Review Text
Chicago native Kimberly Gordon has been a part of the national jazz scene for ten years, playing top venues and receiving high acclaim from critics and musicians. During her four-year stint in New York City, Kimberly's sang at The Village Vanguard and regularly at Smalls and Cleopatra's Needle. She shared the stage with jazz greats including Roy Hargrove, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Betty Carter, Marcus Roberts, Captain Jack McDuff, Von Freeman, and others. San Francisco and the Bay Area jazz fans were dazzled when Kimberly sang at the Club Deluxe and Café du Nord. In her hometown, Kimberly performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1998 and she has performed at numerous clubs including The Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Underground WonderBar, and HotHouse. She currently has standing engagements at The Green Mill on Sundays and Katerina's on Fridays. Whenever the Kimberly Gordon Trio performs, Kimberly literally holds a jazz clinic: she has a unique talent that allows her to sing and tutor her audience simultaneously. She alternates her singing with rich explanations of each song's origin, it's context within a particular film, or it's relevance within jazz history. This disc also features two other talented members of the Kimberly Gordon Trio: Chris Foreman and Joe Policastro. Chris Foreman is a virtuoso keyboard player who has played with Kimberly for over fourteen years. Their long-time professional association allows them to tie the music and lyrics seamlessly together. Chris is better known for his organ playing with the Deep Blue Organ Trio featuring Bobby Broom and Greg Rockingham. The influences of the great jazz organists, as well as church music and jazz pianist Errol Garner, can be heard in his soulful piano playing. Joe Policastro is a double bassist who studied at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and Miami University. After leaving Cincinnati, Joe lived and worked as a jazz performer in Germany. In 2003, he moved to Chicago and joined the Kimberly Gordon Trio. He also leads his own group called Jeru.
