News
Kelly & Clayton, Debut CD available here!
This is the debut CD of Paul Austin Kelly and the Kenny Clayton Trio, "The Song is You."
Purchase your copy here.
Song titles:
The Song is You (Hammerstein-Kern)
The Folks Who Live on the Hill/Fool on the Hill
(Hammerstein-Kern
/Lennon-McCartney)
Spring is Here/Rustles of Spring (Rodger-Hart/C.Sinding)
My Attorney Bernie (D Frishberg)
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Rodgers-Hart)
Settle Down with You (P.A. Kelly)
Manhattan (Rodgers-Hart)
All the Things You Are (Hammerstein-Kern)
New York State of Mind (B. Joel)
I Only Have Eyes For You (Warren-Dubin)
The Memory of You (K.Clayton)
This Nearly Was Mine (Rodgers-Hammerstein)
Till There Was You (M. Willson)
The Players:
Paul Austin Kelly, vocals & trumpet
Kenny Clayton, piano
John Rees Jones, bass
Kevin Campbell, drums
24th March 2008
Kelly & Clayton live DVD promo on YouTube!
Our new DVD promo has been uploaded to YouTube but we like it so much we're putting it up here, as well. This was filmed in February at Jagz club in Ascot, here in the south of England.
Kenny Clayton is on piano (of course), Paul Morgan on bass and Michael "Ozzie" Osborne on drums.
Filming and video production are by Alex Greene of Bordello Studios.
14th March 2008
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EeBVSr35R8
Concert with East Sussex Bach Choir
I was soloist for a lovely concert with the East Sussex Bach Choir at Town Hall in Lewes on Saturday evening. The choir sounded lovely and the small hand-picked orchestra very fine, and all very ably conducted by John Hancorn.
The meat of the program was made up of Mozart's 'Solemn Vespers', K339, and Schubert's Mass No 2 in G, D167.
The most notable soloist was the young Irish soprano, Anna Devin who, though still a student, sang with exquisite beauty, musicality and self-assurance. Definitely one to watch out for!
PK
3rd March 2008
link: http://www.annadevin.com/
K&C Live at Jagz on 22nd February!
Paul Austin Kelly and the Kenny Clayton Trio will be at Jagz in Ascot on the 22nd of February. They will be drawing most of their material from their new CD, The Song is You, along with some new material they've been rehearsing.
The Song is You CD can be purchased here from the Walking Oliver website for ?10.99 in UK and Europe or $16.98 in the US.
The performance will start at 8PM. Tickets are ?8 at the door.
5th February 2008
link: http://www.jagz.co.uk/
Kelly & Clayton with Headline Management
Kenny Clayton and I are pleased to announce a new working relationship through Headline Management, based in Basingstoke.
Those wishing to book us as Kelly & Clayton, Paul Austin Kelly with The Kenny Clayton Trio or Paul Austin Kelly with The Clayton Eight please contact Astrid Haight-Smith at Headline at astrid@headlinemanagement.co.uk.
15th January 2008
"The Song is You" CD to be released 1st March 2008
Kenny and I are very pleased to announce the release date of our debut CD, Paul Austin Kelly with The Kenny Clayton Trio / The Song is You.
The CD is slated for release on 1st of March 2008 on the Walking Oliver label and will be distributed through NewSound/ALLEGRO.
Sample tracks from the CD can best be found on our Sonicbids site listed below.
15th January 2008
link: http://www.sonicbids.com/paulaustinkellykennyclayton
Britten/Quilter CD available now
I've been able to manufacture a small quantity of my first recital CD from 1993, called Paul Austin Kelly/20th Century English Art Songs/Britten & Quilter.
It was recorded on 17-18 May 1993 at the Campion Center in Weston, Massachusetts, near Walden Pond outside of Boston. The pianist was my good friend and brilliant musician and conductor, Michael Recchiuti. It was produced by Gunther Schuller.
I don't have the control rights over this album so can't actually sell you a copy but if you would like one, email me your address at paulaustinkelly@gmail.com or through this website and I would be happy to post you a copy. If you would like to make a donation to help cover my expenses you may do so through PayPal at paypal@walkingoliver.com. A donation of $10 USD or £8 BPS would be appreciated.
These are very good CD-R copies but without the lyrics booklet.
There are 2 audio clips from the album here, the first by Benjamin Britten and the second by Roger Quilter:
There are 29 songs that I won't list here in the interests of time and space but the 4 song cycles that comprise the album are Benjamin Britten's The Holy Sonnets of John Donne and On This Island, plus Roger Quilter's Seven Elizabethan Lyrics and To Julia.
It's a lovely CD that I still really enjoy listening to. I hope you'll enjoy it, too.
Cheers,
Paul
12th January 2008
link: http://michaelrecchiuti.com/
Opera scrapbook item!
