recordings

"Hammett-Vaughan is one of the best jazz singers in Canada, or anywhere for that matter... More than just a standards singer, she can do it all, and she does so with a rare sense of taste, imagination and sincerity." --Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal (more...)

See also: complete discography...


Sanzaru


Imagination: Live at the Cellar


So Lucky To Be Me


Conspiracy


Eclipse


Devil May Care


How My Heart Sings


Poor Boy · Songs of Nick Drake


Sanzaru

Kate Hammett-Vaughan with Bill Coon and Adam Thomas
2012 · KateHV

reviews

Sanzaru will be released very soon.

tracks (click a track to hear a sample)

Coming soon

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · voice
Bill Coon · guitar
Adam Thomas · bass and voice

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Imagination: Live at the Cellar

Kate Hammett-Vaughan and Bill Coon
2008 · KateHV

reviews

Two of Canada's finest jazz artists, vocalist Kate Hammett-Vaughan and guitarist Bill Coon make enchanting music together. Acclaimed for her sophisticated and swinging interpretations of jazz standards, Hammett-Vaughan's free-spirited delivery is perfectly matched by Coon's smooth-as-satin melodic style and irresistible swing. A three-time Juno nominee, Hammett-Vaughan has been acclaimed as “a revelation... a talent that all Canadians should recognize” (Toronto Star) and “the finest jazz vocal artist of her generation” (Chronicle Herald). Simply put, Bill Coon is one of the nation’s great jazz guitarists, a swinging and sensitive accompanist with an arranger’s ear and the whole history of jazz guitar under his fingers.


buy CD: CD Baby, iTunes

tracks (click a track to hear a sample)

  1. I've Never Been In Love Before
  2. Alice In Wonderland
  3. Bill
  4. Bluesette
  5. Weaver Of Dreams
  6. Imagination
  7. You and the Night and the Music
  8. Change Partners
  9. Say It Isn't So
  10. I've Got the World on a String
  11. I Thought About You
  12. Last Night When We Were Young
  13. Comes Love

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · voice
Bill Coon · guitar

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So Lucky To Be Me

Kate Hammett-Vaughan Trio
2007 · KateHV

reviews

“…the finest vocal jazz artist of her generation… She dances the poetic lyrics of these songs over the capricious breezes of melody with the lightest touch on the tiller… Her care shows in the absolute clarity of her delivery of the words, which is all for the good. Every one of the nine songs on So Lucky To Be Me allows the singer to mine the depths of their meaning by way of subtle inflections of tone and timing, two aspects of musical expression at which Hammett-Vaughan excels.” —Stephen Pedersen (more...)

“one of Canada’s top jazz singers… she can improvise with the best… Kate Hammett-Vaughan has a highly expressive and lovely voice, one that is heard at its best throughout this accessible and tasteful set” – Scott Yanow (more...)


buy CD: CD Baby, iTunes

tracks (click a track to hear a sample)

  1. Lucky To Be Me
  2. The Fiddle and the Drum/Woodstock
  3. Cold Cold Heart
  4. Everybody’s Song But My Own
  5. Remind Me
  6. Wait ‘Til You See Him
  7. Love For Sale
  8. Sweet Sucker Dance
  9. Please Be Kind

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · voice
Chris Gestrin · piano
André Lachance · bass

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Conspiracy

Kate Hammett-Vaughan Quintet
2006 · KateHV

reviews

“Kate Hammett-Vaughan demonstrates that improvisation for vocalists need not dwell in the domains of (re)interpretation of jazz standards or copping off pop tunes. (I’ve said it before that in addition to being one of the rare breed of contemporary art song improvisers, Kate Hammett-Vaughan is one of the great contemporary standards singers). The CD grew on me with each listening. Conspiracy, Art Songs for Improvisers, is sterling, a unique example of the high artistic plane a contemporary singer with imagination can reach.” —Laurence Svirchev (more...)


buy CD: CD Baby, iTunes
read more about the Conspiracy project...

tracks (click a track to hear a sample)

  1. It Will Be a Long Night
  2. Conspiracy
  3. Bone Thirst
  4. The Moon on the 13th Day of the Ninth Month
  5. Botanical Garden
  6. AON
  7. Long Enough
  8. Oh Yeah (Go Johnny!)
  9. Moldy Man
  10. Shattered Mind
  11. Tobacco Road
  12. The Moon
  13. Not Much Change

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · voice
Chris Gestrin · piano
Mike Braverman · reeds
Cam Wilson · violin
André Lachance · bass
Tom Foster · drums

^


Eclipse

Kate Hammett-Vaughan Quintet
2004 · Maximum Jazz 14782

reviews

"The excellent Vancouver singer is back with a new disc that maintains her miraculously high standards of interpretation and emotional appeal. This singer is a marvelous storyteller with a bag of vocal tricks big enough to compel constant attention, and the knack of making everything she attempts sound newly minted and admirably assured as her free spirit roams and experiments." —Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star (more...)

"Profoundly musical... Deeper and more diverse than any of her earlier outings, Eclipse is proof that the song in Hammett-Vaughan's heart grows stronger day by day." —Alexander Varty, Georgia Straight (more...)

"Eclipse blazes with extended improvisations and tight ensemble work that give saxophonist Jim Pinchin and pianist Chris Gestrin frontline time to shine beside Hammett-Vaughan's expressive innovations." —Doug Fischer, Ottawa Citizen (more...)


buy CD: CD Baby, iTunes

tracks (click a track to hear a sample)

  1. All or Nothing At All
  2. For The Roses
  3. Eclipse
  4. Falling In Love With Love
  5. Tatamagouche Tango
  6. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
  7. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
  8. This Is New

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · voice
Chris Gestrin · piano
Jim Pinchin · tenor sax
André Lachance · bass
Tom Foster · drums

^


Devil May Care

Kate Hammett-Vaughan Quintet
2002 · Maximum Jazz MAX-1201

reviews

"... whatever Hammett-Vaughan and her quintet chooses to perform, it's done with verve, élan, and a flawless sense of what they are supposed to do with the music." —Dave Nathan, All About Jazz (more...)

