Award-winning, Brooklyn-based "silly
jazz" singer Camille Harris returns for her fourth release with a team of
brilliant jazz players who are in perfect sync with her own blazing vocal and
instrumental talents. Camille's wildly creative new album, Baby on the Subway,
is set for release on September 13, 2019.
Mixing sparklingly fresh, re-imagined renditions of
well-loved traditional children’s songs with her own effervescent tunes,
Camille had the benefit of a five-year seasoning at Brooklyn Public Library
branches, where she “kid-tested” her music in front of thousands of children.
A sweet sense of humor is never far from the surface of
Camille Harris’s songs, and many were originally written to play for adult
audiences. “Children have the ability to appreciate sophisticated harmonies and
playing, so I wanted to make an album that is both silly and complex, using the
most skilled musicians I know,” explains Camille. “Listeners will hear
influences ranging from Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, and Snarky Puppy to
Tom Lehrer, Stephen Sondheim, and the joyful sounds coming from today’s NYC
jazz scene.”
Because she comes from a musical theater, stand-up comedy,
and vocal jazz background, Camille Harris brings to the proverbial children’s
music table a body of work that honors all of those traditions. Her own quirky
sense of humor and wide-ranging vocal abilities (she’s a classically trained
soprano as well as a “Broadway style” belter and an accomplished jazz
songstress) set her well apart from the crowd.
Baby on the Subway kicks off with an explosion of up-tempo
“Jiggly Wiggly” energy that speaks with a decisive Latin accent, courtesy of a
fabulous trumpet solo by Wayne Tucker, Camille’s irrepressible vocals, and
outstanding work by drummer Dave Tedeschi and pianist Hila Kulik. Next up is
“Chopsticks,” a fun number that jumps into some splendid four-part vocal
harmony inspired by the legendary vocal jazz group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross,
employing rhyme after rhyme paying homage to Camille’s favorite Chinese
restaurant in her home town of Boulder, Colorado.
One of Camille Harris’s first compositions, the pun-filled
“Muffin Man” is a fine warm-up for the many puns and jokes heard throughout
Baby on the Subway. Here the band employs an elegant swing style that provides
a great setting for Camille’s superb jazz improv chops as well as her classy
way of handling lyrics. In the funny, Latin-tinged “Procrastination Song
(Untitled)” the joke is that Camille has been putting off writing the song’s
lyrics, and, alas, she has yet to get around to giving the song a real name!
Camille Harris is a musician, comedian, published
playwright, and composer, born and raised in Boulder, Colorado and now living
in Brooklyn. Holding a BFA in Musical Theater from Boston’s Emerson College,
she teaches music theory, musical theater, piano, and voice. Her compositions
have been featured on projects and commercials for clients such as Nickelodeon,
Adobe, Merrill Lynch, and more.
A "silly jazz" singer and pianist, Camille has
previously released three albums: Where I Go, Silly Jazz, and Beneath the Moon
(available on all streaming services).
Baby on the Subway will be available for digital download
and streaming at iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and other digital retailers. CDs will
be available at select retail outlets in NYC, at Sidetracks in Charlottesville,
VA, and at Camille Harris’s&& live shows.
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