Karen Blixt

KAREN BLIXT'S music is not going to be hitting the top of the pop charts any time soon. Not, that is, on the basis of her performance Tuesday night at Catalina Bar & Grill.

That's not a criticism. Jazz artists walk a razor's edge between the demands of an art — music — and the blandishments of popular media. Making her Los Angeles debut performance, Blixt, a Bay area-based singer, kept it simple, focusing instead on delivering a collection of songs that were marvelously adventurous.

She started in the sparest setting possible, singing Duke Ellington's lovely "Prelude to a Kiss," weaving her way through the song's intricate chromatic lines with no accompaniment, intimately linking them to Irving Mills' touching lyrics.

The balance of Blixt's set was equally compelling. Rodgers and Hammerstein's familiar "My Favorite Things" took on an offbeat quality with a heart-skipping 11/8 meter, energetically driven by drummer Will Kennedy. And a duet between Blixt and bassist Abraham Laboriel on "The Very Thought of You" produced a stunning display of virtuosity by both artists.

A pair of originals by Blixt and pianist Frank Martin — the politically incorrect "Spin This" and sweetly lyrical "Something So True" — revealed another aspect of Blixt's skills. And her briskly exploratory vocalese renderings of Miles Davis "Four" and Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't (It's Over Now)" affirmed her ability with instrumental-style scatting.

A near-capacity crowd seemed to love every minute, responding to each number with pop crowd-style whoops and hollers. So maybe Blixt's performance had an additional message — something about the fact that artistry doesn't have to be culturally exclusive, that emotionally honest music, regardless of its complexity or genre, will always find an audience.
- Los Angeles Times

If anyone finds my sox, feel free to dispose of them as you see fit (no pun intended). They were blown off recently vis a vis the irreproachable talents of singer/songwriter Karen Blixt, whose first CD, “Spin This,” is one of the freshest, finest, most entertaining vocal jazz expositions I've heard. Confident, comfortable (don't be misled here…she's a risk-taker who reaps big rewards) in excellent voice (with breath I'd kill for), her phrasing is unique although she's angular and imaginative like Sheila Jordan, whose influence she credits in the liner notes.

Granted, the remarkable arrangements, courtesy of pianist/arranger/producer Frank Martin, certainly don't hurt. Can you imagine “Carefully Taught” (the bittersweet ballad Lieutenant Cable sings to his love, Liat, in “South Pacific”) as a bi-tonal dirge, Blixt singing a full step above the underlying I to VII-flat changes? It sounds other-worldly and it is, only in a most positive context.

Opener “Swingin' the Blues,” the Basie/Durham/Hendricks standard, is a fun-filled romp complete with modulations, stop time, pitch-perfect vocalese, and the swinging sustenance of Joey DeFrancesco's B3. All of the trades are outstanding. Note: this disc is replete with choice solos; I'll leave it to you to discover your favorites.

Tired of “My Favorite Things?” Lend an ear to this get-down, 11/8 version – Blixt effortless, articulate, pure, prurient. The Will Kennedy/Alex Acuna interlude will generate some (joyful) grunts. This is the way one's accompaniment should be featured: no gratuitous inserts; turns taken all fit, feel good, fall where they should. A laid back, late-night, last-round feel resonates with “You Don't Know Me. ” This is tender, sweet, no-frills Blixt. Think Jo Stafford.

The incomparable Paul McCandless plays English horn on “Night and Day.” Bass clarinet (Sheldon Brown) and cello (Joe Herbert) contribute, as well as arranger Martin (piano) and Alex Acuna (drums/percussion). The (chord) substitutions are treacherous and tantalizing yet Blixt traverses them – and the intervals – with ease, her outchorus simmering atop a cauldron of bubbling sounds/rhythms. There's another brow-raising, jaw-dropping, head-tilting tick at every turn (of this cylinder).
Title song, “Spin This,” was composed by the aforementioned Martin with Blixt. It's musically clever, lyrically sapient, a funky, free-flowing treatise on today's political climate.

How do two bass clarinetists and a drummer grab you? They are Karen's attendants on “It's Over Now (Well, You Needn't).” I confess, it took several replays before I could snap appropriately throughout but it was such fun listening I didn't mind the challenge. Pay close attention or you'll miss the hilarious 19-second reprise.

