“I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That’s all I know.” —Billie Holiday
Kaylene Peoples: Jazz & Bossa-nova Recording Artist (First Take PR Photography)
Kaylene Peoples is what you call a quadruple threat. She was a runway model and a former Miss California; she is a vocalist with a rare 5-octave range, a multi-instrumentalist, and a prolific composer/arranger/conductor. Kaylene graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Composition and Ethnomusicology, and completed an elite Masters program in Film Scoring under the direction of Academy Award-winner composer Walter Scharf. She also studied with Academy Award-winner composers David Raksin and Henry Mancini; and has even played piano side by side with Oscar winner film composer Jerry Goldsmith. Kaylene has written and conducted countless string arrangements for record labels, including Capitol Records, Polygram, Warner Bros., EMI, and Universal/Republic. Her dossier doesn’t just stop there. She has written huge bodies of musical works including neo-classical symphonies and composed and conducted a ten-Act ballet titled Apocalitica. Her orchestration skills can be heard on several movie sound tracks, including American Pie 2, Serendipity, Ruby, and her own multi-award-winning feature film she directed, Redemption. She is also an award-winning L.A. Music Awards producer for Best R&B Album of the Year and Best New Artist Christina Fasano’s Spiritually Wet.
“Kaylene is in a small group of unique artists whose skill set includes writing, arranging, orchestrating, as well as performing as a flutist and vocalist. She puts those skills to good use on My Man. The warmth, sincerity and verve with which she approached her vocals and instrumentals on challenging tunes such as “Giant Steps” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk” makes this a must-hear project.” – Emmy-nominated Pianist/Organist Bobby Lyle
Kaylene’s first jazz CD All Jazzed Up! made a splash across the nation when her single, “Do You Remember,” was played across the country. The single climbed to the top of the independent charts (AC40/NMW! Top 100 Chart/FMQB & ACQB! and Indie 100 chart). Her CD My Man has made quite an impression on jazz lovers through the airwaves and in concert. Since the release of My Man, Kaylene has repeatedly hit #1 on the Reverbnation Jazz Charts, and remains in the Top 40; and from My Man, “Giant Steps” won Best Jazz Song for the Akademia Music Awards in December 2015, and was on the ballot for the Grammy’s that same year. Her latest CD, Romantic Bossa-Nova won album of the week on Smooth.FM Portugal in 2022, with her single “Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)” featuring Bunny Brunel on the international airwaves of Brazil, Portugal, Canada, and France!
“Kaylene Peoples has the voice of an angel!” – 3-time Grammy-nominated Flutist Hubert Laws
Whenever Kaylene Peoples performs, she showcases instrumental virtuosity along with her trademarked, vocal style. Kaylene takes singing to a completely new level; and when hearing her play her flute, Dave Valentine and Hubert Laws immediately come to mind. Growing up, her parents supported her love affair with music, and to this day she performs with the rare solid silver flute her dad bought her after winning a talent show in high school. As a result, Kaylene’s soloing instrument of choice is the flute. In honor of her father’s memory, she incorporates it heavily into her music. Having performed with flutist Hubert Laws, 3-time Grammy-nominee and National Endowment for the Arts’ Lifetime Achievement Award, acclaimed bassist Kyle Eastwood, Emmy-nominee pianist Bobby Lyle, multi-time Grammy-winning bassist Stanley Clarke, Drummer Virgil Donati, pianist Patrice Rushen, Grammy-nominated bassist Bunny Brunel, and others, Kaylene Peoples continues to blow her audiences away with her incredible vocal performances and equally impressive instrumental virtuosity.
“. . . the best flute sound I’ve ever heard. I was amazed by the sound of her voice and flute. She is just as great as the iconic jazz singers who helped set the bar for jazz vocal performance!” – Grammy-nominated Bassist Bunny Brunel
So, whom does Kaylene sing like? Since she applies techniques from jazz greats to her own well-defined vocal style, you might hear Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nancy Wilson, or even a little bit of Barbra Streisand and Al Jarreau thrown in the mix. Kaylene Peoples is the ultimate performer, creating jazz lovers wherever she goes. Versatility, vocal talent, unique style! With one listen, you’ll not only become a Kaylene Peoples fan. You, too, will find yourself All Jazzed Up!
“Both my wife Luisa and I have been so blessed to work with the super talented and beautiful Kaylene Peoples. Kaylene is absolutely a class A flutist, vocalist, composer; not to mention her amazing writing & arranging skills . . . a serious musical force to be reckoned with! To top it all off when working with Ms. Peoples there’s always an abundance of laughter, love and GREAT music!!! We have been listening to two of her projects My Man & Carol of the Bells. Both are wonderful musical spectacles featuring some of the finest musicians on planet earth. Kaylene also appears on the new release from Bunny Brunel and Stanley Clarke entitled (Bass Ball), another MUST HAVE. God bless you Kaylene keep on keeping on we love you much!!!” – Multi-Grammy-winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Larry Dunn (Earth Wind & Fire)