Karen De Vries was born in 1961 in Amsterdam, and completed her musical studies in 1995, graduating from the famed Conservatory in Hilversum. On this, - her first solo - CD, she has included seven jazz classics, the choice for which makes immediately clear that Karen has no intention of taking the‘easy route’. Famous but musically complex and challenging numbers such as ‘Invitation’ (Webster & Kaper),‘Lush Life’ (Billy Strayhorn).‘Make Me Rainbows’ (A.M. Bergmann & Johnny Williams), and ‘Moody’s Mood ’(James Moody) are performed with a beautiful contained expressivity and power. In addition to ‘One More for the Road' (Alan Mercer), 'Joey’(Frank Loesser), and ‘That’s All' (Alan Brandt & Bob Hayes), the CD is enriched with four of Karen’s own compositions: the swinging ‘Dear John’, the mysterious ballad titled ‘In Fall’, a quieter more subdued ‘Smile’. In the last of her own numbers on this CD, the urban blues composition ‘The Man I Can’t Get Through’ one can discern the influence of Tom Waits, a performer Karen much admires.

Her voice could be described as a sweet confluence of jazzy and poppy aspects, going much beyond and containing more than simply the training she received under the tutelage of such famous singers as Lydia van Dam and Deborah Brown.

Her personal musical taste is diverse and includes Shirley Horn, Diana Reeves, Carmen McRae and even the popstar Sting. She is beautifully accompanied on this CD by Ed Boekee on piano, Johan Plomp on bass, Joost Kesselaar on drums and Loet van der Lee on trumpet.

Tom Kellerhuis