"A great bassist, composer, and lyricist, she has an uncanny ability to mix traditions... following her voice is like reading a great novel." - Jason Moran, Artistic Director for Jazz at the Kennedy Center Katie Ernst has been described by the Chicago Tribune as "a versatile young bassist who plays in far-flung bands and sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity." Her recent compositions are inspired by the poetry of American writer Dorothy Parker. Her complete Dorothy Parker project Little Words was released on Feb 10, 2015, and is currently available on BandCamp. As both a bassist and vocalist, Katie has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, among others. The Chicago Reader has identified her as "one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene, and she isn’t close to hitting her creative ceiling." In 2013 and 2014, Katie was one of 24 young artist- composers selected for the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program, an international jazz residency program at the Kennedy Center under the direction of pianist and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran. In May 2014, she performed at the Chicago Symphony Center as part of Jason Moran’s Looks of a Lot premiere, which also featured Nasheet Waits, Tarus Mateen, Ken Vandermark, Theaster Gates, and Kenwood Academy Jazz Band. Katie is an active bandleader and side-woman in Chicago. She regularly composes and performs with the band TWIN TALK, alongside co-leaders Dustin Laurenzi (saxophone) and Andrew Green (drums). Their first album ‘Sightline’ was released in November 2013, and the group was featured at the 2014 Chicago Jazz Festival. Katie holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. She coordinates the Jazz Links Student Council program for high school musicians at the Jazz Institute of Chicago, and serves as Jazz Ensemble Director and Lecturer of Jazz Bass at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL.
Drummer Gustavo Cortinas' previous album was cinematic in scale, and he has followed it with the more intimate yet equally enchanting Kind Regards (Saludos Afectuosos). Leading a quintet of young, intrepid, Chicago musicians, Cortinas interpretes ten of his own songs that explore themes of social justice, love, and life in general. “When I Leave You" has an effervescent cadence. Vocalist and pianist Meghan Stagl endows the lyrics with nostalgia while her keys chime with melancholy. Trumpeter Emily Kuhn ...
As we enter the Holidays, the airwaves and digital streams flow with seasonal fare of all types of genres. And, once we ring in the New Year, said music heads back into hibernation until the next Thanksgiving and December roll around. The Pete Ellman Big Band's The Twelve Grooves of Christmas is such a fine recording that it might not be surprising for listeners to listen to it year around. The effort is that good. This high-energy ...
Press
"The album [Little Words] is a concise set that winningly
blends jazz, pop and classical elements, showcasing
Ernst’s buttery alto and her creative way with melody."—
John Frederick Moore, Jazziz Magazine
"Anyone who has attended Chicago jazz performances during
the past couple of years probably has noticed her: a
versatile young bassist who plays in far-flung bands and
sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity." —Howard
Reich, Chicago Tribune
"Ernst sings with a tenderness and unpretentiousness that
focus attention on the lyrics, not on the singer, a rare
quality among contemporary jazz vocalists." —Howard
Reich, Chicago Tribune
"...one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene"
—Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader
"The bassist, singer and composer makes music with a
soft, tumbling momentum, somewhere between literate indie
pop and low-lit vocal jazz." —Giovanni Russonello,
CapitolBop
Chicago Jazz Festival Preview of TWIN TALK
Press
"The album [Little Words] is a concise set that winningly
blends jazz, pop and classical elements, showcasing
Ernst’s buttery alto and her creative way with melody."—
John Frederick Moore, Jazziz Magazine
"Anyone who has attended Chicago jazz performances during
the past couple of years probably has noticed her: a
versatile young bassist who plays in far-flung bands and
sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity." —Howard
Reich, Chicago Tribune
"Ernst sings with a tenderness and unpretentiousness that
focus attention on the lyrics, not on the singer, a rare
quality among contemporary jazz vocalists." —Howard
Reich, Chicago Tribune
"...one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene"
—Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader
"The bassist, singer and composer makes music with a
soft, tumbling momentum, somewhere between literate indie
pop and low-lit vocal jazz." —Giovanni Russonello,
CapitolBop
Chicago Jazz Festival Preview of TWIN TALK. "...the
focal point of this exciting young Chicago trio is
bassist Katie Ernst. On the group's self-released debut,
Sightline, she not only exhibits excellent time but also
reliably supplies melodic elaboration with her woody,
muscular lines. She also sings occasionally, displaying
the nuance and presence of a seasoned vocalist. She won't
be playing early sets on Jazz Fest side stages for long.
—Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader
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