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Holly Cole

Recognized for her intelligent approach and sensual delivery, Canadian songstress Holly (Jean) Cole was born in Halifax, NS, 25 Nov 1963. The daughter of long- time CBC Radio host Leon Cole and arts administrator Carolyn Cole, Holly Cole developed her singing career in Toronto in the mid-1980s, a particularly rich time in the city's music scene. She studied jazz vocal technique 1982-4 at Humber College. Her earliest work was in support of Toronto- based groups Canadien Club, Whitenoise, Parachute Club and Vital Sines. She formed her own trio, with pianist Aaron Davis and bassist David Piltch, in 1986 and quickly established herself with her distinctive smoky contralto voice and slightly arch stage persona. She was especially popular in Japan, where her 1992 single "Calling You" was a top-10 hit. Cole was in the vanguard of a resurgence of female jazz singers who interpreted contemporary pop songs. Her recordings after 1995 were more firmly in the pop vein, with songs composed by Sheryl Crow, Randy Newman and Paul Simon. Holly Cole maintained a long relationship with Toronto's Alert Music, which licensed many of her recordings to other companies for international distribution. In 1989 Cole's trio released an EP, “Christmas Blues,” and quickly followed it with her first full-length release, “Girl Talk,” which was re-released internationally in 1994. In 1991 Cole signed her first major distribution deal with the seminal jazz label Blue Note Records and released “Blame It on My Youth,” from which her first Japanese hit was taken. “Don't Smoke in Bed,” from 1993 followed a similar formula and yielded another strong single, a languid remake of Jamaican singer Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now." In 1995 she varied her approach, adding more than a dozen musicians to her trio for “Temptation,” an album of songs by Tom Waits. That year she also recorded a single, Oscar Brown Jr's "Hum Drum Blues," for a Blue Note compilation with a number of first-rate jazz players, including pianist Mulgrew Miller, saxophonist Javon Jackson and drummer Bill Stewart, which indicated the label's efforts to legitimize her as a jazz artist. “Dark Dear Heart,” in 1997 found her moving more deeply into pop music. Produced by Joni Mitchell's frequent collaborator Larry Klein, the album produced a hit cover of The Beatles' "I've Just Seen a Face." “Romantically Helpless,” (EMI) in 2000 mixed contemporary songs with classics like Sammy Cahn's and Jimmy van Heusen's "Come Fly with Me" and extended Cole's band to include guitarist Kevin Breit and bassist George Koller.

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267
Album Review

Holly Cole: The Best of Holly Cole

Read "The Best of Holly Cole" reviewed by AAJ Staff


From the spare supports of the soaring “Calling You" to the lush strings of an instantly recognizable “Blame it On My Youth," Canadian chanteuse Holly Cole’s arrangements and internalized delivery make nearly every selection sing on their own and linger sweetly in the musical mind. Re-grooving Lennon and McCartney’s “I’ve Just Seen a Face" and adding a Burt Bacharach bass line to Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now," Cole takes a great song and makes it great again in ...

271
Album Review

Holly Cole: Romantically Helpless

Read "Romantically Helpless" reviewed by Mathew Bahl


The irony of this CD title is hard to miss. Holly Cole’s confident, smoky alto might convey dark humor or cautious optimism, painful regret or self-aware neurosis, but definitely not helplessness. Ms. Cole combines the modern, post-feminist attitude of the Lilith Fair crowd with the sophistication of a pre-rock interpretative singer.

Holly Cole has always been difficult to categorize. Jazz purists have never been taken with Ms. Cole’s eagerness to embrace contemporary music forms or her tendency to subvert material ...

151
Album Review

Holly Cole: The Best Of Holly Cole

Read "The Best Of Holly Cole" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Holly Cole has remained an acquired taste for many listeners who like to slot artists into pre-determined categories. And that’s not quite fair. Rising in awareness and not quite acceptance among jazz enthusiasts throughout the nineties, Cole has continued to perform the tunes that intrigue her--that is, tunes with meaningful lyrics and tunes which offer opportunities for creative interpretation. The Best Of Holly Cole isn’t going to change anyone’s opinions about her. In fact, the CD retrospective of ...

224
Album Review

Holly Cole: The Best Of Holly Cole

Read "The Best Of Holly Cole" reviewed by Jim Santella


A sensitive, ballad project, The Best Of Holly Cole compiles selected smoky pearls from her ‘90s albums Yesterday & Today, Blame It On My Youth, Dark Dear Heart, Don’t Smoke In Bed, Temptation and It Happened One Night. Nearly half are slow, romantic numbers, while the others drive steadily with a cool detachment. Pop music sentiment and a touch of country-western charm bring Cole’s heartfelt performances closer to a rather large audience. She’s doing for today’s audience what Billie Holiday, ...

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198

Festival

18th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival: Holly Cole, Lafayette Gilchrist and Spanish Harlem Orchestra

18th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival: Holly Cole, Lafayette Gilchrist and Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Source: All About Jazz

Arlington, Va - Praised among our region's standout jazz festivals by JazzTimes magazine, the 18th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival takes place on Saturday (12:30pm - 7:00pm), September 6, 2008, at Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Hwy (N. Lynn St. & Lee Hwy), in Arlington, Virginia (just across Key Bridge from Georgetown, 2 blocks from Rosslyn Metro Station). The event features yet another powerful lineup, including versatile vocalist Holly Cole - Canada's 2008 Juno Awardee for “Best Jazz Album"; Grammy Award-winning Salsa ...

118

Performance / Tour

Holly Cole at World Cafe Live on May 27, 2008

Holly Cole at World Cafe Live on May 27, 2008

Source: All About Jazz


319

Performance / Tour

Holly Cole "A Night Before Christmas" Concert at the House of Blues

Holly Cole "A Night Before Christmas" Concert at the House of Blues

Source: House of Blues Concerts Canada

HOUSE OF BLUES CONCERTS CANADA PRESENTS An Evening With... Alert Music Recording Artist... HOLLY COLE A Night Before Christmas Holly Cole, accompanied by her talented band and backed by a symphony orchestra, will delight her fans with a special holiday performance on Tuesday, November 28th at the NAC Southam Hall. Holly Cole has impressed as one of the most inspired and inspiring contemporary interpreters of popular song for well over a decade. She has ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Night

Capri Records
2012

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Holly Cole

Alert Music
2008

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Holly Cole

Capri Records
2006

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The Holly Cole...

Capri Records
2004

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Shade

Capri Records
2003

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