Was/Not Was.

In the early "90s, Kosins, a ferocious writer and arranger, fell in love with the freedom of the jazz art form and her writing naturally evolved into a more traditional approach. Stints with the JC Heard and Nelson Riddle Orchestras followed and led to a 1996 release of "All In A Dreams Work" (Schoolkids Records), an impressive debut featuring a first rate collection of nine originals and a cover of the Miles Davis composition" Four." Reported by over 250 Jazz stations, she reached the top 20 in the Gavin.

Her 2002 release of "Mood Swings" (Chiaroscuro Records) continued to bring her recognition and success at the national level. On her 2006 release of "Vintage," (Mahogany Jazz), she rediscovered little known songbook gems which she placed alongside a few widely known, yet unexpected tunes from outside the jazz tradition, which brought her glowing reviews from journalists.

Always a pioneer, Kosins decided to take a different approach in 2010 by releasing singles quarterly under the new Mahogany Digital label, rather than an entire CD every few years. The tradition of releasing singles runs deep in jazz music. Singles enable artists the freedom to create and record on a natural timeline that corresponds with fan demand and tour schedules. "If a live audience falls in love with a new song, I can record and release it to radio while the music is fresh and hot. This is something you can‟t do if you‟re committed in advance to a full album release," said Kosins.

A past recipient of the Michigan Council for the Arts (Jazz Composer of the Year), Kosins has received grants from Michigan‟s ArtServe advocacy group. Her clinics and workshops teach performance skills alongside business strategies for the independent artist and have been a success at colleges and universities across the USA.

When not touring the USA or Europe, Kathy excels as a painter. Her abstract acrylics on canvas are influenced by the cubist paintings of the "50s. Commissioned paintings are held in private collections and Kosins continues to sell her work at both gallery shows and concert performances.

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Bailey's Bundles

Seven Women 2018 – Part II

Read "Seven Women 2018 – Part II" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Hey, this is starting to become a habit. Nina Simone Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles Bethlehem Records 2018 Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles is a tidy summation of the first recordings made by vocalist/pianist Nina Simone. According to the liner notes, these selections, the singles releases from the Bethlehem catalog, were recorded in a single session with bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Albert Heath in December 1958 (the exact date ...

4
Album Review

Kathy Kosins: To the Ladies of Cool

Read "To the Ladies of Cool" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Okay... first there came Kate McGarry's superb Girl Talk (Palmetto, 2012). Then Sara Gazarek followed her 2012 release with Triosence, Where Time Stands Still (Charleston Square) with Blossom &Bee (Palmetto, 2012). Now, vocalist Kathy Kosins follows up her excellent Mood Swings (Chiaroscuro, 2002) and inventive Vintage (Self Produced, 2005) with To the Ladies of Cool, a tribute to those tacitly LA-associated songbirds of the '40s and '50s: Anita O'Day, June Christy, Chris Connor and Julie London. This has been a ...

73
Album Review

Kathy Kosins: To the Ladies of Cool

Read "To the Ladies of Cool" reviewed by Larry Taylor


Singers June Christy, Chris Connor, Anita O'Day and Julie London were prominent in the 1940s and '50s. Christy, O'Day and Connor all spent time with Stan Kenton's band, while the sultry London became a pinup as well as a big record seller. Popular with both jazz and pop fans, these singers could regularly be heard on 78s and radio, singing the siren call for the emerging West Coast cool sound. With her fifth album, To the Ladies of Cool, singer ...

79
Album Review

Kathy Kosins: Mood Swings

Read "Mood Swings" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Original Vocal Jazz-- The New Standards...

 

Kathy Kosins has a smart mouth. It is manifested in the jazz vocal jewels she composes and sings. The Detroit native sang back up vocals for Was (Not Was), as well as Nelson Riddle's Orchestra before releasing her maiden voyage All In A Dream's Work in 1995. She followed All... a year later with Standard Time. Six years after that, Ms. Kosins provides a real treat with Mood Swings.

