Don't Stand So Close To Me
About this track
What happens when the songs you already love are reimagined after dark? ‘Especially at Night’ answers this question in eight unique chapters. Vocalist Kari Kirkland and Arranger Shelly Berg turn the contemporary Pop landscape inside out, revealing the Jazz architecture hiding beneath its surface. These aren't just covers, they're conversations: melodies you recognize, reshaped by world-class musicians into something intimate and alive with one-take spontaneity. Recorded at the legendary Village Studios in Santa Monica, the album carries the warmth of a room where icons have made magic for decades. The ensemble reads like a Jazz dream session: Shelly Berg (piano, organ), Peter Erskine (drums), Anthony Wilson (guitar), Kevin Axt (bass), Brian Kilgore (percussion), Dean Parks (guitar), John Daversa (trumpet), Carlitos del Puerto (bass), and Ken Peplowski (clarinet), each one a storyteller in their own right, unified around Kirkland's unmistakably honest voice. “Her vocals are impressive throughout with a ‘less-is-more’ approach…her soft delivery makes the tale of lost love resonate even more deeply.” DownBeat Magazine Canadian-born vocalist Kari Kirkland has been collaborating with producer/arranger/pianist Shelly Berg since 2016. Shelly, a 5-time Grammy nominee, possesses the rare ability to translate Kari's wide-ranging musical inspirations into unique jazz arrangements; defying genres, creating a distinctive sound with honest, intimate storytelling. Creating jazzy expression with non-jazz material has become their collective superpower. With Don Murray engineering and mixing, and Paul Blakemore mastering, the results are extraordinary. Kari’s first two albums, ‘Wild is the Wind’ (United Recording), and ‘if (when you go)’ (Capitol Studios) are also available on 180-gram vinyl and CD.