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What people are saying about Leah Kline

LIVE

“An erotic and exciting, diverse and musically refined offering. Juzzflirtin a wonderful concert! read more. “»

Songs with great emotion JuzzFlirtin in Taraxacum, She made the air tremble, …. read more. …. »

Selected quotes

Translated to English where appropriate

“JuzzFlirtin is the exceptionally listenable reult of a rendezvous between vocalist/lyricist Leah Kline and pianist/composer Dirk Balthaus. A meeting that caued musical sparks”.

Her narrating qualitie are impressive and inviting.

“In a subtle manner she understands to seduce the litener, to captivate and naturally claim the attention.”

…the “story telling” is emphasized. Ingenious arrangements, intentionally intense intermezzos and playful solos..

© Frank A. Huser Jazzflits 5-10

“….. Key-words: suspense, refinement and liveliness” …

Ntb Musicworld magazine

She has a supple voice, phrases with ease, and can sing ballads beautifully.

Fred Van Dorn (KRO gids)

Léah is a dynamic singer!

LA Jazz

Léah Kline is marvelously poetic and brazen in the creation of her charming lyrics….. (Léah Kline ist es, die diese wunderbar poetischen und frech daherkommenden Texte zauberte…. )

Andrea Gerstenberger, Dewezet
Full article in English »

Ze heeft een sprankelende, kristalheldere jazz-stem met een uitstekende timing (She has a sparkling, crystal-clear jazz voice with excellent timing.)

R.S. De Telegraaf

Combining a winning personality with vocal ability to match.

Cabaret West

Ik heb zelden iemand meegemaakt die zich zozeer thuisvoelde op het podium (Seldom have I experienced someone who makes herself so completely at home on a stage).

Webmagazine MusicABC.com

She approaches her songs with an obvious confidence, clarity, and very appealing theatricality, apparently arrived at by honing her live performances. She is very adept at interpreting a lyric and evincing the random wry smile.

Barry Nix-(Culture-tech.org)

Robert Veen zelf zorgde met de zangeres Leah Kline voor een sensatie in The Five. Wat een stem en wat een uitstraling heeft deze al vier jaar in Nederland wonende dame.

Haagse Courant

Wij vermoedden reeds met een groot talent te maken te hebben. (We have long suspected Léah Kline to be a great talent).

Gooise Jazz Express (Holland)

This red-headed American’s bearing and body language has something of a young Liza Minnelli in her.

de Telegraaf (Holland)

A fetching young nightingale who is cozy and familiar with songs of all styles.

Phil Margo (The Tokens)

Album Reviews

This Precious Life

The nine songs Kline sings and recites were written with Bassist and composer Cord Heineking. Kline has a deep crystal-clear voice with which she creates supple phrasing and undulating dynamics. In the distance gleams a hint of Gretchen Parlato’s timbre and intonation.. . and just like that American singer, there reigns the impression that sometimes Kline stands apart from the accompaniment. She finds herself in her own world translating it into intense vocal recitation!

Jazz Flits 2015

4 stars! Het Parool Newspaper

The singer’s clear voice and idiosyncratic recitations draw you in by means of the directness of the recording. It’s as if she whispers and caresses your ear, like in the song Words which make the lyrics vivid and personal. Very beautiful. Funny and recognizable is the New Technology Blues where she asks herself how she can survive without new media.

Jazzism Magazine, Angelique van Os

Op This Precious Life poogt Kline de werelden van jazz en yoga samen te laten komen. . . . want de songs zijn een streling voor het oor. En het is precies dat punt om bij stil te staan en je te realiseren dat jazzmuziek. . . een ideaal instrument is om je te ontspannen en daarvoor een flinke dosis energie terug te krijgen. In dat opzicht is Kline,s invalshoek om de connectie tussen jazz en yoga (of meditatie)  . . .   en de kracht daarvan is te onderstrepen,heel interessant. This Precious Life is een heerlijke plaat om je goed bij te voelen.
Tip: beluister deze cd met een koptelefoon en laat je betoveren door de stem van Leah Kline.”

JazzFlits ~ Serge Julien 2015

“Het samenbrengen van teksten met thema,s, zang en orkestratie tot een samenhangend geheel is uitstekend gelukt. Het eindresultaat klinkt in balans, ook zo een Yoga thema, en vraagt daardoor veel van de luisteraar. Je moet er geconcentreerd bij blijven.

Bobs jazz blog ~ Bob van Eekhout 2015

“With the second track came an awareness that it was not so much that the different instruments pulsated in different parts of the body,but that the music touched a different place and different way with each of the songs played,  . . .   with the nourishing sound of Leah’s voice bringing it all together as one pleasing whole”

Britton van Nunen~ Yogi Times 2015

Over Live Savasana Concert

. . Leah,in addition to being a gifted jazz vocalist, is also a passionate yoga practitioner. While busy making the CD, Leah was asked by a friend of hers to listen to some classical music he had been practicing and while doing so laying on the floor she realized the music came to her in a way she had not previously experienced it and that gave her the idea of a Savasana (lay down) Concert. The songs played are available on her CD – This Precious Life.  . . .