Here's a photo taken of 3 Rossini tenors together at a restaurant in Pesaro in 1998. That's me on the left, Bruce Ford on the right and the young Juan Diego Fl?rez in the middle. Bruce's son Patric can be seen mugging in the background.
Bruce and I were singing in Rossini's "Otello" that year and Juan Diego might have been making his Pesaro debut in "Cenerentola". Don't remember for sure.
Can you imagine the horror at having 3 tenors together in one restaurant, let alone 3 Rossini tenors. The competitiveness? The egos?
As I recall we all got quite loaded and had a great time!
9th January 2008
Kelly & Clayton return to Shelleys in Lewes!
We're doing it again. Tomorrow night, 1st December 2007 at 9PM. You can have a terrific dinner at Shelleys Hotel and the Kelly & Clayton Christmas concert all for around ?45 per person.
Here's our programme, as always subject to last minute changes??
The Song is You
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
If I Loved You
Settle Down With You
The Memory of You
This Nearly Was Mine
Nobody Brings Anything Small into a Bar
White Christmas
Surrey With the Fringe On Top
The Christmas Song
Call 01273 472361 for reservations
Or email: see link below
I hope we'll see you there!
30th November 2007
link: reservations@shelleys-hotel-lewes.com
Kelly solos at Kennedy Center, press release
George Edward Burles
Public Relations
43-10 48th Avenue, Apt. 2U Tel/Fax: (718) 706-1105
Woodside, New York, 11377
For immediate release:
World-renowned American tenor Paul Austin Kelly returns to the John F. Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington D.C. on Sunday, October 28th 2007 for An Evening of Russian Music. Conducted by Norman Scribner, Mr. Kelly will sing Rachmaninoff's The Bells, a choral symphony based on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe, and Lensky's Aria from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. The program also includes a tribute to Rostropovich and Masterpieces from the Golden Age of Russian Opera.
Paul Austin Kelly made his Kennedy Center debut last season in a performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Other noteworthy recent debuts for Mr. Kelly have included critically acclaimed engagements with Opera Boston, Opera Ireland and his Carnegie Hall debut with the Orchestra of Saint Luke's. Paul Austin Kelly is celebrated internationally for his portrayal of Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville and has performed with such prestigious companies as the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera at Covent Garden and La Scala. Mr. Kelly's operatic discography features new recordings on the Opera Rara label including Meyerbeer's L'Esule di Granata and Notturno, Vol. 8 in the Il Salotto series.
Although a star tenor by night, opera fans will be surprised to learn that Paul Austin Kelly also leads an intriguing parallel life as a singer and songwriter of music for children by day. As the founder of Walking Oliver, the award-winning children?s music label, he brings together a rainbow of musical influences to create innovative, quality musical entertainment for young people. His songs for children humbly began as poems he wrote to his young son Zack while away from home on operatic engagements.
A native of upstate New York, Paul Austin Kelly now lives in the picturesque village of Lewes in southern England with his wife Carol and son Zack. He performs regularly on both sides of the Atlantic.
13th October 2007
link: http://www.choralarts.org/concert_russian.html
Kelly sings at National Concert Hall in Dublin
The Joy of Music! A Gala Charity Performance
Paul Austin Kelly, tenor - Mari Moriya, soprano
Sat 22nd September, 8:00pm
Strauss Cz?rd?s - Die Fledermaus
Smetana Overture - The Bartered Bride
Leh?r 'Dein ist mein ganzes Hertz' - 'The Land of Smiles
Saint-Sa?ns 'The Carnival of the Animals' for Piano and Orchestra (Narrated by David Davin Power)
Kalman Overture - 'The Gypsy Princess'
Traditional 'She moved through the fair' arr Simon Morgan
Donizetti Prelude and part Act 1 - 'L'elisir d'amore
(Semi-staged and costumed)
Paul Austin Kelly, Tenor
Mari Moriya, Soprano
Simon Morgan, Baritone
Tara Erraught, Mezzo
Finghin and Dearbhla Collins, Piano
The Veronica Dunne Chorus
RTE Concert Orchestra conducted by Laurent Wagner
David Davin-Power, Narrator
A magnificent Charity Gala Concert celebrating the joy music brings, over a wide spectrum of different types of music. With a wonderful cast including Finghin and Dearbhla Collins and the two top prizewinnners from the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, Mari Moriya and Tara Erraught. A semi-staged and costumed performance of part of Act 1 of Donizetti's scintillating romantic comedy 'L'Elisir d'amore' will send you home with a smile. The RTE Concert Orchestra under the baton of Laurent Wagner adds to the fun. Tenor Paul Austin Kelly and baritone Simon Morgan both make welcome returns to the National Concert Hall, and the Veronica Dunne Chorus makes its debut in the 'Elisir'. An evening to just sit back and enjoy - with the added knowledge that you are also helping Irish Charities.
