Discovering the jazz architecture hiding inside a 90s rock song is my favorite kind of treasure hunt, and "That Song" by Big Wreck was a goldmine. Released by the Canadian band in 1998, it's got everything I chase in a cover: a driving, almost manic electric guitar hook I could hear crying out for an acoustic reckoning, and lyrics steeped in the unrequited longing that keeps finding its way into everything I record. We stripped the song down and let it ache instead of roar. Then, John Daversa's trumpet showed up and pulled it somewhere even more crunchy... past typical jazz-pop and into something with real dissonant yumminess. My Canadian roots are showing here too, just filtered through more angst and more wistfulness. This one's for anyone who's connected a lover to a particular song, and felt the sting every time you heard it.
“Her vocals are impressive throughout with a ‘less-is-more’ approach…her soft delivery makes the tale of lost love resonate even more deeply.”
— DownBeat Magazine
Kari's Third Studio Album, Especially at Night
Available now on 180g Audiophile vinyl and cd
What happens when the songs you already love are reimagined after dark? ‘Especially at Night’ answers this question in eight unique chapters. Vocalist Kari Kirkland and Arranger Shelly Berg turn the contemporary Pop landscape inside out, revealing the Jazz architecture hiding beneath its surface. These aren't just covers, they're conversations: melodies you recognize, reshaped by world-class musicians into something intimate and alive with one-take spontaneity. Recorded at the legendary Village Studios in Santa Monica, the album carries the warmth of a room where icons have made magic for decades.
The ensemble reads like a Jazz dream session: Shelly Berg (piano, organ), Peter Erskine (drums), Anthony Wilson (guitar), Kevin Axt (bass), Brian Kilgore (percussion), Dean Parks (guitar), John Daversa (trumpet), Carlitos del Puerto (bass), and Ken Peplowski (clarinet), each one a storyteller in their own right, unified around Kirkland's unmistakably honest voice.
Featured Single
“With a voice that’s easy on the ears and heavy on the heart, this singer follows her emotional compass… using an artful blend of confidence and confidential expression.” - Dan Bilawsky
“As your ears attune to the pin drop purity and transcendent exquisiteness of Kari Kirkland’s soulful yet ethereal vocals on her lush, deeply intimate debut album Wild is the Wind, you may find yourself connecting so intensely to her breathy emotional invitations that you’ll wonder why this is the first time you’re hearing from her.” - Jonathan Widran
“Kirkland has a seductive voice that blends in smoothly with arrangements that add some contemporary jazz stylings. I first heard Wild is the Wind on vinyl, and it may be the best-sounding new platter I’ve come across this year.” - Jeff Wilson
Streaming
