Kellye Gray & Art Lande at Dazzle | Aug. 23

Kellye Gray, one of the most accomplished jazz vocalists on the national scene, will perform a 7 PM show with Art Lande (piano), Ken Walker (bass), and Dru Heller (drums) August 23 at Dazzle Jazz.

With her stunning musicality and warm, enveloping voice, Texas native Gray has shared the stage with legends Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, and Etta James.

Tied to rhythm, every note Gray sings stays grounded in the time. Or, as Duke Ellington says, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”

Her dad’s record collection gave her a basic education in jazz  and her southern childhood exposure to gospel, Cajun, R&B, blues and soul give her a deep pool to swim within.

Recording over a half-dozen albums as a leader, Gray has also logged performances nationally and internationally at world-class venues and festivals including Lincoln Center, the Spoleto Festival and SFJAZZ.

Her sound has been crafted over years of live performance, taking chances and immersing herself deeply in the art of making improvisational music and scat vocals.

Known for being a “a real jazzer”, her career onstage began as an improvisational comic actor, stand-up comic and technical director of professional comedy troupe. During this time, she was introduced to scat vocals, which laid the groundwork for her career as a vocalist.

Gray’s debut, Standards In Gray (Justice Records), broke her onto mainstream radio in 1990 landing the fledging, independent release in the top 20.

Her new release, “And, They Call Us Cowboys” on the Texas Music Project (grr8 Records), re-imagines the timeless and diverse music of the Lone Star State through the filter of Gray’s jazz sensibility.

Critics and radio have opened their arms to the record and to Gray’s voice. “This is a jazz singer of rare air” hailed the International Music Review. USA Today plugged the record in ‘Top Ten Tracks to Listen For’ the week of it’s release.

Purchase tickets to Gray’s performance at Dazzle here.