Freestyle: Erin Keller/Nika Winn

Can’t make it to the first Freestyle performance? Join us next time on the following Saturdays at 1:00-3:00 PM:

September 14
October 12
November 9

ABOUT ERIN KELLER

Jazz singer Erin Keller has a truly unique sound. Having performed in the Grammy Award–winning Kansas City Chorale, the Kansas City Civic Opera, New Ear, Owen//Cox Dance Group, the rock band Blackout Gorgeous, a folk/free improvisational ensemble, a West African High Life Ensemble, and a Balkan brass band called Gora Gora Orkestar, all the while exploring the jazz idiom through standards and free improvisation with top musicians in the Kansas City and Denver areas, her voice is born out of an uncommon musical perspective. With a huge vocal range – in terms of not only pitch but also in execution of style and expression – Erin’s jazz singing is at times more instrumental than vocal, and often more driven by the importance of the text and melodic line.

No matter what Erin is performing, creating a truly transformative aesthetic experience is paramount. In jazz, this demands a deep connection to the jazz language, which Erin has developed over decades, having been a devoted listener/imitator since the age of 7 when she was introduced to all the great jazz musicians by her bass-playing sister, Cara Keller. She has gradually turned her focus more and more toward jazz over the recent years, culminating in the release of her first project as bandleader, Distracted. In 2023 she has released her second project featuring all original songs performed by the incomparable JWB (James Ward Band) called Songs For Times Like These, a political statement towards the coming together of humanity in love and unity.