Interview: Karen Mack Celebrates the Release of CATCH AND KEEP at Birdland

This Monday, August 26, Birdland Jazz Club will present multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Karen Mack celebrating her new solo album Catch & Keep. Catch & Keep is a fun mix of contemporary jazz classics, including works by Dave Frishberg, Bob Dorough, Nellie McKay, and Betty Bryant, alongside originals that speak to how we hold onto things and how we let go. The album is produced and arranged by Peter Eldridge from the internationally acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices. The concert’s A-list band features Peter Eldridge on piano and vocals, Pete McCann on guitar, Matt Aronoff on bass, Jared Schonig on drums and percussion, and very special guests Darmon Meader and Elliot Roth, both of whom will be at the album release show.

We spoke with Mack about the new album and some of her songwriting inspirations.

What was the impetus for your new album, Catch and Keep? 

Love that you'd ask that! I'd been wanting to do a new album for a long time, and knew I wanted it to be more jazz-forward than some of my work to date. Initially, I thought it'd be a five or six song EP of standards. But I'd done a lot of writing and re-visiting solo material during the pandemic, and that lockdown time also gave me the chance to develop some beautiful new collaborations and deepen others because so many artists I love who were usually unavailable and on the road suddenly weren't. People were open to all kinds of creative idea sharing, and workarounds for new projects. One such was/is my talented jazz colleague and dear friend Peter Eldridge, who'd done some great arranging & song re-invention meet-ups I was part of during that time - that's what truly set this project in motion in a bigger way. I'm sure his enthusiasm and generosity was partly fueled by being stir crazy and bleary from home-schooling his kids, but I wasn't going to point any of that out 'til we were done! [laughs]

How would you describe the theme of the album?

The title CATCH & KEEP comes from a lyric in one of the originals, "Hurry Up & Wait." We didn't plan the album with a theme in mind, but as the tunes came together, we saw that it's a collection of musical snapshots that speak to how we hold onto things and how we let go. 

What was the process of choosing the track list for the album like?

The build-out is always the most fun part of any project for me, so we took our time exploring songs and arrangement ideas. I had SO many. [laughs] Peter's based in New Hampshire and teaches at Berklee, so there were zooms, and shared playlists. Eventually, I got to do some nice Boston back and forth. We knew from the onset that we wanted to collaborate on some originals, and also that we wanted to shine some light on female artists, and on great contemporary jazz writers we admire that might not be as widely known, like Betty Bryant, Chiara Civello, and Dave Cantor. 

Can you tell me about one of your own songs featured on the album? Where did the idea for the song come from?

"Hurry Up & Wait" was a title from a long list of "someday I'll write..." song ideas I keep. It sparked Peter musically right away, which was exciting, and the melody and form came next. Because it's such a cliche phrase, I wanted to build the lyric from lots of iconic idioms and phrases, common expressions we grab in moments where we need bolstering. In the end, it's a reminder that we all scramble to feel like we're the smartest kid in the class, like we've got it all figured out, but no matter how much we plan, nothing's completely in our control and that's ok. It's good to roll with it. Be flexible and enjoy the ride! 

What are you most looking forward to about your album release party at Birdland?

I really can't wait to sing this music live, and to introduce my audience to Peter Eldridge and this incredible band - every one of them has a huge creative life that I know people are going to want to follow.

Are you planning to do anything differently at the live show than is on the album?

YES! We'll be showing off a lot of material from the record, but showcasing some other new stuff as well. Nice to have a few surprises! 

What's coming up next for you?

Elliot Roth and I have our big, sparkly holiday show on December 1st (put that in your phone right now!). And I'll be with Those Girls on October 22nd, honored to be singing the first night of the Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention at Jazz at Lincoln Center, plus we're bringing our "One-Offs" set back to Pangea on October 17th. More info on all those things at www.karenmack.com and www.thosegirlssing.com 

And I still have some swell tracks of beautiful standards and swing we explored initially that didn't end up on this record - it'd be amazing to find a way to polish those & put them out. 

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Tickets to the Catch & Keep show are available on Birdland's website.

Learn more about Karen Mack, including where to buy and stream the new album, at www.karenmack.com.

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