Opposites are attractive, e.g. a Louis Prima/Keely Smith-type version of “When You're Smiling” (DeFrancesco plays Louis) followed by the wickedly wordy, wildly-paced “Four,” wherein the time will play tricks on you and only the bold will survive the slippery vocalese hinterland.

“Kitchen Blue,” another innovative Martin/Blixt collaboration where wild notes and colors dissolve into tonic emptiness “…without you, it's kitchen blue,” precedes a hold-your-breath-don't-anybody-move, oh-so-slow, sad, sensual “I Thought About You.” Vibraphonist Buddy Montgomery's piano accompanies Karen on this one and it couldn't sound better.

The closer, Martin/Blixt's “Something So True” with McCandless playing oboe, Herbert, cello – plus rhythm section – is a reflective, contemporary ballad, melodically unconventional as the prose ordains.

It strikes me here that I've yet to mention pianist Russell Ferrante, whose sensitive accompaniment and brilliant soloing adds yet another dimension to this already talent-heavy collection. There are several other musicians who deserve the ink; please purchase this compendium and hear for yourself. You may soon find yourself sockless as well.
—Carol Comer
JAM Jazz Ambassadors Magazine

JAM is published bi-montly by the Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the development and promotion of Kansas City jazz. All rights are reserved. Reproduction of any material is prohibited without consent of the publisher.
- Jazz Ambassador Magazine

Here’s a singer that should make some waves. Vocalist Karen Blixt has
delivered an astounding recording that delivers confident, assured and
radiant vocals through an incredibly diverse and creative selection of songs.

With support from the likes of Joey DeFrancesco on the B-3, Spin this
should swing hard, and thankfully, Blixt does not disappoint. She is
completely adept at vocalese, as she grooves through Lester Young’s solo on “Swingin’ the Blues” and Miles Davis on the heady “Four”. Alex Acuña’s propulsive percussion and drums drives these songs into ecstacy.

Not only can Blixt swing, but she bops! Supported by two bass clarinets (Paul McCandless, Sheldon Brown), she prowls through Monk’s “It’s Over Now (Well You Needn’t)” with aplomb and alacrity. She actually eclipses the redundancies of “Night and Day,” mixing the bass clarinet, English horn, percolating percussion, cello, and her voice to scintillating effect. Her vocal
duet with DeFrancesco on “When You’re Smiling” is an absolute gas, with Buddy Montgomery adding good vibes to the love fest.

Not satisfied with singing, Blixt is also excellent at composing. “Kitchen
Blue” is filled with clever observances about everyday life, and the title song is one of the best jeremiads in a long time, conveying the familiar message that you will reap what you sow, no matter how you try to spin it: a great message, cleverly delivered. Spin This makes you wonder, where has Blixt beenhiding?

George Harris • All About Jazz • April 2006, Vol. 4, No. 3 - All About Jazz

Wow. No. Wow!

One of the unexpected pleasures of reviewing jazz CD’s is being immediately taken by the music once an unknown musician’s or singer’s CD starts playing. That certainly happens when one listens to Karen Blixt’s Spin This, the title in itself giving a hint of the wit and originality within.

Who is Karen Blixt and where has she been all of these years?
Well, Karen Blixt, an upper New York-state native, spent years absorbing the music and learning in Berkeley, California, gradually building confidence. But Blixt’s meeting with Sheila Jordan and Madeline Eastman proved to be the turning point in her nascent singing career. Now, with the encouragement of her friend Lisa Thomas, with whom she started HiFli Records to record area artists, Blixt has released her first CD.

And what a CD it is, with thoughtful sequencing of the songs, the recruitment of top-notch back-up musicians and some startling original music that essentially defines Karen Blixt. On Spin This, she lets down her defenses, and then artistic versatility allows her to move from a hand-clapping blues to the meditative version of “Night and Day”, embellished by Paul McCandless’s English horn and Sheldon Brown’s bass clarinet. With a voice that can command attention through immersion in the lyrics, Blixt seems to have arrived fully formed, swelling the vowels on “You Don’t Know Me” to bring out the anguish of the songwriter’s feelings or tripping along the 11/8 meter of “My Favorite Things”, which is grounded by pianist Russell Ferrante’s closely knit chords and, most notably, Will Kennedy’s and Alex Acuña’s irresistible percussion.

