Alison Margaret Jazz Quartet

....such a seamless quality between registers, really tasteful use of vibrato, lots of timbres, great scatting. Ms. Margaret is a real artist and will be successful at whatever she does!

Madison jazz singer Alison Margaret and her quartet take jazz and folk standards on lighthearted yet complex little adventures. Margaret's lithe delivery and clear vocal tone belie the band's curious spirit, which relies on Geoff Brady's sneaky flexibility on the vibraphone and bassist John Christensen and drummer Michael Brenneis' liberating swing. The overall mood on the quartet's latest album, Shades Of Morning, doesn't veer off into anything too experimental or abstract, but tries to take the spirit of tunes like "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" and "Flower Is A Lovesome Thing" head-on while leaving room for improvisatory rhythmic interplay and plenty of free-form melodic scatting from Margaret.

Her heartbreakingly beautiful voice will both stun you and wash your cares away at the same time. She's also a wonderful band leader and her shows are utterly captivating."

Thanks for bringing your CD to Shakti Books! It's incredible! I'm blown away by the spirituals,the duet with the bassist, and the scatting on "While We're Young". This is quickly becoming one of my favorite jazz discs.

...Ms. Margaret essays the entire tune with only Eric Hochberg's dancing acoustic bass for accompaniment. Her interaction with Hochberg is light and free and very much a mutual conversation. Margaret shows her mettle by following up with some impressionistic scatting that allows the tune to deliquesce very naturally.

Come Sunday is well worth buying…the musicianship and songwriting is stellar all around. Alison’s voice is vibrant, polished, and expressive. The originals are appealing, especially “Lonely Shadows” which won first place in the jazz division of the 2007 Midwest Song Contest. And the musicians on the recording include some of Chicago’s best. Pianist Lawrence Hobgood deserves special mention. I heard him with Kurt Elling last January at the Overture and he is a monster! Especially memorable was a lengthy unaccompanied solo in which he played melodies in both hands simultaneously to weave jazz and classical motifs into a mesmerizing whole. Anyone who can get Lawrence Hobgood to play on her CD must be special.

The Alison Margaret Jazz Quartet - Crisp, clear, confident jazz vocals backed by a very hip 60’s vibe (literally…a vibraphone), bass and drums. Alison has assembled some of Madison’s best players to interpret her fresh originals and jazz classics..

Madison jazz singer Alison Margaret and her quartet take jazz and folk standards on lighthearted yet complex little adventures. Margaret's lithe delivery and clear vocal tone belie the band's curious spirit, which relies on Geoff Brady's sneaky flexibility on the vibraphone, bassist John Christensen, and drummer Michael Brenneis' liberating swing.

Margaret's honey-smooth voice sweetens up almost any style of music, from jazz standards to funky blues numbers.