Matt Ray & Kat Edmonson Sing Hoagy Carmichael
Jazz pianist, vocalist, and “ingenious” arranger Matt Ray (New York Times) takes us through an evening highlighting the music of one of the essential architects of the classic American Songbook. To help him, he enlists the enchanting singer Kat Edmonson, who delivers songs with an airy voice evocative of Blossom Dearie that invites audiences to “close their eyes and pick whatever time best suits their listening pleasure” (Charleston Post and Courier). A veteran of the New York jazz and downtown cabaret scenes and a co-winner of the 2017 Kennedy Prize for Drama, Ray is steeped in American music tradition and a gifted musician and entertainer. Like Ray, the Texas-born, Brooklyn-based Edmonson has internalized decades of American songs and styles. Along with a top-notch band, Ray and Edmonson cast a spell over the room with personal favorites from Hoagy Carmichael’s vast catalog, which includes “Stardust,” “The Nearness of You,” and “Georgia on My Mind.”
“The most beautiful damn thing I think I’ve ever heard in my life.”— Boston Globe on Kat Edmonson
“A pianist whose plaintive playing was to cry for” — Ebony on Matt Ray
“Classic, well-oiled swing” — New York Times on Matt Ray
“Wizardly song arrangements” — Time Out NY on Matt Ray