Well, Alright! Live!

Nancy Kelly Well, Alright! with special guest Houston Person (who appears courtesy of High Note Records) I will say without the slightest degree of hesitation, that Miss Kelly is one of the best female jazz singers that I have ever heard, bar none....

I repeat, bar none... -- John Gilbert, EjazzNews.com Nancy Kelly continues to dazzle audiences with her take-no-prisoners, back-to-the-roots swinging style. In a market place where wispy voices and shallow emotions abound, Ms. Kelly is a breath of fresh air...or should we say, smoky air! She takes us back to the time when jazz - and that includes vocal jazz -- was an authentic expression of real emotion. In Well, Alright, her second outing with High Note Recording Artist tenor saxophonist Houston Person, Nancy shows off her blues and soul chops (she's already proved she can swing!). This collection of old and new (from the 60's rather that the 30's) standards was recorded over a weekend in November 2008 at Bake's Place, a Seattle area jazz club, and has all the excitement and warmth inherent in a live performance. As I sat in the audience at Bake's for this recording session seeing Nancy Kelly in person for the first time, I was curious about what this singer had to offer. After her first notes hit me, I smiled, settled back, relaxed and let myself be transported into a genuine, top notch, musical experience. For two hours I soared with her, cried with her, laughed with her, scatted with her, agonized with her, and fell hook, line and sinker for her voice and her interpretation of so many great songs. She's both old school and new. She's experienced, yet her delivery and ideas are fresh. She can take a song and turn it up or down, and leave you believing that it was meant to be exactly that way. It takes great jazz chops to do that, and Kelly's are superb. - from liner notes, Dick Bogle, Jazz Programmer/Writer.