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Biography
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Performance/
Venue Highlights
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CDs
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Commentary
With a lively, exuberant and sparkling
personality, Kathy Lyon projects warmth
and joy in every performance. She brings
with her a wealth of professional experience along with a dedication to the music.
She has earned the respect of a wide
group of top musicians with whom she has toured and performed, and always
surprises and delights her audiences with her personal interpretations of the
songs in her repertoire. Whether a classic tune from “The Great American
Songbook”, a unique take on a blues or rock standard, or one of her original
compositions, Kathy Lyon delivers the goods…
from Ralston, Nebraska, Kathy grew up in a large musical family, and was influenced
Obyriginally
a variety of music as a young girl. Especially important was listening to her father’s piano
renditions of Count Basie and Pine Top Smith, and exploring his collection of 78’s. She harmonized
with her four sisters on traditional Czech and American folk songs, musical classics, and spirituals.
After moving to the Washington, D.C. area in the late 70’s, Kathy met Tom Lyon, her future husband,
and they started performing as a duo in area clubs. “Two’s Company” and later the “Kat Lyon Band”
toured extensively during
the early 1980’s. They
performed at ski resorts
and small clubs around the
U.S., traveling in their red
VW bus. They also were
invited to perform in seven
overseas tours for the
U.S. Dept. of Defense,
traveling worldwide entertaining U.S. military and
diplomatic personnel.
In 1986, the couple’s
daughter Michelle was
born, followed by their
son Gregory in 1988.
Taking a few years off
from professional
performance, Kathy and
Tom produced several
showcase performances
in Northern Virginia,
including a sold-out
concert at the Barns of
Wolf Trap. In the early 1990’s, Kathy joined the six-piece
ensemble “Overjoy” as lead vocalist, partnering with bassist
Harold Becton and other top D.C. area musicians for over 10 years.
(continues on next page)
(continued)
In the mid-90’s, Kathy studied Jazz
Vocal Performance with the Elliston
Music Studios, and became involved
with the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship
Fund and FMJS’s East Coast Jazz
Festival. She performed at the Festival
many times, in her own showcase
concerts, as well as featured vocalist
with the Ricky Loza Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Toured with the Ricky Loza Jazz Festival
to El Salvador and Guatemala in July
2002, and the tribute tour in July 2003
after Ricky Loza’s untimely passing.
In December 2002, Kathy released her
debut CD, “Kathy Lyon Live at the
TomKat Nite Club”. She continued to
appear at numerous Washington DC
venues with many of the DC area’s top
musicians.
Her second CD, “Here’s To Life/Live at
the East Coast Jazz Festival”, was
released in May, 2006. Recorded live at
what turned out to be the last FMJS
Festival (due to the loss of founder
Ronnie Wells), the CD and DVD capture
all the excitement and passion of a
Kathy Lyon performance.
In May, 2005, Kathy and her family
relocated to Navarre, Florida, and
she became involved in the Jazz
Society of Pensacola. She appeared
onstage at the 2007 Pensacola JazzFest,
as well as other Jazz Society events,
and is currently in high demand among
the Emerald Coast’s top jazz venues.
In addition to regularly returning to the
Washington DC area for engagements,
Kathy completed a tour to New Mexico
in 2007 to perform in several area
showcases. Her plans include adding
more regional jazz festivals and
first-class jazz venues to her
performing schedule.
A
vailable for festivals club dates,
private parties and events.
Kathy has the experience and the contacts to put
together the perfect combination of musicians for
each perfomance. Whether working with only a
pianist or guitarist, or adding bass, drums, sax, even
a big band, Kathy can deliver the “whole package”,
working with all types of budgets.
For out-of-town engagements, Kathy has an extensive “book” of charts and arrangements that make it
easy for her to jump right in with local musicians.