"Kate Hammett-Vaughan projects a warm tone, expressive phrasing and improvisational instinct on Devil May Care." —Chris Wong, Vancouver Courier (more...)

"Her singing – increasingly knowing and secure, as the formative influence of Sheila Jordan fades in favour of a style far more personal – is equally hip." —Mark Miller, The Globe and Mail (more...)


buy CD: CD Baby, iTunes

tracks (click a track to hear a sample)

  1. All of You
  2. Prelude To A Kiss
  3. You Know Who
  4. Strange Weather
  5. Poor Boy
  6. Throw It Away
  7. Devil May Care
  8. Weird Nightmare
  9. Show Me
  10. I Remember You

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · vocals
Chris Gestrin · piano
Jim Pinchin · saxophone
André Lachance · bass
Tom Foster · drums

^


How My Heart Sings

Kate Hammett-Vaughan Quintet
1999 · Maximum Jazz MAX-0063

reviews

"Seldom do you hear from a singer such a spontaneous flow of compellingly apt improvised notes and phrases. Hammett-Vaughan binds them to the lyrics so tightly they become a gloss on the song while she sings it, all commentary, emotional side-lighting, illustration of detail – and all by way of a subtle vocabulary which is virtuosic in its eloquence." —Stephen Pedersen, Chronicle Herald (more...)

"For those who are looking for truly different and legitimately innovative expositions of familiar music, this album is for you." —Dave Nathan, All About Jazz (more...)

**** "...a solid addition to any collection." —Tim Perlich, NOW Magazine (more...)

"I would urge true jazz fans to seek out the Hammett-Vaughan disc because it still has a whiff of spontaneity and surprise." Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal (more...)


buy CD: CD Baby, iTunes

tracks (click a track to hear a sample)

  1. The Meaning Of The Blues
  2. Everything I Love
  3. How My Heart Sings
  4. Alone Together
  5. Something To Live For
  6. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
  7. Monk's Dream
  8. On The Street Where You Live
  9. You've Changed
  10. My Heart Belongs To Daddy

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · vocals
Chris Gestrin · piano
Jim Pinchin · saxophone
André Lachance · bass
Tom Foster · drums

^


Poor Boy: Songs of Nick Drake

compilation of various artists
2004 · Songlines SGL SA4202-2

reviews

'I'd buy the album for Kate Hammett-Vaughan's smoldering take on the title track alone. To be fair, "Poor Boy" does feature some piano on Drake's original Bryter Later rendition, and with swooning saxophone it was always one of his jazziest tunes. But Hammett-Vaughan's performance, aided and abetted by pianist Chris Gestrin, guitarist Ron Samworth and bassist Simon Fisk, makes a compelling argument for "Poor Boy" as a should-be jazz standard. Hammett-Vaughan's throaty alto evokes clouds of cigarette smoke and martini shakers. If jazz clubs everywhere start tackling this number, I'll be a very happy camper.' —Mark Hogan (more...)


buy CD: Amazon, CD Universe, iTunes

tracks

  1. Cello Song
  2. Clothes of Sand
  3. One of These Things First
  4. Three Hours
  5. Hanging on a Star
  6. For Nick/Horn/Know
  7. Poor Boy
  8. Fly
  9. Parasite
  10. Road
  11. Things Behind the Sun
  12. River Man
  13. Black Eyed Dog
  14. From the Morning

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan appears with:
Chris Gestrin · piano
Ron Samworth · electric guitar
Simon Fisk · double bass

^


Face The Music

Garbo's Hat
1993 · Word Of Mouth

tracks

This album is available for free download! You can download the individual tracks or get a zip archive of the whole album (62 MB).
encoding: 190 VBR MP3

  1. Let's Face the Music & Dance
  2. It Will Be A Long Night
  3. Pyro Vox Nix
  4. Burglar Bop
  5. New Directions
  6. P.G.
  7. Ossisl's Topic
  8. Ord's Pipe
  9. Departure
  10. Be Bop Tune
  11. Angel Eyes

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · voice
Paul Blaney · bass
Graham Ord · saxophone, flute

^


Hats Alive

Garbo's Hat
1990 · KateHV

tracks

This album is available for free download! You can download the individual tracks or get a zip archive of the whole album (50 MB).
encoding: 190 VBR MP3

  1. Bye Bye Blackbird
  2. Lush Life
  3. Departure
  4. Yesterdays
  5. New Directions
  6. Garbo
  7. Make Someone Happy
  8. Nature Boy
  9. Ord's Pipe
  10. The Oft Repeated Dream

musicians

Kate Hammett-Vaughan · voice
Paul Blaney · bass
Graham Ord · saxophone, flute

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The Shadowgraph Series: Compositions for Creative Orchestra

George Lewis & The NOW Orchestra
2001 · Spool SPL113


buy CD: CD Baby

tracks

  1. Hello/Goodbye
  2. Shadowgraph 1
  3. Shadowgraph 2
  4. Shadowgraph 3
  5. Shadowgraph 5
  6. Smashing Clusters

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WOWOW

The NOW Orchestra
1999 · Spool SPL107


buy CD: CD Baby

tracks

  1. WOWOW
  2. The Yellow Song
  3. The Tyranny of Interest

^