Album Notes

Kathy Kelly has been playing the vibraphone professionally since 1979 when she made her debut performing in Chicago area jazz clubs.

A Different Vibe is Kelly's new CD featuring twelve original jazz compositions. Featured along with Kelly on the CD are guitarist John McLean, bassist Dan DeLorenzo, and drummer Jim Widlowski.

A recent review in Cadence Magazine says of Kelly, "she stretches out with a fluid improvisational style that combines coolness with intricate details." Jazzreview.com praises the CD saying, "This is a spunky, lively, feel-good collection of original songs...A Different Vibe is a winner, excellent."
Kelly uses her original jazz compositions to showcase the vibes and lend the group a distinctive sound. Influences from Thelonious Monk, Eddie Harris, Gary Burton and world music (African, Brazilian, Latin) can be heard in her varied compositions. Kelly's tunes have a strong tie with musical tradition; listeners often comment that the tunes "sound familiar" on the first listening.

Besides performing with her group vibrafon, Kelly performs with Tudo de Bom, Steve Hashimoto's jazz group Mothra, and vocalist Hinda Hoffman. She also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland with the Chicago State University Jazz Ensemble, and has twice entertained audiences at the Chicago Jazz Festival with her quartet. Kelly is also the founder and artistic director of the Chicago Jazz Composers Collective.