Phone: 850-936-5634
Email: [email protected]
VENUES:
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS:
“Thursday Nights In the Park”, featured artist
Blazzues Jazz and Blue Club, Pensacola FL
July 2009 and 2008, Navarre FL
RagTyme Grill, Pensacola FL
Jambalaya’s Grill and Oyster Bar, Gulf Breeze FL
“Jazz Gumbo”, Jazz Society of Pensacola event
B-Sharp’s Jazz Café, Tallahassee, FL
July 2009, June 2008 and May 2006, Pensacola FL
Will Call, Pensacola FL
“Summer Serenade” performance,
Perdido Beach Resort, Orange Beach, AL
St. Christopher’s, July 2009 and 2008, Pensacola FL
Seagar’s in the Sandestin HIlton, Destin, FL
Sandestin Wine and Jazz Festival,
The Big City American Bistro, Ft. Walton Beach, FL
April 2008, Sandestin, FL
Shaker’s Martini Bar, Hollywood Casino, Bay St. Louis, MS
“JazzFest Goes On”, “Diva Extravaganza”
The Olive Drop Martini Bar, Pensacola Beach, FL
with Joe Occippinti Big Band,
Watercolor Resort, Grayton Beach, FL
Jazz Society of Pensacola event
Lucy’s Mexican Restaurant, Ruidoso, NM
Feb. and 2009 and 2008, Pensacola FL
Dreamcatcher’s, Ruidoso, NM
FMJS Quarterly concert, Sabang Restaurant,
Blues Alley, Washington DC
Sept. 2007, Silver Spring, MD
The Islander, Washington DC
“JazzFest Goes On”, Jazz Society of Pensacola
Opus 88, Tysons Corner, VA
Aug. 2007, Pensacola FL
Teatro Goldoni, Washington DC
“Summer Serenade” performance, St. Christopher’s,
…and more
July 2007, Pensacola FL
Sandestin Wine and Jazz Festival,
April 2007, Sandestin, FL
Pensacola JazzFest, with Roger Villines group,
Mar. 2007, Pensacola FL
“Jingle Jazz”, Dec. 2008, 2007, 2006, Pensacola FL
YMCA Fundraising Gala, with La Leyenda Latin
Orchestra, Nov. 2006, Reston VA
“Jazz at Sabang” Series, FMJS event,
Sept. 2006, Silver Spring MD
FMJS East Coast Jazz Festival, Silver Spring MD
Every February from 1996 thru 2006,
YMCA Fundraising Gala,
Nov. 2005, and Nov. 2004, Reston VA
“A with amazing versatility…
drop-dead gorgeous voice,
delivers a tender ballad, a powerful
blues growl, or a straight-ahead
jazz scat with equal authority.”
“A great singer, yeah…but her
energy and presence takes it
to a whole other level…”
LIVE AT THE
TOMKAT NITE CLUB
Kathy Lyon (vocals),
Dan LaMaestra (piano),
Harold Becton (bass),
Howard Riley, Jr. (alto sax/soprano sax),
Myles Overton (drums),
Dan Swanson (guitar)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
How Dare You (Basia Trzetrzelewska/Danny White) 4:10
Perfidia (Alberto Dominguez/ Milton Leeds) 4:42
Our Love Is Here To Stay (George/Ira Gershwin) 5:11
Close Your Eyes (Bernice Petkere) 3:22
The Best Is Yet To Come (Cy Coleman/ Carolyn Leigh)
3:08
(I Wonder) Where Our Love Has Gone (Buddy Johnson)
4:30
Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) (Bart Howard)
5:04
Mas Que Nada (Jorge Ben) 2:20
The Nearness Of You (Hoagy Carmichael/
Ned Washington) 6:46
When I Fall In Love (Victor Young/ Edward Heyman) 5:27
This Masquerade (Leon Russell) 7:11
Teach Me Tonight (Sammy Cahn/Gene DePaul) 5:59
Night and Day (Cole Porter) 4:19
A Song For You (Leon Russell) 4:50
Recorded live in front of a studio audience at
“The TomKat Nite Club”, on October 27, 2002
Engineer: Pete Penebre
Mixed and Mastered at: Burning Barn Sound + Music,
Washington, DC, www.burningbarn.com
Mixed by: Pete Penebre, Kathy Lyon, Tom Lyon,
Harold Becton
Photography: Helmuth Humphrey
Art Direction and Design: Paul Gormont, Apertures, inc
HERE’S TO LIFE
Live at the East Coast Jazz Festival
Kathy Lyon (vocals)
Dan Lamaestra (piano)
Bill Mulligan (saxophones/flute)
Aaron Clay (bass)
Myles Overton (drums)
