An impressive set, featuring a first rate collection of self produced ballads, swinging jazz tempos, and arresting vocals. Self penned except “Four” from Miles Davis.
Released 1995.
Track Listing
- I Can’t Change You
- Man Of My Dreams
- Down To My Last Dream
- Four
- Lucky Guy
- Nightfall
- Goodbye To Nothing
- Happy
- Time Changes Everything
- Your Smile
Reviews
“…While “Man of My Dreams” exemplifies her quiet storm side, I Can’t Change You” and “Lucky Guy” are the type of hard-swinging bop items you would have expected to hear on a Blue Note session in the late 1950s or early ’60s. If you took away Kosins’ expressive vocals and let the songs be heard as instrumentals, it would be easy to picture them on an old Art Blakey, Hank Mobley, or Horace Silver date….”
Alex Henderson
Of all the indie releases out now, none have received more unsolicited raves from jazz programmers than this one by vocalist Kathy Kosins called All In A Dream’s Work… It’s a courageous collection in the sense that she only relies on one standard, “Four” by Miles Davis and Jon Hendricks. Otherwise its nine originals were cowritten by Kosins and her writing partners, including Jeff Fanzel, the pianist on the session. Kosins is a versatile singer. She can sing it pretty, forceful and cool, depending on the mood of the song. Kosins entertains a satisfying range and stays in key (you’d be surprised how many don’t). On a song like “Happy,” you hear catchy choruses, sleek soloing on trumpet and piano, metronome bass swing and plenty of vocal bop drive. Highly recommended.
Keith & Kent Zimmerman, Editors; Gavin, September 22, 1995
“Classic singers like Mel Torme, Nancy Wilson, Dakota Staton and the Four Freshmen, singing swinging arrangements with top-notch backing, turned me on to jazz in the 1950’s.Since then I’ve been subjected to loads of lesser singers who couldn’t cut the jazz mustard. Oh, they may have fabulous voices, but they simply couldn’t swing. Or they swung but projected no emotion or couldn’t phrase convincingly. Or perhaps they just sounded like a frog (and I don’t mean a velvet one). Fortunately, however, on occasion a voice will stop me dead in my tracks and remind me how good it is to hear a special singer for the first time. The voice of Kathy Kosins, on her self-produced, and basically self-written and self-arranged debut disc. All In a Dream’s Work (A Collection of New Standards)(Schoolkids’ Records SKL 1532), stopped me cold.
Admittedly not yet in Wilson’s or Staton’s class but with the goods to get there. Kosins swings and phrases like a veteran. And just as important, she’s got a winning voice that’s brushed with a hint of Diane Schuur, mixed with a dash of grit, mellowed by a cloud of smoke, and brightened by some of Ella’s scat.
But a gal can’t really swing unless her band does too. And Kathy’s band’s on fire. Her rhythm team is tight, sharp, and animated and crisp trumpeter Walt Szymanski takes most of the sometimes fiery, sometimes sultry solos.
Kosins’ material — ten tunes, all new stuff except for Miles Davis’ “Four,” all self-written except for the Davis tune and one other — is as catchy as spring fever. But are these tunes really budding classics as the title claims? Well, I’m not sure they’ll still be singing them thirty years from now, but I do know that after the first spin you’ll have a tough time getting them — and Kosins — out of your head.“
Al Lubiejewski
Credit Tony Bennett with the rejuvenation of the jazz singer. Music producers learned from rap audiences, that the words sung and the style of delivery had regained importance with the listener. Mr. Bennett capitalized on this and so did the throngs of jazz singers. Kathy Kosins is a throwback to the swing era torch singer. Her manner, akin to Sarah Vaughn, is a pronounced stylized approach. All In a Dream’s Work were written or co-written by Kosins except “Four” the Miles Davis classic which Jon Hendricks penned lyrics. Kosins plucked a standard’s album out of a time gone by.
SOS Jazz
A fine record and a real talent
WDNA, Miami, FL
She’s wonderful
WBGO – Newark, NJ