Approaching both jazz standards and the popular music of their youth with “uncommon sincerity and interpretive wisdom, Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz find hidden depths in the Great American Songbook and transform songs we thought we knew into profoundly articulate new works of art.”--Irish Times
Multi-grammy nominee and CJC Associate Professor Kate McGarry (#1 Rising Star Female Jazz Vocalist in DownBeat Magazine Critic Polls) performs with Keith Ganz, also a Grammy nominee and CJC Associate Professor. Be sure to catch this skillfully inventive duo while they're here!
Band Members & Instrumentation
Kate McGarry - voice
Keith Ganz - guitar
Artist Bios
With 7 critically acclaimed albums and 3 GRAMMY nominations, vocalist Kate McGarry is recognized as a jazz artist who brings authenticity and vitality to every song regardless of genre. The Wall St. Journal calls her music, “austere and elegant, an exceptionally appealing blend of folk and jazz." The New York Times pronounced her singing, “astute and sensitive." She has toured and recorded with jazz illuminati Fred Hersch, Kurt Elling, Maria Schneider, John Hollenbeck, Billy Childs, and TONY Award Winner Jason Robert Brown. During her decade in NYC, McGarry served as a Lincoln Center Teaching Artist, U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador, and Jazz Arts faculty member at The Manhattan School of Music. Downbeat's 2016 Critics Poll named McGarry the #1 Rising Star Female Jazz Vocalist. She has been featured on iconic NPR shows such as Jazz Set w/DeeDee Bridgwater, Piano Jazz w/Marion McPartland, All Things Considered, as well as a host
of nationally syndicated radio shows.
Guitarist/arranger/producer Keith Ganz is a 2019 GRAMMY nominee known for his uniquely melodic voice on both electric and acoustic guitars. Lauded as a "sublime master of subtlety" by JazzTimes, Keith has performed extensively with major jazz artists including Harry Connick, Jr., Tierney Sutton, Luciana Souza, Kurt Elling, Gretchen Parlato, Gary Versace, and Jo Lawry. TV appearances include Oprah, Ellen, The LateShow with David Letterman, The View, and Australian Idol.
Kate and Keith have been musical and life partners for 17 years, producing 6 critically acclaimed albums together and earning two GRAMMY nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album. After honing their craft on the NYC jazz scene for many years and a stint out west at the California JazzConservatory, the couple has made their home in Durham, NC.
Their album What to Wear in the Dark features vibrant, jazz- fueled rearrangements of songs by iconic songwriters of the 70's that address the journey of darkness to light we've been traveling as a country and as individuals this year, with performances by jazz greats Ron Miles, Gary Versace, Obed Calvaire, Sean Smith, Clarence Penn, Becca Stevens, Erin Bentlage, Michelle Willis, Christian Euman, and James Shipp.
JAMBAR Presents is a special series of select concerts, workshops and other events sponsored by JAMBAR whose purpose is to support music and active living.