"Kate’s economy of phrase and the ability to give her words a universal resonance conjure comparisons to the work of the songsmiths behind the Great American Songbook."
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8/20/2008 4:36:04 PM - You could call Kate Schutt a musical triathlete. She is a creative triple threat, as a guitarist, producer and singer/songwriter of rare skill and originality. The sports analogy is fitting, given that her teenage prowess as an ice hockey and lacrosse player helped the Pennsylvania born and bred Schutt gain access to the hallowed halls of Harvard. Her other passion, music, then took over. After a rigorous education at the famed Berklee College of Music, Kate’s commitment to music became entrenched.
Schutt relocated to the artistically-stimulating community of Guelph, Ontario in 2004, and this new Canadian has wasted no time in gaining serious peer and critical respect on this side of the border. Her 2007 debut studio recording, No Love Lost, was self-released in Canada in May, and in the U.S. (on the prestigious ArtistShare label) in October. Select tracks have received impressive airplay on jazz, college, and public radio, and reviews on both sides of the border have been unanimously glowing. A popular performer on the U.S. East Coast circuit, her reputation is now spreading on the Canadian club and festival scene.
She cut her chops on earlier live recordings, and now Kate has blossomed on No Love Lost. “This album is a direct response to the challenge from a professor to write more melodically,” she notes. As a lyricist, this former English major takes a prose-style approach. “I write a lot of the back story before I write a song. For a 3 minute song, there may be 30 pages of writing, as I try to find authenticity in someone else’s story.”
Kate’s economy of phrase and the ability to give her words a universal resonance conjure comparisons to the work of the songsmiths behind the Great American Songbook. Listen to a tune like “How Much Love” and “Two Hearts” and you’ll be checking the songwriting credits, expecting to see the name of one of those greats. That is no accident, either, for that treasure trove has served her as a major source of inspiration.
Key musical collaborators on the album are two Newfoundlanders, virtuoso guitarist Duane Andrews and trumpeter Patrick Boyle. After seeing them the two perform in Montreal, Kate lured them to Guelph to work on her record. “When I moved to Canada, I wanted to make an album that sounded like Paris in the ‘30s or ‘40s. Then I heard Duane, and it was like ‘that’s totally it.’” Andrews’ fluent guitar work adds a Django-ish gypsy jazz feel to the album, and it meshes perfectly with Kate’s own compelling fretwork on electric guitar and the 8 string, a guitar/bass hybrid.
Kate Schutt’s musical potential is seemingly unlimited. She is already writing a new record, set for release in August. It is keenly anticipated, but in the meantime, immerse yourself in No Love Lost. You stand to gain a serious new musical love. |
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