The CD appropriately opens with “Swingin’ the Blues”, immediately establishing Blixt as a singer to be reckoned with. The feeling of swing is inherent in her voice even during the long tones or the syncopated rests. Of course, Joey DeFrancesco’s accompaniment certainly enhances the track as he and Blixt trade choruses, batting ideas back and forth effortlessly; his bass lines solid and sure, her scatting an extension of her personality.

Blixt’s own songs are delights. “Spin This” does arrest the listener’s attention with its funk groove and mnemonic hook of the words “Spin This!” However, “Kitchen Blue” creates a greater depth of feeling through the comparison of human emotion to the colors that Blixt views: “I dream in / Cashmere pink, cobalt stone / Bombay gold and aqua foam / Summer melon, lemon cream / Mystic mint and turquoise gleam.”
With varied arrangements, such as the throbbing bass clarinet work on “Well, You Needn’t” and the ability to discern previously unrealized meaning in older songs like “Carefully Taught” (“You gotta be taught / To be afraid /of people whose skin is a different shade / To hate all the people / Your relatives hate”),

Karen Blixt has released a CD that unmistakably showcases her talent as one of the newly arriving jazz singers who deserves a lot of attention.

By Bill Donaldson, Jazz Improv Magazine
- Jazz Improv Magazine

From the percussion and bass reed version of the Monk/Ferro song It’s Over Now (Well, You Needn’t) and her groove enriched version of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic My Favorite Things, to the her sultry delivery of the Arnold/Walter classic You Don’t Know me, San Francisco jazz scene favorite Karen Blixt delivers a delightfully entertaining and powerful piece of work with her debut CD Spin This.

Together with producer Frank Martin and a who’s who cast of musicians, Spin This brings new life to ten contemporary and classic standards; and she emerges as a talented songwriter in the three Martin-Blixt originals: Spin This, Kitchen Blues (where she at times reminds me of Laura Fygi) and the closing track Something So True. Karen effortlessly changes moods and direction – nowhere better demonstrated than on the Cole Porter classic Night and Day -- consistently maintaining a distinct sound signature all her own.

Growing up in upstate New York singing church hymns, Karen says, “I grew up in a world of black and white,” and “always singing off the melody.” She gravitated to the way jazz “thrives in the unsettled way where asking the question is more important than being certain of the answer.” It is in this gray area of taking risk, not knowing if she is right or wrong that both she and her music live. “With jazz, it’s not about you deciding how to perform the song – it’s about the song finding its own life through you,” she says.
Karen settled in northern California and has been a staple in the Bay Area jazz scene for ten years. She has performed with Bobby McFerrin on his score for the Academy Award -winning film Common Threads, and she is now a star whose time has arrived. Spin This is her calling card.

—Brie Austin
- Jazz Review

To “get” Spin This all you have to do is be in love. In love with groovy improvisation, in love with silky smooth singing, in love with masterful orchestration, in love with fresh composition and most importantly you have to be in love with jazz. It’s obvious that Karen Blixt is, therefore, head over heels in love.

She painstakingly selected 10 classic tunes to cover (in spectacular fashion) and also contributed 3 original selections co-written with producer and arranger Frank Martin. One of these being the title track, Spin This, which is a delightfully devilish diss at President Dubya (you go Karen!). The other two are the snappy paint pallet infused Kitchen Blue, and the sweet Something So True that closes out the record. These 3 original songs are accessible, memorable and crafted flawlessly with arrangements that are lush and satin smooth.

They also co-exist happily with classics such as Favorite Things by Rogers/Hammerstein, a song familiar to everyone, yet here it’s given a playfully fresh spin by Blixt that brings a smile to your lips as you gleefully attempt to sing along with her interpretation. Can you picture yourself in a super hip night club, under a hazy blue spotlight, dressed in head to toe black, fingers snappin’ as the words ‘apple strudel’ leave your lips? Oh man, this song will get you there!

Night and Day by Cole Porter, ok the first thing that came to my mind was an episode of Are You Being Served where we never get to hear the entire song (a good thing). On Spin This we are treated to the entire song in it’s full vocal sweetness made unique with funky bass clarinet, English horn, piano, cello and matchless percussion.

