Performer/Composer/Arranger/Lyricist
PRESS : REVIEW & QUOTES
“The warmth and life in Kaylé Brecher's voice stands out - a talented and fearless vocalist”
“Kaylé Brecher is a singer of considerable gifts that might easily span a very broad spectrum of music –perhaps even classical arias – should she choose to venture that far. Her vocal range is quite amazing, and she can swoop down to a smoky contralto and soar into the upper reaches of the soprano register…she works the narrative and the poetry of each set of lyrics with an inspired magic.”
"Her haunting voice produces goose bumps - elegant and heady vocals"
"Kaylé Brecher's singing has a contemporary soul that satisfies the music connoisseur. Her arrangements and compositions are loaded with passion and clarity."
"The elastic-voiced adventurist is quite compelling to listen to and follow, rarely making safe or predictable choices in her performance or song-crafting. Vibrant and soothing, she could be a nominee for Jazz Earth Mother."
"Vocalist and arranger Kayle’ Brecher makes music like a stroll through a modern art museum. This collection of eleven tunes (Bredux), some standards, some originals are like a kaleidoscope of sounds and moods, each uniquely created, fitting into the whole of the album like a colored tile in a mosaic. She mixes and matches musicians like characters in an Agatha Christie mystery…"
"Kaylé Brecher's songs possess universal appeal. They are both a reflection of the times and the way she feels about them. Her talent as both a singer and a songwriter comes through in a unique voice.."
"Kaylé Brecher could be described as eclectic, but that would gloss over the truth of her artistry, which should absolutely be deemed pioneering."
"Kaylé Brecher: Spirals and Lines - 4.5/5 Stars"
"Deliciously diverse jazz vocals Kayle Brecher – KAYLEIDOSCOPE: I’ve been following Kayle’s amazing albums for a long time now, most recently her “This Is Life” release, which got a “PICK” from me… what Kayle brings to the jazz vocal arena is a sense of fresh and different."
"Jazz vocalist Kaylé Brecher is among the most unique singers I’ve ever listened to..... I give Kaylé and all her players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating"
"Brecher’s composing and arranging vision is all-encompassing, deeply involving each accompanist. She uses unique chord progressions and modal writing infused with harmonic pull and improvisational passages. Rhythmically she changes it up quite often, employing swing, straight-ahead, and Latin beats. What sets her apart from other vocalists is not just her remarkable, articulate singing but how she places these vocals in the complete context of the piece. This is highly recommended."
"Part spicy, part sublime, and part exotic sounding…Breezy and suave, Brecher’s vocals brandish an attractive touch of insouciance."
"She has well-honed skills of invention and innovation that can take the hoariest chestnut and make it feel freshly roasted---and keep you from tuning out. A vet singer you want to check out as opposed to check out on, Brecher has the skills to make everything her own, even when adding to well established works by well-established jazzbos. Offbeat but never off putting, these are real skills to pay real bills."
".... she makes the songs her own, and there’s a stunning logic behind her choices."
"Brecher brings a wealth of talent and experience here, where minimal songs resonate just as well as fuller ones in her rhythmic and harmonic execution that we could never tire of."
KAYLE BRECHER/Spirals and Lines:
"Kaylé Brecher, though evidently knowledgeable about vocal jazz traditions, is far from your “traditional” jazz singer: her versatility of range, note choices & articulation of the melody is adventurous & runs comparison to groundbreaking vocalists such as Rene Marie and Helen Merrill.
Brecher has a vocal style hard to categorize, so if you are expecting Diana Krall, look elsewhere, as she is a musician's vocalist - able to interpret arrangements with an instrumental like quality and tone, her voice truly is a part of the instrumentation of each tune. Her choice of instrumentation is just as unique as the vocalist herself -- not your typical vocal jazz CD and Brecher is not your pretty little jazz singer nicely knit into a sweet package, she has bite, message and grit...Brecher stands on her own merit."
"A versatile set of pipes that can run the jazz table from Sheila Jordan and Sarah Vaughn to Morgana King and Ella Fitzgerald. From smooth as silk to that raw edge, Brecher has a vocal style hard to pin down and in an overly crowded field of female vocalists that can work well in her favor …
A serious jazz triple threat with mad skills and the ability to take her creative energy anywhere she wants to go. The real deal."
KAYLE BRECHER/Spirals and Lines:
"Sheila Jordan's name often comes up as a comparative reference point for those who are unfamiliar with the work of vocalist/composer/arranger Kayle Brecher; this link is an audibly obvious one on Spirals And Lines, but the connection goes deeper than sound. Jordan's uncompromising and creative voice, even more so than her literal voice, helped to put her on a pedestal in the eyes of the jazz vocal community, and Brecher taps into this spirit in her work….
Many a surprise surfaces on Spirals And Lines, as Brecher builds an eclectic program that's as American as apple pie, yet far left of the norm…. Brecher's skills are many and varied, but her greatest strength may be her ability to balance the offbeat with the accessible. She never completely goes full tilt in one direction or the other. Instead, she finds herself—and defines herself— by living in the zone between both worlds; as an artist, that's a great place to build a home."
