Vallejo Jazz Society Makes Empress Theatre New Home with Jazz Singer Frankye Kelly
When jazz vocalist Frankye Kelly performs, she always brings enjoyment, warmth and smiles to her growing national and international audience. And, she’s bringing her velvety voice to the Empress Theatre on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 5pm for the Vallejo Jazz Society’s Inaugural concert on the historic Empress Theatre stage.
One of the San Francisco Bay area's top jazz vocalists, Frankye Kelly puts a lot of honest feeling into her singing. It was obvious from an early age that Frankye Kelly would be a singer. Living in Jackson, Mississippi for a few years with her grandparents, she remembers performing in a play when she was just three. Since her father was in the Air Force, her childhood was spent living in many different locations including California, Minnesota, Germany and Delaware and back to California. She heard the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan along the way as well as Fats Domino and Little Richard. She experienced most of her early singing in church choirs and a capella groups. ...
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Vallejo Jazz Society Makes Empress Theatre New Home with Jazz Singer Frankye Kelly
When jazz vocalist Frankye Kelly performs, she always brings enjoyment, warmth and smiles to her growing national and international audience. And, she’s bringing her velvety voice to the Empress Theatre on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 5pm for the Vallejo Jazz Society’s Inaugural concert on the historic Empress Theatre stage.
One of the San Francisco Bay area's top jazz vocalists, Frankye Kelly puts a lot of honest feeling into her singing. It was obvious from an early age that Frankye Kelly would be a singer. Living in Jackson, Mississippi for a few years with her grandparents, she remembers performing in a play when she was just three. Since her father was in the Air Force, her childhood was spent living in many different locations including California, Minnesota, Germany and Delaware and back to California. She heard the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan along the way as well as Fats Domino and Little Richard. She experienced most of her early singing in church choirs and a capella groups.
Frankye married at an early age, moved to Detroit and became a professional singer. She mostly sang R&B during this period and had a local hit with her recording of Johnnie Mae Matthews' "I Have No Choice". She did backup singing for Marlena Shaw and for Roslyn Ashford formerly of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. She led her own group, Flyght, which matched her voice with that of four male singers. But then she chose to drop out of music for a time to raise her family.
After moving to San Francisco, in the 1980s, she gradually returned to singing, but this time performing jazz. Frankye received important guidance from her cousin, the late great blues master Albert Collins. At a family reunion, we talked about me wanting to sing jazz. The main thing that Albert told me is that it is up to me to please and reach my audience, and he told me to always sing what I feel.
Since 1989, Frankye has pursued her dream of being a jazz singer. I was greatly influenced by Miles Davis and the way that he played and phrased. He would take his time, not rushing into it, always with a lot of feeling."
Frankye Kelly has performed in national and international venues including the Netherlands, France, Mexico, Japan, China and Thailand where she did a command performance for her majesty the Queen of Thailand.
Thus far Frankye has recorded four CDs. The Night is Young was recorded at Kimball's West and showed those at the time who were unfamiliar with her just how talented a jazz singer she is, serving as a strong introduction. My Life, More Than It Is: Not Just the Blues is an appealing mixture of pop, blues, R&B and jazz, displaying a great deal of variety but staying consistently rewarding. Her CD, Live at Yoshi's, Frankye Kelly Sings Songs for My Father, was recorded on several occasions at Yoshi's Jazz House, and is a collection of some of her favorite jazz songs. It is dedicated to her father who was at all of the sessions and has since passed away. Her most recent recording is A Tribute to Shirley Horn.
“Frankye Kelly has discovered the essence of Jazz: finding a tune and making it your own. Whether it's blues, Latin, or a standard, the gracious,affable Kelly wraps her velvety voice around a melody the way you wrap aluminum foil around a baked potato-tightly and neatly.” – Elizabeth Goodwin – “Jazz Now” - The World Jazz Magazine,
“Ms. Frankye Kelly, a jazz vocalist, craves new interpretations of standards every night at the Townhouse, making her somewhat of a standard herself. Her pianist, Mark Little, says she's following in the tradition of Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.” – The Oakland Tribune – Thursday Best
Being a Buddhist, she has high aspirations for the future. "I want to continue to sing and teach and work for world peace through music.
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Frankye’s jazz quartet will be Glen Pearson/keys, Ranzell Merritt/drums, Firtz Burden, bass and Michel O’Neill, saxophone.
Previous concerts included Yancie Taylor, Denise Perrier, Larry Vuckovich, Paul Hanson, Pamela Rose, Carlitos Medrano, Le Jazz Hot, Calvin Keys and Women in Jazz with Mad Duran, Elizabeth Goodfellow, Tammy Hall and Ruth Davies.
Tickets for the concert are $15 ($7.50 for VJS members) and may be purchased at the door or online at www.vallejojazzsociety.com. Refreshments will be available for purchase.
About the Vallejo Jazz Society:
A not-for-profit organization formed in September of 2010, the Vallejo Jazz Society’s mission is to heighten awareness of jazz in Vallejo and nearby communities by sponsoring concerts throughout the year at various local venues. The organization also provides jazz-related educational resources such as concerts and clinics to local schools and youth organizations.
Vallejo Jazz Society presents
Frankye Kelly
Sunday, January 19, 2014 - 5pm
Empress Theatre
330 Virginia Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
General Admission $15($7.50 for VJS members)
Up to two children 18 and under are admitted free with a paying adult
Buy tickets at the door or online at VallejoJazzSociety.com
707.533.4593 or [email protected] for information
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