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Reviews for Evolution

Nancy Ann Lee, Jazz Times
"Rarely does a female jazz vocalist emerge who exhibits the assurance, skill, creativity and expressiveness to cast her into the spotlight with singers Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae or Betty Carter. Kitty Margolis, with her rich contralto, perfect pitch, facile phrasing, and strong sense of swing, matches these masters. Live At the Jazz Workshop, her 1989 debut album for her own label, Mad-Kat, was universally praised. On Evolution, the second release for the San Francisco-based singer's own label, she fiercely attacks a wide choice of material, from bebop to blues to Brazilian to ballads. Creating punchy horn-like lines, bending notes, smearing or splitting tones, and superbly (yet sparingly) scatting, Margolis leads you blindfolded through an exciting jazz labyrinth she creates with her Bay area sidemen. So impressive are her vocals that you might initially fail to notice special guest, tenor saxman Joe Henderson, artistically weaving his lines throughout hers on five tunes. This is an exhilarating album."

William Grim, All About Jazz.com
"This is an amazing album. There are few jazz singers with the range of expression of Kitty Margolis, a singer equally at home in bop, blues and ballads. Possessed of unerring pitch and flawless enunciation, Margolis can also scat with the best of them. Indeed, her versatility brings to mind Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae. In this album we hear Kitty Margolis in almost every style imaginable."
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Phil Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner
"Kitty Margolis', new recording, "Evolution" (Mad-Kat CD) is the best vocal jazz disc in years. Margolis (along with Bud Spangler, Monty Montuori and Gary Mankin) spent a year producing "Evolution" and it shows. Margolis is a jazz singer because she immerses her voice, her soul, in her instrumental group. She's not singing in front of the band, she's part of it-and they respond in kind."
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Dan Ouelette, CD Review
"Jazz vocalist Kitty Margolis' second album is a carefully conceived and well-executed collection of songs that not only showcase her captivating and stylistically versatile voice but also demonstrate her impeccable taste in securing top-notch accompanists. To join her superb trio (pianist Dick Hindman, drummer Gaylord Burch, and bassist Seward McCain) Margolis has invited tenor sax king Joe Henderson, blues guitarist Joe Louis Walker, and cooljazz guitarist Joyce Cooling-wise choices, as each guest offers Margolis opportunities to explore a wide range of jazz terrain."
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Sam Ng, Big O Magazine, Singapore
"The world is in need of more Kitty Margolis'. Besides being an outstanding vocalist, she is a fine lyricist and arranger. Not only can she get luminaries like Joe Henderson to play in her set, she can coax a stellar showing from him. By anyone's standards, Evolution is going to be one of 1994's happenings.

This is not some haphazardly assembled record meant to feed the current market craving for jazzy vocals. Necessary "evils" like "I'm Old Fashioned" and "You Don't know What Love Is" are included. But when relatively obscure pieces such as Ivan Lins' beautiful title track as well as "Tristeza de Amar" are unearthed, one begins to suspect the depth of the singers passion for the genre.

Ms. Margolis' bio mentions that she is a Harvard alum. Well, check out her lyrics on "Ancient Footprints" and "Firm Roots" to get a feel of her cerebral inklings. The former is hits that Wayne Shorter power track in its Adam's apple. And if you're not the type to succumb to any vocalist, Evolution is important in its inclusion of five top notch performances by the great Joe Henderson, whose biting solos are on a par with those on his own albums. For those still (im possibly) unconvinced, let this be said. You will miss out on the great sound fidelity, the marvelously swinging band and some fine guitar work from Joyce Cooling. A thoroughly inspiring release."