1. Almost Like Being In Love (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe)
3:05
2. Blue Skies (Irving Berlin) 4:07
3. My Foolish Heart (Victor Young, Ned Washington) 4:42
4. Hit The Road To Dreamland (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
4:02
5. He’s Not There (Rod Argent) 4:54
6. Still Got The Blues (Gary Moore) 5:44
7. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (Harry Woods) 4:59
8. The Look Of Love (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) 5:10
9. Alright, Ok, You Win (Wyche, Watts) 4:11
10. Here’s To Life (Phyllis Molinary, Artie Butler) 5:45
11. Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke) 6:02
12. Moondance (Van Morrison) 13:15
Recorded Live at the 15th Annual FMJS East Coast Jazz Festival,
Rockville, Maryland, February 17, 2006
Arrangements: Dan Lamaestra and Kathy Lyon
Executive Producer: Kathy Lyon
Audio and Video Recorded, Edited, Mixed and Mastered by
Jeff Gruber at Blue House Productions, Silver Spring, MD
www.bluehouseproductions.com
Photography: Diane Daly,
www.headfirstphotos.com
Art Direction and Design: Kathy Lyon
ALSO AVAILABLE
ON DVD
is a musician’s jazz singer, something
“K athyI noticed
from our very first gig. She has a
rapport with the musicians, treats them with
respect, chooses great tunes, knows them well, sings
in tune, knows how to phrase, communicates the
essence of the tune and, most importantly… SWINGS.
Can’t think of much more needed to vocally soar…and
soar she does”
Bob Maksymkow, Woodwinds/
Jazz Educator (Pensacola, FL)
“Kathy has the ability to connect with the
audience from the first couple of notes. She has all the
desirable attributes—complete musicality, gorgeous
delivery, accurate intonation, skilled improvisation and
is a delight to work with. What more could one ask?
She has performed for Pensacola JazzFest and is
regularly brought back for Jazz Society of Pensacola
programs.”
F. Norman Vickers,
Volunteer Executive Director, Emeritus
Jazz Society of Pensacola, Inc.
“Kathy Lyon is an incredible interpreter of
songs, making each one come alive. She
makes every lyric & melody her own—while
making it the listeners own, as well. Blessed
with a remarkable musical mind enabling her
to communicate with remarkable depth and
sincerity, she is a vocal talent with the ability
and experience to DRIVE things home.
She’s a model of taste and feeling. Her
approach is clearly about musicality.
Kathy is simply a class act and definitely
VERY top crust.”
Larry Wojcik, drummer (Pensacola, FL)
“It’s a pleasure playing with Kathy Lyon, she engages
the audience and brings the revelry of the room up a
few notches.I look forward to having her come return
to the mountains and sing. People are asking for her
and she always puts her heart into her performances.”
Rich Chorné, guitarist (Ruidoso, NM)
“Kathy Lyon has a boundless energy that brings
everyone—the musicians playing with her and the
audience—along for the ride. As a pianist, it’s great to
play behind a voice that utilizes so many colors.
As a musician, it’s encouraging to know the music is
performed with such thought and taste. As a jazz fan,
Kathy is just plain fun to listen to and experience.”
Eric Byrd, Pianist, Educator (Washington DC)
“The next rising Jazz vocal artist on the
horizon. Her interpretations are energetic,
refreshing and enthusiastic. Kathy’s
performances make you pat your foot,
clap your hands, swing back and forth,
and put a smile on your face. Enjoyable
is the magic word. At the end of her show,
you leave musically fulfilled.”
