Kathleen Battle: opera diva sings jazz style songs on 'So Many Stars' album

Jet, Dec 11, 1995

Superstar lyric soprano Kathleen Battle joins forces with some of jazz music's hottest musicians on her latest album, So Many Stars.

The collection of love songs, lullabies and spirituals features the famed opera star singing to music performed by Black jazz and Brazilian music artists.

The Sony Classical recording has been at the top of Billboard's Classical Crossover chart since it was released in September.

"So Many Stars will surprise a lot of people. It certainly is not the expected-very much the unexpected-from me," Ms. Battle said. "For many years I have wanted to present an album of my favorite songs in a style that was not strictly `classical,'" continued the soft-spoken songbird.

Ms. Battle worked with musicians from the jazz and Brazilian im provisatory traditions. The artistry of well-known jazz instrumentalists Grover Washington Jr., Cyrus Chestnut, James Carter, Christian McBride, Antonio Hart and Tom Harrell serve as a backdrop for Ms. Battle's classically-trained voice, providing an interesting fusion of classical and jazz.

In addition, Ms. Battle sings spirituals, folk and other forms of music on So Many Stars. She admits the album was a great challenge.

"I'm certainly trying to be more natural with more intimate communication than is the norm for a classical singer," said Ms. Battle of her classical crossover effort.

Robert Sadin, co-producer of So Many Stars along with Ms. Battle, was influential in her decision to branch in a different musical direction. She says he helped her grow and also challenged her musically.

"I'm actually very proud of the work that Robert Sadin did on this album--everyone involved--but I think Bob was the one that led to this and somewhat enlarged my musical experience and challenged me in ways I had never been challenged before," said the acclaimed operatic soprano who was born and trained in Ohio.

Though Ms. Battle is a five-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist, she admitted to being somewhat fearful embarking upon her new project.

"I don't know how far I allowed myself to try and do this because there was fear of failure also when it's one of your first excursions into trying to improvise on the spot. But, in some cases, I did let myself be pulled away from the printed page and do some things that I wouldn't maybe have done on the concert stage," reflected Ms. Battle, who has performed at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York.

Saxophone legend Grover Washington Jr. described Kathleen Battle's music as "heartfelt."

"She just has an uncanny ability to go right to the heart, or the essence of the piece that she's working in. That is what amazed me about her then and that is what continues to amaze me about her now," said the acclaimed saxophonist.

Track two on the album, Cancion De Cuna, a Spanish cradle song, features Washington with Ms. Battle.

The diva says she valued working with the various artists because it was a learning experience.

"Collaborating with jazz musicians has, and continues to be, one of the great educational experiences and one of the great, uplifting artistic experiences in my life," Ms. Battle expressed.

Pianist Cyrus Chestnut, who worked with her on the traditional song, He's Gone Away, took elements from jazz, gospel and classical music and fused them into words. She doesn't hesitate to say Chestnut is a "fantastic, fantastic musician" and believes his contribution was vital to the album.

"He walked and straddled these so many, many different styles. I really think that he was very much a unifying dream for this album and I'm not sure that this album--such as this--I could have probably come to without a pianist like Cyrus Chestnut," Ms. Battle firmly stated.

A graduate of the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Ms. Battle made her operatic debut in 1972. She's performed in major opera houses all over the world and is a former singer with New York's Metropolitan Opera.

While the album was new for her, this wasn't Ms. Battle's first time working with artists outside the realm of opera. She's recorded with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and pop superstar Janet Jackson.

Whether she's returning to her roots or embracing the form of music that's transformed her into one of the world's foremost singers, Ms. Battle is confident loving music as a whole.

"I am a classically trained singer who loves folk music, who loves jazz, who loves classical music, and why can't I embrace all music?" concluded Ms. Battle.