Karrin Allyson Reviews

ALLYSON & FRIENDS JAZZ SERIES: Karrin & Rebecca Parris
Hartford Current - Courant.com

Rebecca Parris At Unitarian Society Of Northampton On May 15
May 13, 2010
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Rebecca Parris, one of New England's premier jazz singers, performs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the new jazz series presented by singer Karrin Allyson at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, 220 Main St., Northampton, Mass.

Parris, who has been called "the First Lady of Boston Jazz," will be backed by her regular accompanist, pianist Brad Hatfield.

Allyson, a three-time Grammy Award nominee, sits in with her hand-picked guests as a regular feature of her series, "Allyson & Friends."

Allyson, a New York-based singer who bought a home in Western Massachusetts a couple years ago, plans to present semi-annual concerts in the Pioneer Valley.

Last fall in Easthampton, in what Allyson calls the "unofficial start" of her series, she presented the legendary vocalist Sheila Jordan, accompanied by pianist Bruce Barth, baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan and bassist Dave Wertman.

"Nothing is planned out in the series. We want spontaneous combustion, mixing and matching of musicians in various combinations," Allyson says by phone from her West Side apartment in Manhattan.

"I picked Rebecca because I like her and she seems amenable to living and singing in the moment, which is what I've been all about as well.

"I heard her singing in Birdland with Brad on piano and was transfixed. I think it's cool when great singers like Rebecca put their personality and their life into their music rather than just regurgitating old standards. I think she puts her unique stamp on the music."

A Midwesterner who has lived in New York City for 10 years with her partner, classical music radio host Bill McGlaughlin, Allyson always has had a weakness for rural living, its beauty, serenity and sanctuary.

In the Big Apple, the nature lover goes birding in Central Park and always has liked hiking on trails or ordinary walking as a relaxing way to reflect and regenerate.

Thanks to many gigs at the Iron Horse, she loved the Northampton/Amherst area long before she bought her home in the Pioneer Valley. It was love at first sight, she says, when a real estate agent showed her the rustic home and scenic grounds, with a picturesque barn.

"The first time I saw my house I thought this was heaven on earth. Because I'm on the road a lot, I'm nomadic and had never even thought about owning my own home. But wherever I traveled around the world, I was always looking for a place that is private, that is quiet, that has trees and where I won't have to hear anyone else around me.

"This is the first home I ever bought. I didn't even know what a mortgage was, but my father, who knows all about such things, helped me figure it all out," she says.

Her love for the Pioneer Valley, she says, inspired her idea of presenting her very own jazz series.

"Yeah, as a producer, I could become my very own Norma Granz," she jokes, feminizing the first name of the legendary jazz impresario Norman Granz.

In putting together the project in her already-busy schedule, Allyson has been assisted by Carol Smith, a jazz-singing Realtor based in Easthampton. A member of the Easthampton Cultural Council, she's the leader of her own ensemble and a member of the Valley Jazz Divas.

Parris, a great singer who's never been granted the universal recognition that her talent merits, has performed around the world with her own groups and luminaries ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Gary Burton.

Hatfield, among varied credits, played solo piano for the opening scene and end credits for Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River." He also co-wrote a tune for an episode of the TV series, "Rescue Me," starring Worcester, Mass., native Denis Leary.