Rachael Price Brings New Voice To Jazz!

Whats a 20-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee doing singing jazz? Its a good question, but one that Rachael Price finds easy to answer. I appreciate all kinds of music, but jazz hit an inner chord with me at the age of five. I heard Ella Fitzgeralds rendition of The Lady is a Tramp. I didnt understand the lyrics, but I liked the feeling it gave me. Price has dedicated her life to her love. She is a jazz studies major at the New England Conservatory in Massachusetts. Prior to attending the Conservatory, it was like getting the gist a foreign language, but not understanding every word, Price said. Now I know what each word means and those special nuances. In fact, Massachusetts has played an ever-increasing role for the young singer. Cambridge-born, multi-Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon gave an educational clinic at Montreux Jazz Festival; Rachael Price was invited along with others to sing, where she captivated the audience and came to the attention of Freelons long-time manager, Ed Keane. Now under the tutelage of Dominique Eade at the Conservatory, Rachael is focusing on repertoire, improvisation and style, among other things. And Price is proving that something special in her voice and style is bridging the worlds inhabited by these illustrious contemporary vocalists and those of lore and history; noted actress/singer Kathryn Grayson of MGM fame says of Price: ” The best young voice I’ve heard, period. No one around can even touch her voice and style — a style all her own .” In 2003, Price was tapped by the Grammy Foundation as a vocalist with the High School Grammy Jazz Choir, and she was a semi-finalist at the Montreux International Jazz Vocal Competition in France. In 2004, Price wowed the audience (and was the youngest competitor) at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition (the last vocal competition brought Jane Monheit to prominence and Terry Thornton to resurgence). And August 2004 brought her professional U.S. jazz festival debut at Yales Jazz On The Green, opening for Joshua Redman (another Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition alum)! In 2005 came another milestone: the renowned Shubert Organization held a Gala to honor Robert Goulet. Goulet accepted, yet informed them he would have to leave early and could not perform as he was in rehearsal for his return to Broadway in La Cage Aux Folles. But when he heard Price sing in his honor, he joined her onstage and, together, they brought the house down. Rachaels quick grasp of the subtleties of jazz has led to an independent debut CD entitled Dedicated To You. It is a compendium of jazz standards. Pop the disc into tray and youre transported to a bygone era when girl jazz singers such as Doris Day or Anita ODay dominated the airwaves. Bad Habit is an upbeat swing arrangement that Rachael says is about teenage angst. The next cut is a mid-range song, You Took Advantage of Me, which speaks to ambivalent love. Ill String Along With You sounds like Rachael is singing to a special someone. Next up is the bouncy/scat piece People Will Say Were In Love. Tea for Two is a paean to Doris Day and that cheek-tocheek ballroom dancing with the best beau. Price delivers the next cut, The Folks Who Live on the Hill, with musical assurance and credibility. Well paced is the best way to describe the quirky lyrics and music of Everything I Got. Rachael kicks it down a notch when her voice caresses A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. Finally, Just Friends, Out of Nowhere, Whisper Not and Dedicated to You are a good mix and round out the rising stars debut album quite nicely. Her voice is rich and accomplished, and it goes without saying that Rachael has more to give. And this is not surprising, because all of the Prices, who moved to the U.S. from Sydney, Australia, when Rachael was three, are talented. Elizabeth Price, Rachaels mom, works for the Grand Ole Opry; sisters Juliette and Emily are singer/actresses in musical theater; and Rachaels older brother, Joel, is a DJ and is studying music engineering. Bad Habit, the opening track on the album, was composed by her dad, Tom Price. Rachael states Jazz is sincere. It is real. You can conveytell a story with your voice. Rachael Price is already telling her story. For more information, visit her website at http://rachaelpricesings.com .