Yoga Magazine (NL) 2015

Juzz Flirtin

“Juzz Flirtin is the exceptionally listenable result of a rendezvous between vocalist Leah Kline and pianist/composer Dirk Balthaus. A meeting that caused musical sparks.”

“Her narrating qualities are impressive and inviting. The playing of the band perfectly supports this.”

“Ingenious arrangements, intentionally intense intermezzos and playful solos give the numbers extra cachet and support the lyrics in an all round excellent manner. Kline is a vocalist of scale. She possesses a good diction, a beautiful alto timbre, feel for dynamics and timing plus an excellent technique.”

Frank Huser, Jazzflits 2007

“Fortunately they’ve found a sound that’s considerable more raw than most of the jazz/pop fusion attempts of the last years. He who expects cozy, pop tinted, by the fire jazz will come away unsatisfied. The solid rhythm section …”

Gerben van Nazareth, Musicmaker 2007

“We hear a strong formation, which breaks down itself in all fields of jazz and funk. Lightly and dexterously they accompany singer Leah Kline who knows how to flirt with her performance. Her sharp and sometimes provoking intonation is a delight for the ear. In a subtle manner she understands to seduce the listener, to captivate and naturally claim the attention.”

NTB Muziekwereld 2007

Playground

“With all of the jazz singers out and about today, Leah Kline is certainly one worthy of notice. Kline negotiates large mouthfuls of lyrics with insouciant aplomb and hipness. Kline’s musical personality shines brightly …. an exciting stage presence … when she performs live.”

Craig W. Hurst – All about jazz.com

“The word that immediately came to my mind, when I listened to the new CD from Léah Kline is TASTE… She is a real chameleon as a singer, feels at ease and sounds beautifully clear in all the songs she’s recorded. I think that Léah is a very special singer and a great contribution to the Dutch and the international music scene.”

Frits Landesbergen (Baileo Records, Holland)

“… she has let herself be known as a very versatile singer and entertainer who knows how to set not only a surefire swing number in motion, but also fascinating story-telling songs.”

Henk de Boer (Jazz Express)

“Ms. Kline is a very intelligent singer in her choice of material, the notes she hits and the way she balances interpretations of lyrics with scatting. She sings in tune and her high notes are a joy to hear… For a singer to record a medley of “Tenderly” and “Midnight Sun” while only backed by a bassist shows either foolhardiness or a justifiable confidence in one’s own singing. Fortunately the latter is true in this case.”

Scott Yanow (LA Jazz Scene & All Music Guide)

Triple Treat

The great tenor-saxophonist Scott Hamilton, whose arrival on the scene in the mid-1970s launched the comeback of small-group swing, has recorded scores of albums in his career. However until Triple Treat, he had never been on a recording date where he was one of just two instrumentalists and part of a trio with a singer.

 

When one thinks of a piano trio, an ensemble consisting of piano, tenor and voice does not immediately come to mind, but this concept works extremely well with these three artists. Francesca Tandoi is perfect for the piano slot. She was born in Rome, is based in the Netherlands, and has performed all over the world. Her swinging solos and superior skills as an accompanist are very much in evidence throughout this intimate set. Léah Kline, an American who moved to the Netherlands in 2000, is a versatile singer with a beautiful voice. She has excelled in settings ranging from swing to cabaret, from straight-ahead jazz and musicals to her own original material.

 

TRIPLE TREAT came together through its producer Jerry Steyger, the manager of Scott Hamilton who came up with the inspired idea of teaming together the three artists. After the singer and the pianist picked a particularly inspired repertoire, the trio had a single rehearsal and recorded the entire CD in one day in the studio. The spontaneous results are filled with magical moments.

 

It is obvious from the first chorus of “Easy To Love,” that this is not merely a “singer with band” recording but very much a musical democracy with close interplay between the three artists. Leah Kline is flawless in her treatment of Kurt Elling’s vocalese lyrics on “He’s Funny That Way,” taking a hornlike solo while Scott Hamilton “sings” the melody on his tenor. The music is both intimate and swinging on Blossom Dearie’s always-delightful “Little Jazz Bird,”  “Blame It On My Youth” (which has Leah taking the verse unaccompanied) and “Early Autumn.”

 

Francesca’s arrangement of “Four Brothers” is quite exciting and highlighted by a hair-raising tradeoff at its climax. “Star Eyes” is taken as a jazz waltz. Charlie Haden’s haunting “First Song” (his finest composition) has some beautiful wordless singing. An uptempo “Get Out Of Town” and Léah’s slow and thoughtful ballad “Light At Heart” precede a surprise, a version of “But Not For Me” that has both Francesca (in her only vocal of the set) and Léah uplifting the Gershwin song with their singing.

 

The unique trio of Scott Hamilton, Léah Kline and Francesca Tandoi prove to be a very complete group filled with musical bravery and talent, giving listeners a true Triple Treat.

 

~Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian

and the author of 11 books including Swing, The Jazz Singers,Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76