Circular Records | Joni Kean (Jazz)Joni Kean (Jazz)

jonikeen
Established talent in Glasgow’s Jazz scene, Joni Keen first came to light in the Glasgow Jazz Festiva (2000) and since then has been going from strength to strength. Jazz singer from Scotland Joni is one of the leading
and most professional Jazz vocalists in Scotland.

Joni’s new album “Fragile” which includes songs from Gershwin to Tom Waits is out now on Skylark Records.

What makes a good jazz singer? What makes any singer a good singer or any musician a good musician? It’s not just technique, dynamics, phrasing, range; all of which Joni Keen has in abundance; it’s the ability to drive all the horses at once and to set a course for the heart. That’s what all great music is about, touching the heart, allowing us to experience theÂ common-personal emotions: love and longing, joy and sorrow, pain and healing.

I’ve known Joni since she wanted to be a jazz singer, through to now when she is a jazz singer. What a fantastic voyage it’s been!
‘Musicality’ is hard to define and even harder to acquire, but from the first track of this little outing in the idiom, that’s the word
that comes to mind. And not least because of the choice of a group of musical talents that have the range and the chops to really drive
this well away from the cliches and affectations of the ‘jazz and jewellery’ stylists.

There’s an emotional maturity about Joni’s performances here, a kind of sensitivity that can’t be faked, it distinguishes her as a significant new interpreter not just of the standards but of a repertoire that is thoroughly satisfying in its breadth and originality. Much more than just a jazz calling card, here is a view from the plateau,
and what a view!

David Sillars
From Be-Bop to Hip Hop – BBC Radio Scotland

“The best ballad singer I’ve heard in decades”
Mark Murphy (Legendary Jazz Vocalist)

Check the Gig guide for theatre and arts centre performances

“The best ballad singer I’ve heard in decades”
Mark Murphy (Legendary Jazz Vocalist)