"(Kaylé Brecher's) scat improvisations are evocative of Sheila Jordan and, to a degree, Janet Lawson. She manipulates syllables for rhythmic impetus, although she doesn’t include the exaggerated enunciation that was the trademark of Lawson or, more recently, Fay Victor. Still, her textual messaging, at least on Spirals and Lines, is every bit as evident as Victor’s socio-political writing."
play_circle_filledRead Ratzo Harris' whole review on his Music Blog
"I just experienced a very, very good and interesting CD called 'Spirals and Lines' by vocalist Kaylé Brecher. She performs with a brass group for which she did all the arrangements. The CD consists of originals, a couple of rarely-performed "standards" and many surprises. Check it out!"
"Kaylé has found her core on this recording (Spirals and Lines).
Not the instrumentation (which is truly fantastic) -
not the quality of recording (which is ultimately impeccable) -
not the vocals and the lyrics (which are in a class of their own) -
but in the furtherance and strength of the core and heart of our art.
Thank you Kaylé.
This is quite a journey into the effort and reality of jazz."
KAYLE BRECHER/Spirals and Lines:
A well pedigreed jazz vocalist/arranger promises that this won’t be the usual jazz vocal album, and she delivers on the promise. Running her own show, she’s free to color within and without the lines at will. Opening up with some crime jazz filtered through Nawlins, she proceeds to mix Dylan with Harburg with Robinson with originals with 1800s antiwar songs---yep, it’s different, but not just for the sake of different. With a distinctly New York sounding big band in tow, this is the free 60s brought into the 10s with a load of hippie cross cultural pollination sprinkled over everything. A little Carla Bley meets the Saturday Night Live Band is the underpinning that makes this set fire on all of its cylinders.
Wild stuff that takes you far away from the usual jazz diva fare.
KAYLE BRECHER/Spirals and Lines:
Kaylé Brecher is truly a dual force as performer and songwriter who continually reshapes the public perception of jazz and American music. Spirals and Lines is another bright, bold journey down Ms. Brecher’s refreshing creative path.
KAYLE BRECHER/Spirals and Lines:
She (Brecher) arranged all of the pieces on the album (Spirals and Lines), and her brilliant transformation of Bob Dylan’s folk anthem, “Paths of Victory” into a swinging New Orleans march for voice, sousaphone and drums is one of the album’s highlights. Yip Harburg’s Depression-era standard “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” is set for the same trio, and Brecher’s reading reveals a deep understanding of the song’s harmony. The longest cut is Charles Mingus’ “Noddin’ Ya Head Blues” (aka “White Collar Blues”, here outfitted with lyrics by former JHO contributor Ellen Johnson). Brecher’s chart was designed as a tribute to the original instrumental version, and her scat solo—more than the instrumental solos that surround it— hints at a more sophisticated chord structure than is played by the rhythm section.
Brecher also wrote three originals for the album, including the title track, “Will of the Wind” and “So It Goes”. Each of these pieces features her original lyrics (reprinted in the album liners) and prickly wide-ranging melodies sung by Brecher with uncanny accuracy.
"The remarkable Kaylé Brecher ranks among Philadelphia’s finest jazz singers; nay, among the best the East has to offer. Over the past decade she has distinguished herself as a fearless interpreter of song, a subtle stylist with an instrumentalist’s creativity."
"Kaylé Brecher is a marvelous singer with a distinctive approach and unique gift for composition."
"...(Spirals and Lines) a deep and serious and yet buoyant recording."
"Adventurous music ... not the usual fare ... very creative ... resulted in enthusiastic feedback from listeners."
“an artist who possesses not only a solid musical foundation, but a powerful & unique voice"
"So many different styles throughout the CD and so many of them filmic and image provoking like Cool and Spy Music. I particularly enjoyed This can't be love ...every bit the Jazz Standard and beautifully delivered. "
"Among contemporary vocalists, Kaylé Brecher ranks in the top echelon... she sees her vocals in a complete context - sees them better than almost all vocalists, past and present."
"I love Kaylé Brecher’s CD (Spy Music). To me it’s like a breath of fresh air. Kaylé has a wonderful dramatic voice. The backup groups are tops. I particularly like the cuts with the talented pianist David Dzubinski. This is a CD I will revisit frequently."
"I love recordings which start in a way which grabs your attention. This is certainly one of them (Spy Music): the jerky sax quartet intro ahead of Kaylé's vocal is unique! The voice is great, and I appreciated the different styles in the various tracks. The inlay card is true in its comment about Kaylé "diving deep into the soul of each composition”. This (Spy Music) is a recording to be listened to intently, not for background music. Well done!"
"...an imaginative, mainstream improviser with a supple voice that suggests the pairing of Sheila Jordan and Sarah Vaughan."
“..the vivacious Ms. Brecher injects bold new spirit into familiar material and conjures up exciting, original surprises. She is a master at finding hidden potential in songs.... “
"Like great jazz vocalists Betty Carter and the late great Billie Holiday, Brecher is a thoroughly engaging presence. Even when she reins things in, she is able to build momentum with her humor, wit and grace...a gifted writer and arranger, Brecher keeps the songs moving without losing the interesting improvisational turns."
"A very powerful voice!"
"Kaylé is a stylist in every sense of the word, giving each selection a deeply personal rendering."
"Sweet... Sassy... Intelligent"
"She adds much warmth by giving lyrics a sensitive, sensuous interpretation.
Her scat not only utilizes upper and lower ranges, but spreads tonal color across a broad palette of sound."
"a beautiful CD ('Spy Music') - a beautiful singer."
" ('Spy Music') knocked me out... fabulous!"