Presented by:
Events GLI Limited in association with The Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition and RT? Lyric FM
22nd September 2007
Kelly & Clayton debut CD recorded!
On the 23rd and 24th of this month Kenny and I recorded the songs that will make up our first CD together.
We had the great fortune to have had John Rees Jones on bass and Kevin Campbell on drums, too, both of whom are splendid musicians, very intuitive and soulful.
The songs we recorded were as follows??
1. The Song Is You (Kern/Hammerstein)
2. The Folks Who Live on the Hill/The Fool on the Hill
3. Spring is Here/Rustles of Spring
4. Im wundersch?nen Monat Mai/You?ll Never Know
NEW YORK SUITE:
5. New York State of Mind (B. Joel)
6. Do You Miss New York? (D.Frishberg)
7. My Attorney, Bernie (D.Frishberg)
8. Manhattan (Rodgers & Hart)
9. The Memory of You (K.Clayton)
10. Settle Down with You (P.A. Kelly)
11. All the Things You Are (Kern/Hermmerstein)
12. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Rodgers & Hart)
13. This Nearly Was Mine (Rodgers & Hammerstein)
14. I Only Have Eyes for You (H.Warren/A.Dubin)
15. Till There Was You (M.Willson)
We do expect that most, if not all, of these songs will make it to the final release. Editing is taking place this week and next and we should have a final master copy for manufacturing by the end of September. We're aiming for a mid-November release.
Many thanks to Chris Braclik, the engineer at Soundtrack Productions for his help and expertise and to Jacqui, our producer, for her fantastically musical ears and great good sense. Also, our sincerest thanks to Chris's wife Fiona for the great food, drink and hospitality!
Keep watching this space for more news.
28th August 2007
Gloucestershire Echo reviews Cheltenham
21st August 2007
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Paul and Lesley team up again in Chelteham
Paul Austin Kelly was the special guest of Lesley Garrett last night, 18 August, at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse. This gala benefit concert was in aid of the Leukaemia Intensive Chemotherapy charity, and also featured the superb playing of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
This is the second time these two consummate artists have appeared together, singing music ranging from opera to show tunes to film music. Under the baton of conductor Philip Ellis, the programme featured some rousing orchestral solos, including the Shostakovich Festive Overture, Johann Strauss? Champagne Polka, and John Williams Flying Theme from the film ?E.T.?
Paul and Lesley displayed beautiful musicianship in their duets together, which included two excerpts from Verdi?s La Traviata, Parigi, o cara, and Libiamo, the famous drinking song. From the film Moulin Rouge, they sang Come What May, giving serious competition to Ewan MacGregor and Nicole Kidman.
Wowing the crowd with her spectacular singing and showmanship, Lesley?s solo pieces were O mio babbino caro, Song to the Moon, If I Loved You, and Moon River, among many others. She ended the evening with an inspirational rendition of The Impossible Dream.
Taking on the roles of lovesick tenor or rake, Paul sang Una furtiva lagrima, and La donna ? mobile, as well as dipping into the more popular idiom of Till There was You and With a Song in My Heart.
The audience numbered almost 2000, and a moving speech was delivered by the patron of LINC, Lady Apsley, thanking all the generous sponsors and audience members who have donated so generously to the work of this important charity. The LINC chair, Dr Gill Rouse, proclaimed the evening to be the best of the concert series thus far, and judging from the audience reaction, they all agreed with her.
19th August 2007
link: http://www.lesleygarrett.co.uk/
New MySpace page!
Come visit us now on MySpace!
(Photo courtesy of Janice Broxup)
26th June 2007
link: http://www.myspace.com/paulaustinkelly
I'm Lesley Garrett's guest artist at Hampton Court Palace on Saturday 16th June-
I'm stepping in for an ailing Gardar Thor Cortes as part of "Lesley Garrett & Friends" at the Hampton Court Palace in London on Saturday night. Hannah Waddingham (Spamalot) will also be appearing on the same bill.
Not clear yet on all of the repertoire but for certain will be Come What May from Moulin Rouge and the Brindisi from La Traviata as duets between me and Lesley. I met Lesley a few weeks ago and I know she loves that "Come What May" tune, so I'm looking forward to that! Also a couple of solo pieces for me, Una furtiva lagrima and Maria from West Side Story.
My original date with Lesley still stands as part of the Cheltenham Festival on 18th August.
I hope it doesn't rain and I hope you'll all turn out in droves and enjoy the champagne, music and fireworks afterwards. Hope to see you there!
Tickets: ?42.50 | ?45
14th June 2007
Kelly & Clayton premiere concert in Hove
?Paul Austin Kelly and Kenny Clayton are a duo made in heaven,? according to Lesley Garrett, already a fan of these two talented musicians.