(the late) Ronnie Wells, Jazz vocalist, Educator,
President and Founder of FMJS, presenter of
the Annual FMJS East Coast Jazz Festival
(Washington DC)
“Kathy Lyon is a great, great vocalist who has devoted
herself to a passionate and life long study of jazz
singing. She knows the repertoire and styles from
every decade, and she is as comfortable singing a
low-down blues from the ‘20’s as she is singing the
latest smooth jazz hit to come off of the radio. For a
musical director, she’s the girl who can do it all, and
for an accompanist, her sense of tone and time make
her a dream to work with. Take it from me, you can’t
do better than Kathy....”
David Shelander, pianist (Orange Beach, AL)
“Kathy Lyon is the quintessential
‘natural’ musician. One of the rare vocalists who can
delight both her audience and the musicians performing with her at the same time. That’s truly rare.”
Larry Brown, pianist (Washington DC)
“Kathy Lyon exudes a warm familiarity with the art of
performing that is always inclusive of her band, and of
the audience. Her voice is a dynamic instrument,
capable of bluesy swagger one moment, and reflective poignancy the next. She understands how
to strike that delicate balance between
giving the audience what they might expect
from her, and introducing them to fresh ideas,
with a style that helps the unfamiliar seem very
close to home…working with Kathy is easy, as
she is always one to accentuate the positive in
anything she does. ”
Dan LaMaestra, pianist and arranger,
U.S. Navy Commodores jazz big band
(Washington DC)
“What is clear is that Kathy’s refusal to be categorized
has led to splendid pioneering collaborations that
has helped to expand and blur the boundaries of
rhythm & blues, dance, pop and jazz. Continuing to
pay homage to her predecessors, her life is her voice.
You feel for her when you hear her. Kathy evokes
awestruck wonder from fans and the unquestioned
respect from peers.”
Myles Overton, drummer, member of the
U.S. Army Band (Washington DC)
“As a singer, Kathy Lyon always delivers …
pleasing, and powerful on stage. She sings
with beautiful tone and perfect intonation. The
calling of any good singer is to truly interpret
and tell the story of a song…Kathy hears and
follows the calling. As a musician who has
worked with Kathy for many years and as a
fan of her singing, to simply put it, I love to
hear her sing.”
Harold Becton, bassist (Washington DC)
CD REVIEWS
“Vocalist Kathy Lyon’s new release provided the
listener with a musical around-the-world experience.
The selections include many jazz vocal standards, of
various tempos and rhythms, all of which are most
enjoyable. The changing tempos on ‘Our Love Is Here
To Stay’ are especially indicative of the capabilities of
each of the musicians on the CD. The ballads are the
most enjoyable to me with my personal favorites being
“The Nearness of You” and “A Song For You”… each
of the selections performed fits easily into the Guy’s
Groove mix!”
Guy Middleton, Radio Programmer (host of
“Guy’s Groove”, WPFW (Washington DC)
“I’m happy to say that your album has been very well
received by the listeners. By phone, as usual, they
selected their favorite tracks: ‘How Dare You’ (one of
my 3 favorite tracks; Mr. Riley is a genius!), ‘Our Love
Is Here To Stay’ (again, the solo of Mr. Riley is an
astonishment! ), ‘Fly Me To The Moon’, ‘Mas Que
Nada’ (of course!), ‘When I Fall In Love’ (swing &
swing & swing; Mr. LaMaestra is a master)…your CD
is a utter joy. You infuse each interpretation with your
unmistakable style. You are a singer with an impressive voice. In short: a truly gifted jazz (and bossa nova,
too) singer. Your album is highly recommended.
Last but not least: your ‘guys’ are great! You
are backed by musicians of the highest caliber.
I really enjoyed their performances.
A Brazilian hug from your fan! (Um abraço brasileiro
de seu fã)”
João da Penha,
Journalist, Radio Programmer
(Host of “Jazz & Bossa Nova”, FM-106),
Teresópolis - RJ, Brasil