Kate Baker
Lecturer of Jazz Studies, Voice
Kate Baker’s inimitable voice resonates with her love of diverse musical inspirations — from jazz to Brazilian music to Americana-inflected jazz, purveyed at sold-out shows and festivals the world over.
A vocal producer in New York and Los Angeles, Baker also teaches privately and is on the faculty of the New School University of Jazz and Contemporary Music. She has conducted master classes at major institutions throughout the United States and Europe, including co-leading many master classes with singing legends Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy.
More About Me
Kate Baker’s debut recording Return to Shore was her late husband Vic Juris’s swan song. But that’s not the beginning, nor the end, of the story. In early 2019, the married collaborators — who had performed together for two decades —
recorded Return to Shore. The duo album showcased Baker’s fluid, radiant voice and Juris’s supple guitar mastery in an intimate, unadorned setting.
Tragically, soon after these sessions, Juris learned he had neuroendocrine cancer. That New Year’s Eve, the disease took his life at 66. Upon Return to Shore’s release on Oct. 7, 2022, the plaudits were extraordinary — including a four-and-a-half-star review from Downbeat and placement in its Record of the Year list.
The album’s backstory drew jazz critics to identify emotional power in the choice of material, from the standard “I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face” to the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.” But if the jaw-droppingly talented Juris was still with us — and by all rights, he should be — Return to Shore would still belong on your shelf. Because a couple of musical masters made it.
While Return to Shore marks Baker’s debut recording, it by no means marks the inauguration of her musical legacy. Far from it: she’s been a mainstay on the performance circuit since she began singing rock music at 20, later moving on to Americana-laced sounds, purveyed in solo and duo settings
Currently, Baker is is touring to celebrate the release of Return to Shore in a duo format with guitarist Paul Bollenback, as well as with a new band that’s more Americana-based, with violinist Sara Caswell, keyboardist Rachel Z, guitarist Paul Bollenback, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Tim Horner.