It’s Over Now (Well You Needn’t) by Thelonious Monk and Mike Ferro, features vocals byBlixt, two bass clarinets by Pal McCandless and Sheldon Brown and drums by Alex Acuña. That’s it. Pretty cool stuff, kids.

When You’re Smiling by Mark Fisher/Joe Goodwin/Larry Shay is a tasty little number and Blixt is joined by Hammond B-3 organ master Joey DeFrancesco on vocals. The ultimate feel good song with a Hammond B-3 organ jam right there smack in the middle.

Blixt isn’t apprehensive about sharing the spotlight with her musicians, as there are layers upon layers of instrumentation with jam sessions sprouting up in each making every selection a treasure.

Spin This, simply put, is smokin’!

Background:
After having spent a successful decade in the flourishing jazz scene Karen Blixt has decided to spend some auspicious time in the studio recording 13 tracks of exquisite music.
Spin This is Blixt’s debut CD and she doesn’t pull any punches in regards to showcasing her talent or her ability to surround herself with the superstars of the jazz scene, including three Grammy-nominated musicians such as Joey DeFrancesco Hammond organ B-3 mastermind, percussionist and drummer Alex Acuña, reed player Paul McCandless. Producer and arranger Frank Martin. The ensemble on Spin This also includes vibes legend Buddy Montgomery, Yellowjackets’ keyboardist Russell Ferrante, drummer Will Kennedy, bassist Brian Bromberg and many others. Recorded at Skywalker Sound with Leslie Ann Jones at the helm.

- Associated Content

When you're taking your first plane trip, why not travel first class? That's the guiding principle behind jazz vocalist Karen Blixt's album "Spin This" (HiFli Records), an exceptional debut by a veteran singer who's been active on the Bay Area scene for more than a decade.
Teaming up with pianist Frank Martin, an ace accompanist and savvy producer, Blixt delivers a program of imaginatively interpreted standards, daring jazz tunes and three impressive originals co-written with Martin. She celebrates the album's release on Tuesday with her premiere performance at Yoshi's.
While Martin plays on five tracks, dividing his time between piano and Fender Rhodes, his stamp can be felt on the entire album through the stellar cast of players he recruited. Most notably, "Spin This" features pianist Russell Ferrante and drummer Will Kennedy, of Yellowjackets fame; reed master Paul McCandless from the pioneering world jazz group Oregon; pianist/vibraphonist Buddy Montgomery, of the legendary Montgomery Brothers; former Weather Report percussionist Alex Acuna; and Hammond B3 organ great Joey DeFrancesco (who follows Blixt into Yoshi's on Thursday for a four-night run).
"Frank's advice was to get the best people you can and go from there," Blixt said during a recent interview at a teahouse on Solano Avenue. "It took on a life of its own, and we ended up with something far greater than I ever imagined."
Blixt had worked with Martin, her Albany neighbor, many times over the years, but she was initially nervous about asking him to produce an album. His immediate response was, "It's about time," and he quickly lined up the kinds of musicians rarely available for an artist's maiden voyage. It helped that Martin has accumulated a vast web of friends through his work as an accompanist, music director and producer, with credits that range from Sting, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles to Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Narada Michael Walden and Dizzy Gillespie.
"Karen's a pro, with a very musical sensibility that isn't often present with a first-time recording artist," Martin said. "After the recording, the response was, 'What a great singer; I can't believe I've never heard of her.'"
For her performance at Yoshi's, Blixt will be joined by an equally impressive band, featuring Martin on piano and keyboards, McCandless on oboe and English horn, bassist Abraham Laboriel, cellist Joe Hebert, the dynamic percussion tandem of Kennedy and Acuna, and reed expert Sheldon Brown (who also plays on "Spin This").
Blixt cites the esteemed Bay Area jazz singer Madeleine Eastman as an early inspiration, and Irene Krall, Helen Merrill, Nancy King and Shirley Horn as her primary influences. It's a telling list, as they're all singers who, despite their different sounds, make a point of interpreting songs with uncluttered clarity. Blixt brings her own less-is-more aesthetic to "Spin This."
Born in a small town in upstate New York, Blixt grew up in a devout family, surrounded by music. Attending a Baptist church down the block several times a week, she memorized the hymnal by the time she started grade school.
"I really believe church is where I developed my ear," Blixt said. "My mom was the organist, and she always sang harmony sitting next to me in the pew."
She moved to Berkeley in 1979, not long after graduating from college on the East Coast. Always involved in choirs -- she's a longtime member of David Morales' Cantare Con Vivo -- Blixt really started developing her jazz chops at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, where a positive encounter with the brilliant vocalist Sheila Jordan gave her an invaluable boost.
After working steadily in the mid-'90s, Blixt took time off to raise her two daughters, now 9 and 10. So the decision to make an album wasn't just a matter of creative expression. In order to jump-start her career, she knew she had to create an impressive calling card. Working with her college buddy Lisa Thomas, a co-founder of Clif Bar, Blixt created HiFli Records, with "Spin This" as the first release.
"Lisa's always supported my singing, and she's passionate about music, too," Blixt said. "I think she sensed that I was really ready to do this."
- Contra Costa Times

