LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Motema Music) - Award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist KJ Denhert - known for her lusty fusion of jazz, funk, R&B, neo-soul and folk - will tour this spring and summer, beginning with dates in her hometown, New York City. The itinerary kicks off with a May 3 show at storied prohibition-era Greenwich Village venue 55 Bar, where Denhert has held a regular slot every other Saturday night (when she's not on the road), for a decade. Also in NYC, she'll play the New Song Festival at Bryant Park on May 14 and 55 Bar again on the 17th before heading to the West Coast for two weeks of club and festival dates. Northern and Southern California highlights include Yoshi's in San Francisco (5/27), Temple Bar in
Santa Monica (6/3) and the Sonoma County's Harmony Festival in
Santa Rosa (6/6-7).
In addition to U.S. dates - which also include engagements in Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York state - the Grenadian-American Denhert will be an artist-in-residence at the world renowned Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy for an unprecedented fifth consecutive year, July 11-20. She and her longtime band, the NY Unit - also featuring ace saxophonist Aaron Heick - will play two shows daily.
Denhert's live performances are always cause for celebration, because her earthy and spirited personality, laced with her signature sense of humor, are as much a part of the occasion as her genre-transcending music. Famed radio personality and smoothjazz.com founder Sandy Shore recently wrote, "You'll be hard pressed to find a talent as cool and unique as one Miss KJ Denhert. We're rather reluctant to label this artist, however. Even she is challenged when describing her music ... This vocalist offers up robust, soulful, pop jazz that truly provides an enrapturing listening experience. Warm, rich and vibrant are words that I'd feel comfortable using rather than forcing a fit into a specific music genre."
Those qualities shine on her new album LUCKY 7, slated for release May 27. An enhanced CD featuring twelve songs plus videos of KJ and the NY Unit, the disc is her Motema Music debut, in association with her own Mother Cyclone Records imprint. KJ also produced the album - appropriately, her seventh - and enlisted keyboardist Bennett Paster to co-produce several tracks (they first collaborated at Umbria Jazz 2006). LUCKY 7 was recorded and mixed by engineer/producer Ben Wisch (Marc Cohn, Diana Krall, Patty Larkin, etc.), and highlights include: the title track, "Little Problems," the heartbreaker "He's Not Coming Home," the three-part "What's My Name" and KJ's unaccompanied performance of "Sad Song." The album's one cover, an intimate take on "Over The Rainbow," is a fan favorite at shows.
Performing Songwriter has written that, "KJ Denhert is so full of a love for life that you hear it in her voice, her lyrics and the exuberant beats of her songs." Hear her in concert to fully experience it.
For more information, log on to https://www.kjdenhert.com or https://www.motema.com
5-03-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
5-14-2008 The New Song Festival at Bryant Park (5PM slot) New York, NY
5-17-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
5-24-2008 Sonoma Jazz Plus (2PM slot) Sonoma, CA
5-25-2008 Monterey Live Monterey, CA
5-27-2008 Virgin Mega Store Union Square San Francisco, CA
5-27-2008 Yoshi's San Francisco San Francisco, CA
5-31-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
6-02-2008 Kuumbwa Jazz Center Santa Cruz, CA
6-03-2008 Temple Bar Santa Monica, CA
6-04-2008 Anthology San Diego
6-06-2008 Harmony Festival - Sonoma County Fairgrounds Santa Rosa, CA
6-07-2008 Harmony Festival - Sonoma County Fairgrounds Santa Rosa, CA
6-08-2008 Menlo Park Sunset Celebration Menlo Park, CA
6-14-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
6-21-2008 JVC Jazz at Le Poisson Rouge (formerly Village Gate) New York, NY
6-28-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
7-11-2008 through 7-20-2008 (2 shows daily) Umbria Jazz 2008 Perugia, Italy
7-26-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
8-02-2008 Dazzle Jazz Denver, CO
8-04-2008 Belly Up Aspen, CO
8-08-2008 Belleayre Music Festival - Belleayre Mountain Ski Resort Highmount, NY
8-09-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
8-13-2008 Cape Cod Jazz Festival - Wequasset Inn Chatham, MA
8-16-2008 Knowlton Riverfest Delaware, NJ
8-17-2008 River to River Festival - Pier 70 New York, NY
8-19-2008 Cornwall on Hudson Bandstand Concert Cornwall on Hudson, NY
8-23-2008 The 55 Bar New York, NY
