You should be able to trust the opinion of a man, who has not only shaped the world of Jazz on and off the stage but who has also, as a producer, propelled Michael Jackson “The King of Pop“ to fame. Quincy Jones says about Laura, “This young woman doesn‘t need to worry about her career, she is amazing and I am sure we will be hearing more from her in the future.“ When they met for the first time at the Stuttgart Jazz Open in 2017, what appeared to be a prophecy about the 21 year old singer Laura Kipp, has today been confirmed. She has launched her debut album “Quiet Land“ under the Label LAURA. This debut album is a showcase introducing us to her talents. Despite there being many excellent Jazz musicians out there today, who span a wide range of music genre and styles, it is rare and surprising to find such a charismatic and understated maturity beneath such refreshing youthfulness. She also expresses the freedom and complexity of Jazz together with the instant emotional power of Pop, Soul and Chanson. The opposing elements that she draws on really create a certain tension while also blending them beautifully.
As a hardened Jazz Critic who has heard and seen hundreds of singers over the years, it unfortunately becomes harder and harder to impress . However, Laura Kipp doesn‘t fail to impress from the outset. Despite her age she is so mature, well travelled and charismatic and this comes across in her voice. Her far reaching travels from her homeland in Swabia Germany to Paris, from New York to Los Angeles are also reflected in her broad range of styles, from brilliant songwriter ballads to punchy jazz vocalese, from soulful blues to string saturated glamorous Hollywood sounds . She has already internalised that unique power of jazz which she combines with her own individual expression together with collaborative creativity. She builds on this with an inner confidence in her wonderful voice, her songwriting as well as the combined skills of her band members, the arrangements of both her mentor and bassist Jens Loh along with the expertise of Cornelius Claudio Kreusch as the producer and distributer. The result is irresistible and rare in the German Jazz scene. Young jazz musicians can become obsessed with experimental style jazz but Laura has gone beyond this with what can only be described in the best sense of the term “old fashioned“ with a modern twist. It is simply pure musical pleasure for those who love a bit of sophistication.
As is the case for all great singers, LAURA is not only about the voice and technique she is, above all, about capturing the art of storytelling. Quiet land tells the story of Laura‘s journey so far in her career, capturing emotions, encounters and experiences gathered along the way. Beginning with her entry into the Stuttgart Jazz scene with the brilliant input from both Anne Czichowsky and Fola Dada as her teachers, to the start of her musical career in the State Jazz Orchester (BuJazzo), then on to her studies in Paris. “Quiet Land“ represents her roots in her homeland, for the solid, stable base that everyone needs in life. Laura‘s hommage to her past in Swabia encompasses the inspiration, the magic of the city, the journey of discovery and overcoming hurdles along the way. All tied up in her poetic and original lyrics.
Finding the right partner is also key for every talented artist. As such “Quiet Land“, and the project as a whole, is also down to the perfect collaboration between Laura and the bassist and composer Jens Loh. Jens is currently one of the best and multi-faceted experts in his field in Germany today, working alongside the likes of Nils Peter Molvaer, Max Mutzke and Nils Landgren. The connection between this 25 and 50 year old came about by chance through invitations to both to perform at a gig in 2017 on a Chet -Baker project. Laura had previously heard Jens and his band “Hippie“ play the beautiful ballad, “I‘ll be around“. The piece moved Laura so much that she immediately wrote lyrics to accompany the ballad. “When we eventually met at the gig I was very nervous about asking Jens if it was ok to use his composition“.
