Father
knew best: Kiki Ebsen records a jazz tribute to her late dad, actor Buddy Ebsen “Scarecrow
Sessions,” due September 30, is comprised of standards and songs associated
with her father’s showbiz career; “If I Only Had A Brain” is the No. 2 most
added radio single this week.
Singer-songwriter Kiki Ebsen stubbornly refused her
famous father’s repeated suggestions to learn how to sing jazz standards.
Rebelliously she insisted upon forging her own path as a solo artist and
accompanying keyboardist-vocalist with a bevy of A-list pop stars. Eleven years
after the passing of her dad, actor Buddy Ebsen, Kiki will pay tribute by
releasing exactly the type of collection he fervently urged her to record,
“Scarecrow Sessions” on September 30 on the Painted Pony Media label. The
material comes from The Great American Songbook, a stunning original (“Missing
You”) penned by the song and dance man turned movie and television star, and
songs associated with his career, including an ill-fated starring role in “The
Wizard Of Oz.” The first single prefacing the acoustic jazz set produced by
David Mann, “If I Only Had A Brain,” is the No. 2 most added radio single this
week.
“We are
losing the iconic talents many of us grew up with. By recording these songs, I
hope not only to honor my father’s memory and his love of jazz, but to create a
musical statement that is truly my own. I’m connecting his past to my present
in a way that will no doubt leave me forever changed,” said Ebsen, who
completed the album as a Father’s Day offering after a successful Kickstarter
campaign. “Through this journey I have discovered my voice. A simple yet
beautiful tone that emanates from a true place in my heart; a place of
lightness and ease.”
Front
and center throughout the collection is Ebsen’s classically-trained voice that
sounds like it was born to sing jazz - warm, elegant, supple, pretty and
passionate. She recorded in New York City finding inspiration while strolling
the same streets that her father roamed during his Vaudeville days. Ebsen is
accompanied by a first-rate ensemble featuring some of the Big Apple’s best
players such as Chuck Loeb (electric and acoustic guitars), John Patitucci
(acoustic and electric bass), Henry Hey (piano and organ), Clint de Ganon
(drums) and Mann on saxophone and flute. Live strings add grace and emotional
depth to the proceedings.
“Scarecrow
Sessions” takes its name from a little known story of Hollywood heartbreak.
Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Scarecrow in “The Wizard Of Oz,” but
yielded the role to Ray Bolger while agreeing to play the Tin Man instead.
However, Ebsen had a toxic reaction to being cloaked in tin from head to toe
with his hands and face dusted in aluminum that caused severe breathing
problems when his lungs became full of metallic particles. He was unable to get
enough oxygen into his bloodstream and ended up hospitalized forced to breathe
with the aid of a respirator for several days requiring him to relinquish the
role.
Songs on
“Scarecrow Sessions” with much happier Golden Age associations are “Moon
River,” in which Buddy Ebsen played opposite Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at
Tiffany’s”; “At The Codfish Ball,” which Ebsen originally sang and danced with
Shirley Temple in “Captain January”; and “St. Louis Blues” from Ebsen’s first
motion picture, “Banjo On My Knee,” in which he starred alongside legends Joel
McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck. Kiki Ebsen unearthed the yearning torch song
“Missing You” when sifting through a box of her father’s old scripts and
songbooks after his passing. She began performing the arresting piano and voice
confessional co-authored by her father during her own shows producing chills as
she felt his presence thus it was a natural selection for the album salute. The
liner notes booklet inserted in the CD packaging contains photos from her
father’s storied career, intimate family pictures and personal
remembrances.
On her
five previous solo releases, Ebsen preferred to interpret her own musical
journey via self-penned material that has been well received. She has toured
and performed with an extensive list of hitmakers that boasts Al Jarreau, Tracy
Chapman, Boz Scaggs, Christopher Cross and Chicago while her songs have been
covered by contemporary jazz chart-toppers Boney James, Eric Marienthal and
Jessy J. After performing in Laguna Beach, Calif. this weekend, Ebsen jets to
the United Kingdom for a series of shows this month before returning for
additional Southern California dates in September ahead of the album release.
For more information, please visit www.KikiEbsen.com.
The
songs on “Scarecrow Sessions” are:
“You
Don’t Know What Love Is”
"If I
Only Had A Brain”
“Missing
You”
“Moon
River”
“Comes
Love”
“Tea For
Two”
“At The
Codfish Ball”
“Laura”
“Easy To
Love”
“Prelude”
“St.
Louis Blues”
“Over
The Rainbow”
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