The follow-up to her 2006 debut Spin This, Karen Blixt's Mad Hope affirms that this San Francisco jazz singer is one of the most vibrant vocalists around. An innovative interpreter (she turns Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce" into a sweet scatting workout) as well as a great songwriter in her own right ("Desire Is Your Name" is just lovely), besides her spot-on delivery, Blixt's greatest strength is her penchant for experimentation. Toying around with meter as well as musical milieus (there are touches of everything from Latin to funk here), Blixt is a bold performer who doesn't shy away from invention. So this is a jazz album, yes, but it's a jazz album that's filtered through an endless array of musical styles. "Antigua" is a percussive beauty that's powered by elegant handclaps; "Shadow And Light" is a smoky, aching ballad and her sprightly take on Paul Desmond's eternal classic "Five & Five (Take Ten)" is just marvelous. Later, the sly "Faith Baby Faith" simmers with nimble soul and the closer "You Are There" brings to mind Babs herself. No sophomore slump in sight among these tracks. Blixt is the real deal. - Caught In The Carousel.com

SAn Francisco based vocalist, Karen Blixt, is out to make an instant good impression. Her debut CD does exactly that. There’s an old expression that urges “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” This young woman has the talent, taste and the “smarts” to put it all together. She armed herself with a dozen fine songs, a fine arranger and some great jazz musicians. The result is an astounding debut boldly titled Spin This.

The fearless Californian kicks off the album with Count Basie’s and Jon Hendrick’s revered “Swingin’ The Blues” and the singer shows an obvious devotion to Annie Ross. Karen Blixt follows up with a little-known item from South Pacific. “Carefully Taught” made the show’s 1949 audience a bit uneasy. Those were different times and Oscar Hammerstein took every opportunity to express his distaste for racial prejudice. Although the song was included in folio printings of South Pacific, the tune didn’t receive individual publication for more than a decade. With the exceptions of Sammy Davis Jr. and Marian Anderson, very few performers bothered to record this gem from Rodgers and Hammerstein. Blixt makes it a cornerstone of her debut album.

A couple of other show tunes are included. Listeners will enjoy the singer’s knockout reading of “Night And Day” and an especially appealing and unusual version of “My Favorite Things.”

Karen Blixt surrounds herself with a bevy of great instrumentalists like Buddy Montgomery, Paul McCandless, Russell Ferrante and the spectacular percussionist Alex Acuna. Add arranger/pianist Frank Martin and the boisterous organist Joey DeFrancesco and things begin to percolate. We loved the singer’s take on the old standard “When You’re Smiling.” Joey DeFrancesco joins Blixt for a vocal duet backed by Buddy Montgomey’s vibes and the exciting drumming of Byron Landham.

Blixt and Frank Martin offer a trio of their own compositions in the form of the highly original title song, the swinging ballad “Kitchen Blue” and the impressive closer, “Something So True.” The closing tune features Russell Ferrante on piano with oboe, cello, acoustic bass and Acuna’s percussion. It’s quite beautiful!

