Thursday, April 29, 2021

REBECCA KILGORE AND THE REBECCA KILGORE TRIO, VOL. 1

Jazz vocalist Rebecca Kilgore is one the most prolific recording and performing artists on the scene today. With 50 or so recording projects as a leader or co-leader, she is one of the most respected interpreters of the Great American Songbook. Based in Portland, OR, Kilgore has worked with many of the top jazz musicians in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.  Her newest recording, The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - Vol. 1 features pianist Randy Porter and bassist Tom Wakeling. Kilgore’s husband, Dick Titterington, also plays cornet on a couple of tunes. 

Kilgore has a smooth, flexible voice that is a perfect fit for her repertoire. Her approach is lighthearted. She is never histrionic and eschews melisma and vocal pyrotechnics for a swinging, bluesy, conversational style that puts the lyrics and melody front and center. Her singing has won her many accolades. An honoree of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and Jazz Society of Oregon Hall of Fame, Kilgore was awarded the Portland Jazz Master Award in 2020 by PDX Jazz, the largest organization presenting jazz performances in the Pacific Northwest. 

She has also been a frequent guest on National Public Radio’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and appeared on A Prairie Home Companion. She has performed with Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall and has been invited to perform at New York’s Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention for three years at Town Hall and Lincoln Center. She was the guest of honor at the 2013 Roswell Jazz Festival, and she was honored as a Jazz Legend at the San Diego Jazz Party in 2016. The Rebecca Kilgore Trio - Vol. 1 is an album by artists at the top of their game. The eclectic mix of songs is compelling and unexpected, but all beautifully held together by Kilgore’s expressive vocals and the superb musicianship of Porter, Wakeling, and Titterington.

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