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Most Loved Tracks2 users
Hilary Kole - It's Love2 users
Hilary Kole - Blackberry Winter2 users
Hilary Kole - Better Than Anything1 users
Hilary Kole - Every Time We Say Goodbye (With ...1 users
Hilary Kole - The Snake
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Long a beloved staple on the NYC jazz scene and world-renowned as a multi-faceted concert hall and symphony performer, Hilary Kole has emerged triumphantly from a difficult three-year legal struggle to put out a recording – and found her true musical heart in the process. On her new independent full-length album, the acclaimed vocalist and musician paints A Self-Portrait with illuminating stylistic brushstrokes and an expansive repertoire that takes her far beyond her storied roots as a purveyor of the Great American Songbook. Back, better than ever and baring her jazz and pop soul like never before, Hilary celebrates life free of limitations and full of optimism.
HILARY KOLE A Self-Portrait
HILARY KOLE A Self-Portrait
So personal and intimate that it could only be a self-produced project, A Self-Portrait – recorded and co-produced by famed engineer Jim Czak at legendary Nola Studios, where Hilary recorded her first demo at 14 – features the singer working with her longtime bandmates Paul Gill (bass), John Hart (guitar) and drummer Aaron Kimmel, along with pianists Tedd Firth, John DiMartino, and cellist Agnas Nagy. Together they uncover new emotional dimensions in tunes that she sees as personal snapshots of her life that also communicate deeper universal truths. Having always felt more connected to the sound of her live performances than to her previous studio recordings, Hilary took an organic approach to recording in line with the way she sings when an audience is present. Her interpretation extends to her own masterful arrangements of 11 of the songs. Credited also as arrangers are Firth (“Lemon Twist”), Rich DeRosa (“The Man I Love,” and co-arranged with Kole “Some Other Time”), and Misha Piatigorsky (“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”)
Those who don’t know the backstory that Hilary brings into A Self-Portrait will still experience an artist who makes fresh, freewheeling choices and whose artistry is constantly evolving and dedicated to, as she says, “opening up the vault a little.” On this collection, that translates to a spirited variety of Songbook classics and obscurities, a batch of hits from the 60s and 70s pop landscape and the glorious mid-90s inspirational gem from Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, “God Give Me Strength.” All of these are Hilary favorites that she has worked into her recent repertoire. Collectively, they parallel her personal arc these past few years from frustration and despair to determination and hope.
Songbook choices include the opening track “While We’re Young,” “When The World Was Young” (featuring English lyrics by Johnny Mercer and whose Blossom Dearie interpretation especially inspired Hilary), Cole Porter’s “It’s Alright With Me,” “I Remember You” (lyrics also by Mercer, previously recorded by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Diana Krall), the cabaret classic “Come a Little Closer,” Bobby Troup’s clever swing tune “Lemon Twist,” the Gershwins’ “The Man I Love” and the lush, melancholy closer “Some Other Time” from Leonard Bernstein’s musical On The Town. The 60s and 70s gems include Stevie Nicks’ Fleetwood Mac ballad “Landslide,” a crafty take on Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” (including unexpected high-register wordless vocal runs), an understated journey down Joni Mitchell’s “River” and a heartrending take on The Beatles’ “And I Love Her.”
As the title of the generous 14-track collection implies, Hilary brings a truly inspiring personal and professional background to A Self-Portrait. The New York native, who studied composition at Manhattan School of Music, started her professional singing career at the legendary Rainbow Room.
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