Karen Blixt is a natural, honest and confident jazz performer. In this writer’s humble opinion, Spin This is one of the finest debut recordings to come my way in a long time. It’s highly recommended. Samples may be found at CD Baby.
- Jazz Review

This is an exceptional debut album by an accomplished jazz vocalist whose fidelity to mainstream jazz is simply incredible. Karen has made a huge splash with this motley collection of well-known jazz standards with a pinch of her own rather hard-hitting lyrics and tunes. The combo accompanying her is small but powerful, and some of the 'guests' appear like dazzling meteors to brighten up the jazz skies now and then.

"Swinging The Blues," an old-fashioned blues from Count Basie/Jon Hendriks/Eddie Durham, is sung with impressive gusto and verve. The composition is so perfect that neither the music drowns out the vocals, nor the vocals become too strident, as happens often with some jazz vocalists who may be too self-absorbed. This is certainly one of the best tracks in the album.

"Carefully Taught," another familiar Rogers & Hammerstein masterpiece, unfurls its sensual expanses in an irresistible manner. Russell Ferrante does his thing on the piano so well that in parts one tends to forget this is a vocal piece. There is an amazing balance of solo piano and vocals. It is a great track indeed. It also carries the Karen stamp all over it.

"My Favourite Things" is yet another Rogers & Hammerstein opus that has been jazzed up by Karen in a wholly delectable manner. The dose of jazzing is neither too strong to make the lovers of Broadway musical hits turn up their noses, nor too mild to make the jazzheads nod their heads in despair. The improvisational patch is imaginative enough and yet it does not alter the characteristic charm of the original melody at any point. It is a great track, one that could be cherished for years to come.

"You Don't Know Me" by Arnold & Walker is a difficult song to sing, and Karen puts her heart and soul into it. She makes it sound like a blues masterpiece, rather than a straight-ahead jazz song. Joey DeFranscesco hovers in the background with his Hammond B-3 organ like a well-meaning apparition, lending a holistic 3-D glory to her vocal tracks. Buddy Montgomery on the vibes creates a soul soothing ambiance that is difficult to ignore. It's a heart-rending melody that catches the listener by the ear, to focus on the lyrics and the incredible vocal gymnastics and the instrumental fireworks. It is another unforgettable performance.

"Night & Day," from the bottomless treasures of Cole Porter, is next. It features a wonderful vocal piece by Karen, followed very competently by a very fetching solo piece on piano by Frank Martin, who seems to be partnering Karen Blixt in drumming up fabulous lyrics of many a track in this hugely entertaining album. There is a very heart-warming improvisational contribution on the bass clarinet by Sheldon Brown, which one gets to hear rarely as an accompaniment to vocal jazz. Joe Herbert's cello and Paul McCandless's English horn keep frothing in the background, lending a wonderful solidity to the entire proceedings. This track is a very well spread-out multi-course meal and is very satisfying.

"Spin This," the title track, starts of with a bang. Self-confessed by Karen, it is a funky hip-hop song that ambles along its quicksilver path until one starts listening to the engaging lyrics. It turns out to be an anti-government rant, which makes immense sense. This sort of a political statement rarely appears on the jazz horizons, but she has done it with an aplomb and flair all her own. By lending it a modern funky robes, she has probably aimed it at a much wider audience, perhaps a younger audience than the usual gray-haired baby-boomers who are getting more and more sentimental by the day. Russell Ferrante's brief statements on the piano come out very interesting, backed by a steady pulsating beat on the electric bass by Troy Lampkins. Alex Acuna provides a very convincing back-up on various percussion instruments. It is an interesting piece.

"It's Over Now [Well You Needn't]" by Thelonious Monk and Mike Ferro begins with some pretty funky free jazz statements from two bass clarinet players, Paul McCandless and Sheldon Brown -this is a unique experiment indeed. The deep-throated sounds of the bass clarinets, which leisurely climb up to the higher registers whilst Karen sings, seemingly lost in her own world. The overall effect of this dialogue between three jazz artists, accentuated intelligently by Alex Acuna with percussions, turns out to be a feast of sorts for the true-blue jazz connoisseurs.

