Grace Kelly know how to throw a party. Join her at Joe’s Pub on April 18th. I promise you a great time.
Grace Kelly has an electric charisma on-stage that instantly ignites the room,” says, band leader Jon Batiste. Saxophonist, singer, and composer Grace Kelly plays with the heart and passion of an old soul yet with the genre-bending zest and energy of a 25 year old. Having been a regular on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s band, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Grace Kelly’s 10th CD Trying To Figure It Out, was voted #2 Jazz Album of The Year in 2016 Downbeat Magazine Readers Poll.
She wrote her first song at 7 years old, recorded her first CD at 12, orchestrated and performed her original composition with the Boston Pops Orchestra at 14, and performed at President Obama’s Inauguration at 16. As a bandleader Grace has performed over 800 concerts in over 30 countries in notable venues as the Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Hall and festivals such as Montreal, Newport, and Montreux. Grace has performed and/or recorded with Harry Connick Jr, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Steve Martin, Tina Fey, Martin Short, Maya Rudolph, Emma Stone, Lin Manuel, Questlove, Esperanza Spalding, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Ron Carter, David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Huey Lewis and Gloria Estefan to name a few.
With the upcoming recording of a new live-in-the-studio set, the rule-breaking jazz musician Grace Kelly is preparing to cross yet another line. A portion of the album will be previewed with the streaming of a Facebook Live session on Sunday March 18th at 3 PM EST. to a worldwide audience Kelly hopes will include everyone from her own contemporaries – millennials – to open-minded veteran music lovers.
Kelly is no stranger to finding innovative ways of getting her music out to larger audiences. Via Facebook, Instagram, and her Youtube channel, she has released more than 50 “PopUp” videos that feature her playing in non-standard live settings – including locations as unexpected as a gondola in Venice, in the water in Labadee, Haiti, and in New York’s Times Square, the latter in a spirited duet with Leo P. “I have had so much fun doing those, I wanted to find other ways to present my music so it feels like an experiential thing for everybody,” Kelly said, citing the new project as an example.
Kelly, a multiple award winner as an alto sax player, winner of the 64thAnnual 2016 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll as “Rising Star Alto Saxophone”, voted #4 Alto saxophonist in 2016 Downbeat Magazine Readers Poll, “Jazz Artist of the Year” 2016 Boston Music Awards, “Alto Saxophonist of the Year” by NYC Jazz Fans Decision 2016, has also drawn recognition as a singer and songwriter, having placed second in the 2017 International Songwriting Competition (Adult Contemporary category). Her live performances also continue to draw rave reviews and expand her fan base.
Grace was also stoked to be invited to join badass 10 piece house band for NBC’s new weekly variety show “Maya & Marty” starring Maya Rudolf & Martin Short produced by Lorne Michaels. She has been featured on Amazon’s Emmy-nominated TV show “Bosch”, CNN.com, Glamour Magazine’s Top Ten College Women 2011, Forbes, Billboard, Huffington Post, and many appearances on NPR. Grace has won multiple ASCAP Composer Awards, Boston Music Awards, and International Songwriting Awards. www.gracekellymusic.com
