Grace Kelly Jazz Prodigy Turned Eclectic Performer

Old Saybrook, CT – The Kate hosts the accomplished former prodigy, Grace Kelly, on Friday October 4, 2019. Tix to Grace Kelly at The Kate Oct. 4 Ms. Kelly is best known as a saxophone player yet the creative approach to her work will be the cornerstone of her legacy. Grace penned her earliest tunes at about seven years of age. Fred Taylor, the jazz impresario that lured Miles Davis out of early retirement became Grace’s mentor when she was a young teen. Steady support from Taylor’s network and her parents nurtured Kelly’s innate skills to the point where she has racked up a resume befitting an icon near retirement except, she’s only twenty-six years old.

The music industry characterizes Grace as a jazz artist but she’s a musician. Having met Grace at Tanglewood at the tender age of twelve, I witnessed her playing on jazz, blues and rock shows. Former Muddy Waters harp player, James Cotton loved Grace. New England blues rock stalwart, James Montgomery placed Huey Lewis and Ms. Kelly on the same bill which resulted in Grace collaborating with Huey’s long-time producer. Jazz saxophone legend, Phil Woods generously shared his time and talent with Grace over the years including on stage at Newport. Newport Jazz Festival producer, George Wein, became enamored with Grace and she routinely appears at Newport, the most prestigious bill in jazz.

Grace maintains a solid foundation in jazz witnessed by her stage time with the like of Esperanza Spalding, Harry Connick Jr, Wynton Marsalis and Dave Brubeck. The latest accolade bestowed upon Grace was for her original tune, “Feels like Home”. The city of New York and the John Lennon Songwriting board presented the Lennon Award to Grace in high fashion. More on Grace & the John Lennon Award “Feels like Home” (Feels...Music Video) features Grace’s vocals on what one might call a rootsy pop tune. Grace serves up a cool show on select dates this year with a thirty-piece orchestra where the band recreates the music from various video games…it’s a millennial thing and its brilliant!

During our interview Grace said, “The show at The Kate will have lot of cuts from my new album ‘Go Time Live In LA’ including Re-imagined Gracified covers along with original music”. She went on to say, “’Go Time’ is a mix of jazz, groove, contemporary elements”. The upcoming project will be released as a video album that features an amazing tap dancer Sarah Reich! The purchase of “Go Time” entitles the fan to all sorts of video content online that was recorded live around LA. Grace explains the concept of this unique manner of distribution here. "Go Time" Preview Video Enjoy this sneak peak of the release at: "Go Time" Sneak Peak Video The show at The Kate will feature an artist in full stride as she declares that she’s come into her own after nearly twenty years of honing her craft. No other twenty-six-year-old artist that I can recollect possesses Grace’s intellect, songwriting ability, mastery on her instrument and vocals coupled with the unbridled creativity of a young person. See you at The Kate!

Mr. Carty produced and hosted blues, jazz and American roots radio shows in Boston and Pittsburgh. He booked legendary acts such as Jay Geils, Big Jack Johnson, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin to name a few. As a concert producer he has worked with members of the Allman Brothers, Guns and Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bad Company, Chuck Berry, Alice Cooper, Kiss and many others. Jim was proudly tapped as the host of the Centennial Celebration of the Blues at Tanglewood. He spent several years as an Old Lyme resident in his youth and he has recently returned home to the Connecticut Shoreline. Contact at: jcbc93@gmail.com