"When You're Smiling" by Fisher/Goodwin/Shay and popularized globally by the inimitable Louis Armstrong, has been given an ultra-modern makeover by Karen and friends. Joey DeFranscesco not only swings wonderfully on his Hammond organ, but he surprisingly turns out a very convincing vocal duet with Karen. He possesses a mellow and yet deep voice, and he sings without any idiosyncrasies or embellishments. There is a sustained solo on the organ in the middle of the song, which truly raises the simple old ditty to a new level of sophistication. It's a glorious example of contemporary jazz, complete with a soulful solo on the vibes by Buddy Montgomery towards the end. An astonishingly convincing jazzy arrangement on the whole.
"Kitchen Blue" is one of Karen's magically penned lyrics...the very simplicity of the verse with its unrestrained, fanciful forays into a cerebral world of emotion, makes this song very special. Accompanied only by a piano, vibes and drums, the song is designed to highlight the lyrics, and her wonderful voice. She sometimes sings almost like the all American girl Doris Day used to sing in the 1950s. Collaboration is perhaps the unquestionable forte of the group effort here. A very chirpy song with a very high emotional quotient.
"Four" is a brilliant Miles Davis/Jon Hendriks number that opens cheerfully with Joey and his Hammon organ making the right squeals at the right junctures, whilst Karen delivers the complicated vocals. An unusual beat on the drums by Willy Kennedy on drums gives it an exotic flavour -sounding rather like a jazzed up bossa nova rendition. The machine-gun fire delivery of lyrics, seems very fetchingly irresistible, peppered perfectly by the small combo, very competently backing her up. Joey De Franscesco produces one whale of an organ solo in the middle, jamming with the percussionists. This is undeniably a magnum opus.
"I Thought About You" from the pens of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Mercer, is a nice and dreamy ballad with just a piano rambling absent-mindedly in the background conjures up the image of a teenage girl scampering around in an English garden. Surprisingly, it is the vibraphonist Buddy Montgomery who mans the piano this time. This tune highlights the vocal mastery of Karen, and provides a gluttonous fare to the listener. A wonderful song, sung as usual, with all her heart.
"Something So True," yet another collaboration between Frank Martin and Karen Blixt, is another soft and easy melody with an eerie backdrop of oboe sounds juxtaposed with a deep rumble of cello in accompaniment. Paul McCandless on oboe provides an interesting solo whilst the vocal rendering thrashes ahead resoundingly. A nice, folk-folkish ambiance pervades throughout, providing a melodious overall effect that is a hallmark of Karen Blixt's songs.
On the whole, a four-star effort, a Tiger Woodsian debut indeed.
- Jazz Review

Given Karen Blixt’s enthusiasm for playing with time, so ably demonstrated two years ago on her debut disc, Spin This, it seems entirely apropos that she be the one to rediscover “Take Ten,” Paul Desmond’s little-known follow-up to his gargantuan “Take Five.” Reshaped as a vocal duet featuring Kenny Washington, with Blixt-penned lyrics that cleverly reference its iconic antecedent, “Five and Five” is clearly the album’s centerpiece, though hardly its only gem.
Supported by a vertible jazz who’s who—bassist Abraham Laboriel, drummer Will Kennedy, keyboardists Patrice Rushen and Frank Martin (who co-wrote eight of the songs and shaped the majority of the arrangements), percussionist Alex Acuna, trumpeter Randy Brecker and a half-dozen others that weave in and out—Blixt further demonstrates her dexterity at time travel on a tightly woven “Billie’s Bounce,” the witty “Jazz Ants,” the vivacious “Faith, Baby, Faith,” and, particularly, the free-flowing “7th Heaven.”
Throughout the rest of this fine album, Blixt plays less with time than with temperature, wandering up and down the thermometer as she progresses from a twilight-cool reading of Joe Zawinul’s “Shadow and Light” and a brisk “Antigua” (written to commemorate her adopted children’s birthplace) to the Latin heat of “Desire is Your Name” and, finally, the quiet warmth of “You Are There.”
- Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes Magazine

Rarely does an album escape unscathed from being dismissed as "all over the place." Bay Area jazz vocalist Karen Blixt turns the term on its head with a sophomore release surveying bop, Latin, standards, scat singing, and more with inexhaustible confidence and grace. - East Bay Express

En (avant) garde! Karen Blixt has a new CD.

In the hands (or lungs) of another, this undertaking might have been an excursion into vocal nebula. With Blixt it’s a triumphant tour de force. (This is how you keep others from stealing
your stuff.)

