Singing Jazz with a twist of painterly expressionism and rhythmical guttural sweat, Kat Walker throws her inner-self on a blank canvas for the audience to feel and taste. Her improvisational scat singing is meaty, raw, and juicy.
Its as though Kat Walker takes each song on a journey, marching to an expressive rhythm of her own, while always coming back to pay homage to the melodies of the great American songwriters of our time.
To say Kat has had a diverse life would be a major understatement. To say she is well-rounded, adventurous and fearless truly describes this very talented vocalist and visual artist. Her diversity in life permeates in her music.
As a youngster, Kat had countless piano lessons creating the beginnings of her exploration in music. As a young woman she was the first woman golfer to compete on the men's team while she was a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point among the third class of women. Maybe that is why she has such a scratchy voice (from being barked orders at and learning to bark orders herself). Kat has a BA in Theater Arts with a minor in dance from PLU in Tacoma, Washington in addition, she completed two extra semesters as a Music Major at Los Angeles City College.
Kat has performed lead roles in many musical theater shows including, Velma Kelly in the play "Chicago," Sylvia in "Two Gentlemen of Verona," Chava in "Fiddler on The Roof," Mazzeppa in "Gypsy," and Daily News in the Chad Henry, AM Collins World Premier musical "Do It for the Money" at Pioneer Square Theater. Also, Kat and a fellow songwriter in Seattle created a Cabaret show, called the Cabaradio Hour, a funny, slice of theater with original skits and music. While in Seattle, she took 3 summers of Olympia Summer Dance Intensive and studied piano with Joni Metcalf and took voice from Maestro David Kyle (who also coached the lead singer Of Queensryche Geoff Tate), Kat had the fortunate opportunity to see two amazing performers whose talent made an indelible impression on the way she perceived vocal music, a double bill at the Seattle Folk Life Festival, Ella Fitzgerald and Bobby McFerrin! The seed was planted!
While in Los Angeles, Kat, still using her theatrical style, fronted a performance art rock band, using skits and props and original songs, and called it Kat & The Rhythm Rats her group opened for Chuck E. Weiss at the Central (now the Viper Room) on Sunset Blvd. and they played venues such as Cafe Largo and the famous Whiskey A Go-Go), she also sang some blues at (venues like Mama Pajama's and Molly Malones.)
Meanwhile as she was completing her semesters as a music major Kat met a man who would later become her husband, the late (sadly died of cancer in 2001) great playwright and visual artist Peter Walker (a Cooper Union Grad, he had many one man shows in New York, and all over US including notable Terry Dintenfass Gallery, has work in permanent museum collections including, Butler Institute of American Art) Kat performed in and wrote much of the music for this Neo-Vaude ville Musical "Big Bad Bubba's Bourbon Street Bar" in West Los Angeles created by Peter. She and Peter had two children together. She apprenticed for 8 years under Peter doing much of his under painting.
Peter was a major influence for Kat’s endeavors into the art world. Kat's fine art ranges from painting, to assemblage, to papier mache sculptures. Kat's artwork can be seen in exhibitions around New Orleans. Kat is enjoying a solo exhibition at La Divina Gelateria, and artwork hanging at Oak Street Café and First Cup Cafe. One of her paintings was selected to be in “Femme Fest” a group show at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation in March/April of 2009. She does many commissioned pieces for private clients. Kat is a Jackson Square artist and can sometimes be found there painting and displaying her work. She owns her own company called Local Color Design which books specialty artistic entertainment for events (Peter and she cofounded)! Kat is among the top caricature artists in New Orleans and she has enjoyed drawing many conventioneers from all over the world since 1996.
The Jazz Skat Gumbo CD cover caricatures were drawn by Kat. She beautifully intertwined herself, the band members and their instruments to create this unique CD cover, further showing the many facets of Kat’s talents and creativity along with her signature voice.
Kat found her way back to that young woman who was influenced by Ella Fitzgerald and Bobby McFerrin in Seattle, add a little Mel Torme, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Gene Krupa, Sara Vaughn, all of the Great American Songwriters, and find Kat in New Orleans singing the music she loves Some of Kat's jazz performance highlights over the years include; The New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, French Quarter Festival, Parkway Bakery and Tavern, Temple Sinai Gala, the Lusher Soiree at Tipitinas Uptown, The Big Top's Friday Night Music Camp, The Louisiana Music Factory and Buffa's. She was honored to perform at the Salute to the 8th District Police Fundraising Festival in the French Quarter.
Kat remarried and lives in New Orleans with her husband and her five children, two step children, two children from her late husband Peter, and a new baby born in 2008!
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