Appearing together in a concert enticingly titled, ?The Song Magic of Rodgers & Hammerstein & Friends?, the new performing team of Kelly & Clayton will be offering an evening of selections from the Great American Songbook, beloved music from the 30?s through the 70?s.
Capturing the magic of the early decades of American popular music, Kelly and Clayton present a programme of timeless lyrical and sophisticated music. They draw primarily on the works of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Jerome Kern, but also breathe new life into such diverse descendants of these icons as Dave Frishberg and Billy Joel.
Their repertoire includes the classics People Will Say We?re In Love, Some Enchanted Evening, and I Only Have Eyes for You, songs which were made famous by such legendary American singers as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday and Mel Torme.
"Kenny and I began working on this repertoire because the songs are so beautifully written they?ll take any number of different stylistic interpretations and still stay intact, musically and emotionally. And as a singer, that?s great for me,? says Paul. ?My classical training comes in handy because these guys wrote songs for singers who could act, rather than for actors who could sing, as in earlier shows.?
Although raised on pop and jazz standards, Paul Austin Kelly made a career singing opera at La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden and other top-level opera venues. He gained international acclaim for his performances of the demanding tenor roles of Rossini and Mozart.
Kenny Clayton trained as a classical musician and exploited his love of jazz and popular music as pianist and musical director to artists such as Petula Clark, Johnny Rae, Dick Haymes and Matt Monro. He performs with his own jazz group, the Kenny Clayton Trio.
Together, the dynamic performing duo of Kelly & Clayton covers all ends of the musical spectrum, from pop to opera, from jazz standards to classical song.
They can be heard in concert on 8 June 7:30PM, at St. John the Baptist Church, Palmeira Square, Hove.
Tickets are ?10, and can be booked via: info@operalite.co.uk, by phone on 01273 475532, or on the door.
8th June 2007
link: http://www.sonicbids.com/paulaustinkellykennyclayton
Durrant & Kelly together again!
WORLD PREMIERE OF ?SUPERLUMINAL? BY RICHARD DURRANT
Says Richard Durrant, ?Superluminal is a musical illustration of my interest in the strange world of quantum theory. I always feel exhilarated by the quantum view which seems to unite the mysteries of the physical and spiritual aspects of the universe under the heading: ?Things that are definitely there but are still under investigation?. In other words, discount nothing. It?s all a mystery. It all has terrifying beauty."
The music of Superluminal will be complemented by settings of Manley Hopkins? ?God?s Grandeur?, extracts form Milton?s ?Paradise Lost?, ?Dance your Dance? by contemporary poet David Barnett and details from the life of Einstein. Singer Paul Austin Kelly and flautist Luke Strevens will both be using foot operated samplers and Richard will control aspects of the sound with two Kaoss Pads.
The concert will also include: guitar solos from Richard, Benjamin Britten folk songs for guitar and high voice sung by Paul Austin Kelly and folk music from Romania, Macedonia & Bulgaria in Richard?s ?Rucenitsa Quartet? a seven movement work for flute, guitar, viola, cello.
Richard Durrant ? guitars & electronics
Paul Austin Kelly ? voice
The Cirrus Ensemble
Luke Strevens, Flute
Steve Shakeshaft, Viola
Dave Burrowes, Cello
Malcolm Buchanan-Dick - Projections
When: Friday, June 01 2007 @ 08:00 PM BST - 10:00 PM BST
Where: Lancing College Chapel
Lancing College
Sussex
For Tickets Email: sales@ropetacklecentre.co.uk
1st June 2007
link: http://www.richard-durrant.com
View our Sonicbids Press Kit!
Hey music lovers,
Kenny Clayton and I now have what's called a Sonicbids EPK. That's an Emailable Press Kit, for those of you not familiar with the acronym. It displays our bios, a few audio clips, photos, engagement calendar and reviews all in one place and we can email it around to anyone with an email address.
We're also making it available here on the PAK site where it can be viewed by anyone interested in following our progress and finding out where we might be playing next. We'll also use it to make high-resolution photos available to the press in a convenient all-in-one-place location.
23rd April 2007
link: http://www.sonicbids.com/paulaustinkellykennyclayton
Welcome to the new (and not yet finished) website!
After 5 years of nurturing my children?s music site, Walking Oliver, I have the need and the desire once again to have a site dedicated to my more mature aspirations??what few I have left. ;-)
My old site was dedicated to my operatic and concert singing career and due to several factors, primary among which was its lack of accessibility, it had been allowed to fall far behind the times, shall we say. It hadn?t seen an update in 6 years.
It was a nice site for its time and many people commented on how much fun it was to browse through. I?m still amazed that it?s had as many visitors as it has considering how old most of the information there is. Ah, well??somebody still loves me.
New things, though, are beginning to happen now?? I?m finding a new voice and want a place to talk about it and share it with you all.
20th February 2007