Opener “Billie’s Bounce” reflects pianist/arranger/composer/ producer Frank Martin’s ear for fresh, nuanced emendation. Your friend and mine, articulate and erudite JAM editor Roger Atkinson’s immediate response was “Wow,” followed shortly thereafter by, “WOW!” Free form folds in the famous Blues: Paul Hanson’s bassoon, Sheldon Brown’s bass clarinet, Brecker’s trumpet, then everyone dissolves into Karen’s first chorus; a second seems to be over a minor blues form but the agile singer holds her own. A stop-time a capella scat chorus follows, then...well, you get the picture (sound). Rushen’s piano is powerful, layered lines - impressive. Big things still come in small packages.

“Jazz Ants” is a clever, angular, odd-metered tone prose, one of seven Martin/Blixt originals. The cadence is ideal for K.B.’s PUN-gent lyrics.

Almost everyone but the engineer is playing percussion on polyrhythmic “Antigua” (check the liner notes for the octet of handclappers) – not to be dismissive of the mesmerizing syncope contributed by Will Kennedy, Jose Neto, and Alex
Acuna. Karen delivers the evocation with authority, her improv chorus precision-perfect.

Randy Brecker’s trumpet introduces “Shadow and Light” (bassist Abraham Laboriel played on Zawinul’s original recording) wherein Karen commits completely to the unconventional head, flexing that strong, high range – hanging there at will, with air to spare. Randy’s solo is bedroom Brecker – sexy, inviting. “Five & Five” is Blixt’s clever 10/4 permutation of Paul Desmond’s standard during which vocal virtuoso Kenny Washington shares the mike. They each present a scat clinic worthy of graduate credit and when they sing in tandem the blend is so seamless you’ll swear it’s an overdub.

With Rushen riding the Rhodes, Karen’s flawless front-phrasing punctuates “Sundown in My Heart.” Her absolutely pure, crystalline timbre here - almost distracting. What a voice. Next up, John McLaughlin’s “Time For Earth (Follow Your Heart)” to which Blixt put lyrics. The 11/4 construct truly SWINGS, alternating inauspiciously from funk to straight ahead, the rhythm section goosing resourceful ideation from both Martin and Brecker.

Abraham Laboriel’s (power)walkin’ bass almost steals “Faith Baby Faith,” a juiced up I-VI-II-V Martin/Blixt original featuring vocal/bass/drums. It’s a knockout.

“My Blue Shadow,” a Frank Martin/Andre Pessis collaberation, reveals surprising avenues and resolutions although the bittersweet ballad is effortlessly managed by way of Karen’s warm vocal recitative and her uncanny instinct for shading (dynamics). Rushen’s sensitive support, Brecker’s gentle comping and empathic solo – lovely.

Blixt deftly ushers us through “Frida,” a composition as complex as the legendary artist it eulogizes. She/the homage builds...releases...a pulsating doubletime beneath the bridge, Damion Masterson’s haunting harmonica come-to-life in soli.
At various junctures, Jose Neto’s guitar, Joe Herbert’s cello, and Alex Acuna’s percussion combine to create a palpably sensual “Desire is Your Name.” Martin and Rushen’s keyboard accents further intensify the passion and Karen crafts a (gorgeous) solo with portentous oversight.

“7th Heaven,” an opportunistic samba (partido alto) so named because it morphs into 7/4 offering the capacious artisan (Karen) a chance to really s-t-r-e-t-c-h. (Er, as you’ve no doubt gathered by now, every choice so obliges.) The lyrics are tricky: if you can correctly sing along, you should be gigging somewhere. As for Brecker – the liner notes say ‘trumpet’ and the jacket says ‘flugelhorn’ (I opt for the latter) – I say BRAVO! although I think he might’ve blown his brilliant brains off. (This would account for his not being in group picture.) However, if you see him, tell him I love him.

Dave Frishberg/Johnny Mandel’s delicate “You Are There” has never sounded better. The symbiotic melding of Karen’s voice and Patrice’s piano will leave you breathless. Blixt’s sweet, innocent rubato atop Rushen’s oh-so-sensitive accompaniment – it’s a tandem of which singers dream.

Karen Blixt: sui generis.
- Carol Comer, Jazz Ambassadors Magazine