Joy To The World 2011

Joy ToThe World is a one-hour live performance holiday jazz program hosted by pianist Bob Thompson.  Produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting in Charleston, West Virginia for 18 years, the show is performed before a consistently sold-out audience at Charleston’s Cultural Center Theater.  Joy To The World has traditionally been the kickoff to the holiday season in Charleston.

Each year Bob invites a guest vocalist to join his band to add some swing to the holiday special.  This year’s Joy to the World features special guest vocalist Kim Nalley.

Recently named one of the “Ten Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area,” Kim Nalley has an international reputation as one of the world’s best jazz & blues vocalists.  Known for her ability to turn a chattering cocktail-sipping crowd into a rapt audience of lifelong fans in minutes with a beguiling combination of sass, soul and smarts, no trip to San Franciso is complete without hearing Kim Nalley perform.

Kim Nalley, in looks and presence is often compared to Billie Holiday, but vocally she packs a 3 ½ octave range that can go from operatic to gritty blues on a dime, projection that can whisper a ballad yet is capable of filling a room with no microphone, and the ability to scat blistering solos without ever losing the crowd’s interest or the intense swing.

A born singer, as a child Nalley was taught piano by her great-grandmother and went on to study opera and theatre at the Educational Center of the Arts in New Haven, CT before relocating to San Francisco in the footsteps of the Grateful Dead.  Working her way through college by singing in small dives and jam sessions, Nalley learned all of the intricacies of jazz the old fashioned way.

For Joy To The World , Thompson applies his expansive jazz vocabulary to some favorite holiday tunes, adding a fresh perspective to the songs that evoke those well-known feelings of the season. The individuality of the guest vocalist always plays a unique role in the interpretation and arrangement of the holiday material, making each year’s performance as fresh as the season’s first snow.

During a professional career that's spanned more than 30 years, Bob Thompson's music has communicated with audiences around the globe. Thompson has fronted several modern jazz groups and with a glance at the roster of musicians he has performed and recorded with you’ll find guitarists Larry Coryell, Joe Negri and Kevin Eubanks, drummer Omar Akim and bassist Gerald Veaseley.

Thompson remains a fixture in the Charleston Jazz scene through weekly gigs with the Bob Thompson Unit, albums like Bob Thompson “Live” on Mountain Stage, on his own recording label colortones.com, and as the house-pianist on the internationally syndicated radio program Mountain Stage .  His latest recording is entitled Smile.

Joy ToThe World is a one-hour live performance holiday jazz program hosted by pianist Bob Thompson.  Produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting in Charleston, West Virginia for 18 years, the show is performed before a consistently sold-out audience at Charleston’s Cultural Center Theater.  Joy To The World has traditionally been the kickoff to the holiday season in Charleston.

Each year Bob invites a guest vocalist to join his band to add some swing to the holiday special.  This year’s Joy to the World features special guest vocalist Kim Nalley.

Recently named one of the “Ten Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area,” Kim Nalley has an international reputation as one of the world’s best jazz & blues vocalists.  Known for her ability to turn a chattering cocktail-sipping crowd into a rapt audience of lifelong fans in minutes with a beguiling combination of sass, soul and smarts, no trip to San Franciso is complete without hearing Kim Nalley perform.

Kim Nalley, in looks and presence is often compared to Billie Holiday, but vocally she packs a 3 ½ octave range that can go from operatic to gritty blues on a dime, projection that can whisper a ballad yet is capable of filling a room with no microphone, and the ability to scat blistering solos without ever losing the crowd’s interest or the intense swing.

A born singer, as a child Nalley was taught piano by her great-grandmother and went on to study opera and theatre at the Educational Center of the Arts in New Haven, CT before relocating to San Francisco in the footsteps of the Grateful Dead.  Working her way through college by singing in small dives and jam sessions, Nalley learned all of the intricacies of jazz the old fashioned way.

For Joy To The World , Thompson applies his expansive jazz vocabulary to some favorite holiday tunes, adding a fresh perspective to the songs that evoke those well-known feelings of the season. The individuality of the guest vocalist always plays a unique role in the interpretation and arrangement of the holiday material, making each year’s performance as fresh as the season’s first snow.

During a professional career that's spanned more than 30 years, Bob Thompson's music has communicated with audiences around the globe. Thompson has fronted several modern jazz groups and with a glance at the roster of musicians he has performed and recorded with you’ll find guitarists Larry Coryell, Joe Negri and Kevin Eubanks, drummer Omar Akim and bassist Gerald Veaseley.

Thompson remains a fixture in the Charleston Jazz scene through weekly gigs with the Bob Thompson Unit, albums like Bob Thompson “Live” on Mountain Stage, on his own recording label colortones.com, and as the house-pianist on the internationally syndicated radio program Mountain Stage .  His latest recording is entitled Smile.