Kathy Wade The First Voice of A New Era! Kathy Wade, 2004 City Beat CEA Best Jazz Artist, #1 Jazz and Blues Vocalist on MP3.com; #1 MP3.com Jazz Vocal 'Time To Say Good-bye' featured on Sci-Fi network's 'First Wave' sound track and featured in Essence Magazine, , an award winning international entertainer whose "rich interpretative skills as a song stylist extraordinaire" captures the imagery of emotion on her debut compact disc You Got The Magic. (DAKA Music) Magic, recorded in Los Angeles, accents Kathy's "multi-octave contralto of effervescent energy" with world renowned musicians including Gerald Albright, Harvey Mason and GRAMMY nominated Arranger, Producer/Pianist, Bill Cunliffe. Kathy's "expressive voice can extract the essence out of a song the way a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat" on her upcoming 2005 release "Kathy Wade, Klassic" and as revealed on the video counterpart of her debut single, Someone's In Love, awarded an EMMY, a TELLY and three International Film and Television Festival awards. "A nuclear reactor where her vocal chords should be", Kathy has appeared with artists from Diane Schuur, Dionne Warwick, Cleo Laine, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, Kenny G, Yolanda Adams, Anita Baker, David Sanborn, George Benson, and Najee to Will Downing. Stars in her debut PBS special, Kathy Wade, Jazzstruck, toured the United States, Caribbean and Europe. Kathy, a graduate of the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati and recipient of CCM's 2004 William 'Lawless' Jones Jazz Award, entertains over 850,000 participants of Learning Through Art, Inc. performing arts educational presentations and wins rave reviews for her work in 'Ain't Misbehavin', the 60's review, 'Beehive' at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and guest actress in the national tour of 'The Vagina Monologues'. PRESS REVIEW Wade, Schuur Don't Let Night Cool Down By Cecelia D. Johnson, Cincinnati Enquirer Contributor It was a different kind of girls' night out, no disrespect to Reba McIntyre. The glory of song and voice was the order of the evening as the "Hood is Bigger Than You Think Tour culminated with the Crown Jewels of Jazz fund-raising gala Saturday evening in the Music Hall Ballroom. Following a sumptuous meal and accolades for 'Heart of the Arts' recipients Barbara Gould and Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, the main fare of the evening was served up in grand style with tasty helpings of Diane Schuur and Kathy Wade. Ms. Wade, Cincinnati's premier diva, has a day job as the president of Learning Through Art (LTA), a non-profit performing arts organization that augments arts education. The 'Hood Tour is one of LTA's outreach components. The gala not only benefits LTA, but it also provides a chance for Ms. Wade to present and share the stage with some of her idols. For Ms. Wade, the evening could have been bittersweet; it was just after last year's gala that she suffered the sudden loss of her husband and LTA's co-founder, Dan Jenkins. Ever the professional, ebullient Ms. Wade took to the stage with infectious enthusiasm, outshining her shimmering gold gown. The energy level was high as she bounded through her opening, "Them There Eyes", with rapid fire delivery. The Khalid Moss Trio, former pianist with the late great Betty Carter, was more than up to the task as it fueled the rhythm. Ms. Wade simmered down a tad for a thoughtful turn of "Here Comes That Rainy Day". To keep things getting too cool, she turned the burner up full throttle with a scorching vamp of "Fever" that would earn a nod of approval from last year's gala performer, Shirley Horn, as Mr. Moss added more smoke on keyboards. A scat-happy Ms. Wade traded riffs with Mr. Moss, bassist Ariel de la Portilla and drummer Melvin Broach on "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing" before she segued to a very sensitive, yet sophisticated read of "My One and Only Love". After announcing "It's Time to Say Goodbye", Ms. Wade closed her set with a bluesy "Spice of Life". Battling the remains from a bout of bronchitis, Ms. Schuur regrouped from a brief coughing fit to wrap up her program with a really sweet dessert in a nod to her most recent release, "Friends for Schuur", a duet project, Deedles invited her hostess with the mostest to join her on stage to bring down the house with a rousing version of "Muddy Waters".