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Katherine Kostoff

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FOLLOW ME !

FULL ALBUM OUT NOW!

Photos by Isabella Strieder (Front) and JJ Kasper (back)

Photos by Isabella Strieder (Front) and JJ Kasper (back)

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Good friends and kind strangers,  

I'm delighted to announce that my album "It Happens Like That" is now available on all streaming platforms. 

Gershwin once said that in order to get to a good song he had to go through twelve bad songs. I haven't exactly counted my ratio but I can tell you that I have allowed only my "good songs" to make it to this collection. I hope that you'll agree. Writing a song is a special kind of craft in which one must find the perfect intersection where the heart and the mind meet. At least this is the way I try to write. 

This album is a true labor of love. 

I was incredibly lucky to work on it with my musical idol, a living legend of the jazz world and someone I have admired and dreamed of collaborating with for years - Gil Goldstein. He arranged all the songs exquisitely and produced the entire album all while dispelling the myth that one should never work with his idols and heroes for he'd end up disappointed. Working with Gil has been pure joy and the biggest privilege of my life.  

In addition to Gil I'd like to thank all the wonderful musicians who worked on this project for their unique and beautiful contributions: Ulysses Owens Jr., Yasushi Nakamura, Steve Cardenas, Rit Xu, Cafe da Silva, Michael Davis, David Gould, Kathleen Nester, Sheryl Ann Henze, Stuart Mack and CJ Camerieri. A giant thank you to Steve Rodby!  

So, here it is. I hope these songs will soothe your broken hearts, or enhance your bliss, or spice up whatever needs spicing... In other words I hope they will make you feel something. For what is music if not a shared feeling?   

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for following my work and listening to my music. 

The full album is here: https://lnk.to/katherine

Katherine 🎶

It Happens Like That out now!

My beautiful friends,

I have waited for this for a very long time - the moment I introduce to you the title song of my album “It Happens Like That”. 

It is the last song I wrote for the record, the newest one in this collection. Saying that I wrote it, however, feels a bit strange, for - to tell you the truth - this song wrote itself. It was born from a specific experience and it was addressed to a specific person. Literally every line in it refers to something concrete. Yet, when I finished it, I realized that the song had become about much more than one experience. This is a song about everything that happens and I cannot control. It is about the things I cannot change and therefore must accept. 

Brilliantly arranged by Gil Goldstein who captured the emotion of the song perfectly, it features him on Fender Rhodes and Steve Cardenas on guitar, as well as the other superb musicians that were a part of this whole experience and I’d like to mention now: Yasushi Nakamura on bass, Ulysses Owens Jr. on drums, Kathleen Nester on alto flute, Sheryl Ann Hanze on bass flute, David Gould on bass clarinet, Michael Davis on bass trombone and CJ Caminieri on trumpet. 

Here is “It Happens Like That”...
 

Listen now!

Disclosure out now!

Hello darlings,

“Disclosure” is my letter to a dear friend.

It was a quiet fall evening when I thought about him and realized that he was reluctant to call me for a lack of good news to report. I knew that feeling well and wanted him to know that it was all right to not have news at all. I sat to write him an email but the first sentence came to me with a melody and I wrote him a song instead. And as songs often do, this one became a confession about my own aspirations, failures, hopes and dreams.

 

Musically, the melody led me to everything else. I followed its logic and wrote what made sense to me harmonically, the rhythm falling naturally to complete my mood. Gil Goldstein’s gorgeous arrangement is like magic dust - its delicate complexity matches the vulnerable, intimate conversation perfectly. His beautiful piano is once again joined by Steve Cardenas’ superb guitar as the two of them fill the space of my silences with masterful performances.

 

There is little else I can tell you about without revealing too much… So, have a listen, my friends, here is my “Disclosure”. xx

Listen now!

Don't Know Why out now!

Hello jazzy darlings,

I have a new song for you!

Its beats were pounding in my head with such insistence they were impossible to ignore. The rhythm had invaded me and for two weeks I was tapping it on every surface or on my thighs when nothing else was available. The melody joined in out of thin air or perhaps out of the sun: I was in Sydney, Australia when it happened and the sun reminded me of Rio. I don’t know why...but this is how “Don’t Know Why” was born. 

Brilliantly arranged by Gil Goldstein who turned this song into a feast for jazz connoisseurs, it features masterful solos by himself on Rhodes, jazz veteran Steve Cardenas on guitar, and rising star Rit Xu on solo flute. Their playing is an exquisite conversation between jazz giants. Master percussionist Cafe DaSilva adds the final spark into the fire. Dance away, my friends, this is not a song for sitting out.

Happy spring!

Katherine, xx

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New single 'Cloudy (With a Chance of Rain)' out now!

Hello tender hearts,

There are times when my mood mirrors the weather (or is it vice versa?) There are times when I find it easier to connect with the elements than with a certain someone. This song arrived during one of those times. It came at a moment when it seemed easier for me to talk about the weather than about my feelings, easier to make them one and the same. 

“Cloudy (With a Chance of Rain)” is a song capturing a moment of resigned loneliness. A song about accepting inevitable sadness. 

Musically, it simply poured out (pun intended). I’ve changed nothing melodically, harmonically or rhythmically since I wrote it. Gil Goldstein enhanced it with his exquisitely crafted arrangement. His beautiful piano solo perfectly completes the moody atmosphere.  

And so today I give you “Cloudy”... I hope you’ll enjoy it and allow yourselves to experience whatever feelings it happens to bring you. Just remember that even the darkest clouds clear up eventually, to make room for the sun.  

Katherine

Listen now

New single 'Last Night' out now!

Darling friends,

My second single is here. Just in time for Valentine’s.

I wrote “Last Night” at a point of happiness, and I think it remains my most joyous song. Musically, it went through a couple of transformations -  it was originally conceived as a ballad, and, after it became a jazz waltz, I tweaked the harmony a bit. For this version, Gil Goldstein’s accordion added some magic dust. He played it on our very first meeting and it all fell into place.

I hope this song will make you smile. It might even make you dance. In any case, whether you are currently in love and at a point of happiness or love is on a break at the moment, have a listen and celebrate love. Past, present, or future it is love that gets us through, isn’t it?

In addition to Gil’s enchanting accordion, listen to Steve Cardenas' beautiful guitar. And, yes, there is a cherry on top - Cafe DaSilva on percussion. Enjoy! 

Katherine 

...and if you love it, please share it with those you love...xx

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New single 'Razor's Edge' out now!

Dear friends,

I'm delighted to announce the release of my song "Razor's Edge". It is the first single to come out from my upcoming album "It Happens Like That". 
‎ 
I wrote "Razor's Edge" at a difficult moment. Fragments of it came to me as I was trying to figure out my life, my direction... A song can't solve one's problems, of course... A song seldom gives answers. But like a good friend, a song can make you feel better because it takes what's in your heart and accepts it without judgement. And that's what "Razor's Edge" did for me - it listened and it made me feel better. 
‎ 
So, here it is. Arranged beautifully and produced by my music idol, the one and only Gil Goldstein, who is also playing the piano, it was recorded in the legendary Sear Sound Studios in New York. 
‎ 
I invite you to have a listen and hope my song will give you something good to feel.

Listen now

Katherine Kostoff 2022 © All rights reserved.

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