All That Jazz : Kristine W Takes the Stage at Hunters in Wilton Manors

Kristine W will be at Hunters Nightclub in Wilton Manors on Thursday, January 26, to perform songs from her  jazz album, Straight Up with a Twist, as part of the Wilton Manors Business Association annual award show.

Straight Up with a Twist was released in 2010.  In the 30-track, double-cd set, the dance music icon transformed several of her #1 club hits into smooth jazz ballads.  Reworked hits included “Wonder of it All”, “Save My Soul” and “Stronger”.

The week of its release, the album’s second single, “What I Like About You”, hit #1 on the i-Tunes Jazz singles chart, beating out singles by Nora Jones and Louis Armstrong.

“Straight Up with a Twist took four years to complete,” Kristine W recalls.   Much of the delay was due to the high cost of producing a double-cd album; Kristine W financed it herself.   “It was my first foray in recording a Jazz album,” she continues.  “I figured if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right.

She insisted on bringing in the best musicians to the project.  David Paich from the seventies rock band Toto is featured on the single “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. Other contributing talent included musicians that have toured with Carlos Santana, Marc Anthony, Paulino Rubio, Diana Ross, Jeffery Osbourne, and Paul McCartney.  “It was an honor to work with such a high caliber of music professionals,” Kristine W says.

Though Straight Up with a Twist was Kristine W’s first professional jazz album, jazz has long been in her blood.  Her mother raised a family of five on her own by singing jazz and standards in local juke joints.  At nine years old, Kristine began singing alongside her mother.  By the time she entered Junior High, Kristine was a budding jazz musician, competing in and winning jazz contests throughout the Northwest.

“The song on the album that has the most meaning to me is ‘Dream On’ because  it was a song I wrote in college and never finished until the project,” Kristine reflects.   “It’s funny to think of the girl I was then, writing the song, dreaming about her career, never imagining the fabulous road she would be traveling.  It has been an incredible dream realized, sharing music with the world.”

Her next dance album of dance music songs is due out soon.

Kristine W performs her jazz hits at Hunters Nightclub (2232 Wilton Drive, Wilton manors) on Thursday, January 26 at 5:30pm.  Visit www.kristinew.com.