This will be a celebration of true artistry showcasing contemporary music, art, and culture in Fresno! For its inaugural edition, musician/bandleader Eva Scow has chosen to feature the Musical Art Quintet from San Francisco, a chamber-fusion group which blurs the lines between Classical, Latin, and Jazz.  Eva Scow & The Jazz Collective also will be premiering new material, with special guests including vocalist Brooklynn Edwards. The work of photographer Ryan C Jones will be featured, with a reception of hors d’oeuvres provided by Veni Vidi Vici. The purpose of the evening is to bring a new cultural experience to Fresno’s artistic community, in an atmosphere of excitement, spontaneity, and inspiration. Don’t miss this event!

Wow, What a remarkable, non-stop, carefully selected 17-song programme. Just where to begin? Karen’s album has bebop jazz and beautiful standards. During her Spanish singing of “Lagrimas Negras,” you can hear some remarkable mandolin solos by Eva Scow. It’s most endearing, and will remain with me for a long time. The lovely ballad “Daydream” is a delight. There’s Mike Taylor’s exciting guitar solo to look for, but it’s Karen who’s really in charge throughout with her superb vocalizing. Her most imaginative version of “That Old Black Magic” will delightfully stun you. It’s so fresh and absolutely unforgettable. Imagine just what sparkling colours a mandolin solo does here to enhance this version. Another oldie, “All of Me,” has her scat singing with her great bass player Kevin Hill. Together they bring such luscious newness to a most familiar song. On “The Nearness of You,” her guitarist Mike Taylor’s unbelievable assist makes this sweet endearing ballad one of her many highlights. What a high note to conclude this amazing CD. It’s certain to appear on my ten best list of the year. -Dan Singer

 Tickets for the Yosemite International Jazz festival, taking place the last weekend in October, are available here: http://www.yijazz.com/artists.php

Karen will perform as the opening act for the opening night of the Festival.

This just in… Karen has been asked to sing at the Montoire Jazzy-Blues Festival, July 6,7, and 8, 2012.

Details will be posted here in time, but for now, check out organizer Luc Bonhomme’s Art Concepts website at http://www.artconcepts.fr/news.html and the festival website at http://www.jazzybluesfestival.com/

Karen is thrilled to have been asked  to perform the opening set at the first-ever Yosemite International Jazz Festival.

Tickets are now on sale for the  3-day event put on by the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce. Several well-known artists will be performing, including Spyro Gyra, Richard Elliot and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

The event will also give amateur musicians the chance to take part in musical workshops and other activities.  Proceeds will go to the building fund for a new Visitors and Performing Arts Center in Oakhurst, California.

“We’re really excited about this jazz festival, which is the first of what will be an annual event. We hope to attract jazz enthusiasts from across the country,” said Kathy McCorry, executive director of the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce.  “We’ve timed it to be an extension of the West Coast Jazz Season allowing time for season followers to visit Yosemite and enjoy the beauty of the Sierras in the fall.

Ticket prices for the Yosemite International Jazz Festival start at just $25 and can be purchased at http://www.yijazz.com/#.

The festival website is currently under construction, so please check back soon for more information.

Karen will be performing ten sets at this year’s Mammoth Lakes Jazz Festival, including nine sets with Espacio, and one special set with pianist Jason Wanner.

This festival in the beautiful Sierras will feature 30 different bands playing at 10 venues over the course of 5 days.  Born in 1989, this festival has an average attendance of 20,000 spectators.  The co-directors, Ken and Flossie Coulter, search out the best bands they can find.  In the early years, the festival featured primarily trad jazz, but Ken and Flossie have expanded the festival to now include a full variety of jazz.

For information and tickets, visit:

http://www.mammothjazz.org/index.html

This fun event will include salsa and recipe competitions, solar cooking demonstrations, chile eating contests, locally-grown foods, chile-themed arts and crafts, a variety of ethnic foods representing Fresno’s cultural diversity, and all the delicious picante food your taste buds can endure.

For details about the day’s events, and a full schedule of live music performances, visit this website:

http://www.downtownfresno.org/chile-festival.html

Karen will be performing Saturday, May 14th for this event which will benefit 90.7 KFSR radio station.  Her bandmates will include Tony Quinn, Brian Hamada, David Aus, and Adan Infante.

The evening will feature several bands, all playing classic country tunes.  Tickets are available at www.myticketportal.com.

Click-through to the video section of the site now to view them!