Kate McGarry
Singer Kate McGarry grew up in Hyannis, Mass., as one of 10 children in a musical family that spent many nights singing together.
At the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she earned a degree in African-American music and jazz; she began developing her organic vocal style through early training in jazz performance with iconic saxophonist Archie Shepp, and her experiences studying at a meditation ashram and exploring Celtic, Brazilian and Indian music also contributed to her widescreen vision as a vocalist and composer. After years in Los Angeles, McGarry moved to New York in the late ‘90s; her independently produced sophomore album, Show Me, was picked up by Palmetto Records, making her the first vocalist on the label’s roster. Jazziz magazine declared about McGarry upon that first Palmetto release, “With this near-flawless album, she has arrived.”
In 2005, McGarry’s Mercy Streets album—which ranged characteristically from the Peter Gabriel title track to songs by Björk, Joni Mitchell and Irving Berlin—was called “one of the most important vocal albums of the year” by All About Jazz. Featuring originals alongside tunes by Sting and Bill Evans/Miles Davis, her album The Target was named one of the best jazz vocal albums of 2007 by Downbeat. The Downbeat reviewer called the recording “a milestone of maturity,” adding: “No matter how many liberties she takes with meter and interpretation, she exercises a fidelity to the meaning of the song. McGarry has the pure untrammeled voice of an ingénue who finds wonder in the simplest of things.” Her 2008 album, If Less Is More, Nothing Is Everything, was nominated for a Grammy Award, with The Wall Street Journal calling it “an exceptionally appealing blend of folk and jazz” for its mix of originals, standards, Brazilian tunes and songs by the likes of Bob Dylan. National Public Radio said: “Kate McGarry is called a jazz vocalist, but she's hard to pin down. She draws on the music of her youth to inspire her—from the Irish tunes of her family's roots to musical theater to pop songs.”
Read moreTags
Album Review
- Songs You Like A Lot by Dan Bilawsky
- The Subject Tonight Is Love by Angelo Leonardi
- The Subject Tonight Is Love by Jerome Wilson
- The Subject Tonight Is Love by C. Michael Bailey
- The Subject Tonight Is Love by Dan Bilawsky
- Balancing Act by Angelo Leonardi
- Balancing Act by Mark Sullivan
- Balancing Act by Dan Bilawsky
- Genevieve & Ferdinand - Live by C. Michael Bailey
- Genevieve & Ferdinand - Live by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
December 05, 2013
Kate McGarry Will Release "Genevieve & Ferdinand" On February 4 On...
November 01, 2013
Kate McGarry, The Yellowjackets Headline Lawrence University's 33rd...
May 18, 2012
Enter the "Kate McGarry - Girl Talk" Giveaway at All About Jazz!
April 01, 2012
Rockwired.com's All New Jazzed And Blue Podcast Presents Kate Mcgarry...
February 21, 2012
Singer Kate McGarry Pays Tribute to Her Jazz Heroines With “Girl...
November 17, 2008
The Jazz Session #51: Kate McGarry
September 03, 2008
Rebecca Martin and Kate McGarry: Two Appealing Blends of Jazz and Folk
June 17, 2008
Kate McGarry Quartet, KJ Denhert, Howard Fishman at "Summer on the...
June 01, 2008
Kate McGarry Headlines La's Jazz Bakery on June 17t
November 12, 2007
Spin McGarry's hushed amble through the Cars' Just What I Needed to see how high the bar can be set. ~ Jim Macnie, Village Voice
McGarry's sense of musical authenticity is beautifully blended with her always-original musical vision. ~ Don Heckman, The Los Angeles Times
There's no greater influence on the young generation of post- Joni female jazz singer-songwriters than Kate McGarry. ~ Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix
Rooted in an acute jazz sensibility and a passion for sophisticated pop songcraft, singer/songwriter Kate McGarry transforms all material-anything from Bjork to Jobim-into her own expressive worlds of drama, poetic, pitch-perfect but never prissy. ~ Owen McNally, Hartford Courant
Astute and sensitive ~ Nate Chinen, New York Times
Singer Kate McGarry employs her light, airy voice and intelligent way with words once again on her latest Palmetto release. ~ Time Out NY
Saying more with less is the signature approach of singer/songwriter Kate McGarry, who delivers these songs straight from the heart in a sweet, pitch-perfect voice that has few parallels in any genre. ~ Judith Schlesinger, AllAboutJazz.com
At a time when there are so many vocalists performing in styles that hearken back two or more generations, Kate McGarry strikes me as a quiet yet fearless original voice. She's not necessarily moving music ahead by shredding tradition but by incorporating so many different elements into her repertoire
Primary Instrument
Voice / vocals
Photos
Albums
Watch
Similar

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

piano

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

voice / vocals

piano

voice / vocals