Immediately the listener will ...

122
Album Review

Kathy Kosins: Mood Swings

Read "Mood Swings" reviewed by Jim Santella


Her self-produced album showcases the Detroit native's songwriting: 7 of the 11 songs are hers. They're refreshing songs. “No Ordinary Joe" is based on the chord changes to “Pennies From Heaven." Kathy Kosins has studied the jazz repertoire, and consumed several years in creating this album. Her thin, light vocal quality, however, deters her from convincing. A veteran of pop music and R&B experiences, she's forced into a direction that holds her tightly in its grasp. Even the light, bossa ...

168
Album Review

Kathy Kosins: Mood Swings

Read "Mood Swings" reviewed by Dave Nathan


For her second album Detroiter Kathy Kosins has put together a set of songs, mostly originals, which are consistent with the album's title Mood Swings. It alternates between up tempo swingers and ballads designed to set the stage for romance, with a couple of in between blues inflected tunes to add some balance. On one of these, “Gee Baby (Ain't I Good to You)", Kosins shows she has the pipes to do a version of this tune that ranks up ...

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Performance / Tour

Mahogany Jazz Recording Artist Kathy Kosins Live at The Jazz Standard on September 26

Mahogany Jazz Recording Artist Kathy Kosins Live at The Jazz Standard on September 26

Source: All About Jazz

RED CAT PUBLICITY J a s o n B y r n e 415 85th Street, #3R, Brooklyn, New York, 11209, tel 718 921 1330 Email [email protected] ****************************************************************************** September 26 - 7:30 & 9:30 PM Mahogany Jazz Recording Artist Vocalist Kathy Kosins Live at Jazz Standard! ONE NIGHT ONLY Performing Music From “Vintage” With Aaron Goldberg (piano), Reuben Rogers (bass), Greg Hutchinson (drums), John Ellis (saxophones) “Kathy Kosins is one of the finest singers in the world.” Don Was, producer ...

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Recording

Vocalist Kathy Kosins to release "Vintage" on Mahogany Jazz

Vocalist Kathy Kosins to release "Vintage" on Mahogany Jazz

Source: All About Jazz

On May 24, 2005 Mahogany Jazz Releases VINTAGE The New Recording from Vocalist Kathy Kosins Featuring Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland, Peter Bernstein, John Ellis and Jeremy Pelt “Kathy Kosins is one of the finest singers in the world.” Don Was, producer “I wasn't expecting to fall in love with a new female vocal album, but I wound up staying the night.” Will Friedwald “...Solid intonation, unwavering swing and a voice that can conjure both the girl next store ...

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Recording

Vocalist Kathy Kosins To Release "Signature" On Mahogany Jazz/WB

Vocalist Kathy Kosins To Release "Signature" On Mahogany Jazz/WB

Source: All About Jazz

By Will Friedwald The last thing I felt like listening to was another female singer. My mailbox had been inundated with them lately. While nearly all of them talented and honestly sincere; I hadn't heard anything in a while that absolutely leaped out at me. Thus, my initial reluctance to listen to “VINTAGE", the new Kathy Kosins CD. Then, I remembered how much I enjoyed “Mood Swings", Kathy Kosins' previous CD. So, even though I thought I was more in ...

"...she authentically recreates a lost genre of female jazz singing." — Ralph A Miriello — Jazz Journalist

""To the Ladies of Cool" is just the sort of CD that inspires you as you enjoy it. This collection of great songs, performed by Kathy in her own unique style, will keep the musical memories fresh for a new generation of jazz lovers." — Malvin Massey — WUMR, Memphis, TN

"Outstanding...." Herb Wong

"...her performance maintains a balance of swing and sensuality... great vintage songs... I wasn't expecting to fall in love..." Will Friedwald, NewYork Sun

"If Jazz had four seasons, Kathy Kosins would be spring." - Inside Connection

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