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Kendra Shank
MUSIC | New York vocalist Kendra Shank returns to Crooners on September 19 in a trio featuring pianist Phil Aaron, with whom she found immediate musical simpatico at her appearance last year, and bassist Graydon Peterson, with whom she will enjoy the spontaneity of new collaboration.

Kendra Shank Trio

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/19/2018
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Location
Crooners Lounge and Supper Club

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Kendra Shank Trio

Imaginative and daring.
– Steve Futterman, THE NEW YORKER

A combination of power and perfume.
– Neil Tesser, CHICAGO READER

New York vocalist Kendra Shank returns to Crooners on September 19 in a trio featuring pianist Phil Aaron, with whom she found immediate musical simpatico at her appearance last year, and bassist Graydon Peterson, with whom she will enjoy the spontaneity of new collaboration. Shank currently favors the spaciousness of a drumless setting and the conversational interplay and painterly expression it engenders — “a breathtakingly original concept based upon open-ended bandstand interaction” (Andrew Gilbert, Boston Globe). A Twin Cities favorite since her 2001 debut at The Dakota, “she has her own scat language and her own delicious tweaks into dulcet low-registered coos and quick, snatched phrases” (Britt Robson, Minneapolis Star Tribune). This performance will feature selections from her seven CDs as well as new material, including songs by Abbey Lincoln, Cedar Walton, Fred Hersch, Jeremy Siskind, and Sidney Bechet, all unified by Shank’s soulful storytelling, inventive phrasing, and open improvisation. Following this Minneapolis engagement, Shank will fly to Denver for a series of concerts with esteemed pianist Art Lande.

Kendra Shank’s seven CDs have won numerous “Best of the Year” citations, a New York Times “Critic’s Choice,” and DownBeat poll recognition, with accolades for her “delectable voice” (Terry Teachout, Time magazine). Born in California to an actress mother and playwright father, she was on stage at age 5 and began her music career at 19, busking in Parisian subways and cafés as a folk singer-guitarist. A decade later her passion turned to jazz and she studied with Jay Clayton while honing her craft in Seattle and Paris jazz clubs. She soon caught the attention of Shirley Horn who co-produced Shank’s debut CD and presented her at New York’s Village Vanguard in 1992. Since moving to New York in 1997 Shank has become a prominent figure on the city’s jazz scene, headlining at The Blue Note, Birdland, Jazz Standard, and Iridium and holding a 17-year residency at the historic 55 Bar. Shank has been featured on NPR’s JazzSet and Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz and has toured in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Canada and across the U.S. at festivals, clubs and concert halls. In addition to leading her NY band of 18 years with pianist Frank Kimbrough and bassist Dean Johnson, Shank was guest guitarist on Abbey Lincoln’s “Over The Years” CD and has performed and/or recorded as a vocalist with Fred Hersch, Geoffrey Keezer, Larry Willis, Joe Locke, Bob Dorough, Jay Clayton, Gary Bartz, Steve Wilson, Peter Leitch, Ben Monder, John Stowell, Victor Lewis, and Matt Wilson, among others. kendrashank.com

Pianist Phil Aaron, is a Chicago native who studied music at the Berklee College of Music and the University of Illinois. After ten years in LA, he moved to Minneapolis in 1989, becoming fully immersed in the local jazz scene, and hosting a long-running trio gig at the Hotel Sofitel. By day, Phil works as a composer of film and television scores winning an Emmy in 2007 for his scoring work on the PBS animated series, “Auto-B-Good.” As a performing jazz artist, Phil has shared the stage with Lee Konitz, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, Jim Snidero, Byron Stripling, Barbara Morrison and Jackie Allen, among others, and has provided piano accompaniment to many local jazz singers and ensembles. An active recording artist as sideman and on five CDs of his own, Phil plays regularly with his own trio, Lucia Newell, the Phil Hey Quartet, Batunde Lea, Joyce Lyons and more. Drawing inspiration from Bill Evans, Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan, and Keith Jarrett, he “can swing hard or wax romantic at the keyboard” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). philaaronmusic.com

Graydon Peterson is one of the backbones of the jazz scene in the Twin Cities. Known as a guy who excels at many styles, Graydon has played with the Twin Cities’ top jazz singers and modern jazz groups, and has toured around the United States. He’s a top-call player who up until now, has been content hanging out in the shadows. Well, Graydon grabbed the pen and paper and what emerged were weird time signatures, beautiful melodies and hard grooves. Graydon’s tunes evoke a wide variety of emotions and energies, stretching what we know as “modern jazz” to its limit. graydonpetersonquartet.com

Shank is a maverick interpreter who can seemingly turn a song on its head but have the evolution make perfect sense.
– Rick Mason, CITY PAGES

This vocalist makes lyrics believable, invents like an instrumentalist, and has an ear second to none for little-known and unknown tunes. Shank is a risk taker…
– Bob Blumenthal, BOSTON GLOBE (Top 10 CD)

Kendra’s vocal flexibility was an ongoing revelation, not only evidenced in her wide intervals and elastic phrasing but in her sudden shifts in direction or dynamics, her dramatic use of space, and her creative use of the microphone.
– Andrea Canter, JAZZ POLICE and JAZZ INK

Shank is among the most interesting and imaginative vocalists in all of jazz right now.
– Rob Hubbard, ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS

When Shank performs, it’s not just about delivering a song; it’s about creating something new and original in the moment.
– Pamela Espeland, MINNPOST

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