Vocalist Maureen Kennedy developed her love for jazz in her early twenties when she studied for six years with Canadian flugelhorn and trumpet player Fred Stone. The purity of her sound and her restrained use of vibrato developed under his tutelage. She also studied voice with American jazz singer Jay Clayton at the Banff Centre for the Arts as part of their jazz studies program, which was directed by bassist Dave Holland and pianist Don Thompson. Through the years she has cultivated an extensive repertoire of memorable standards and rediscovered gems that compliment her very personal sound. This is evident in her debut recording This Is Always, which features a selection of classic standards including rarely recorded compositions by Billy Strayhorn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke, Alec Wilder and Antonio Carlos Jobim. In addition, the arranging talents of pianist Nancy Walker are showcased in covers of two folk songs written by Nick Drake and Sandy Denny. This Is Always was produced by Kieran Overs and engineered by Chad Irschick at Inception Sound studio in Toronto. Accompanying Maureen on the disc are Toronto based musicians Nancy Walker (piano), Kieran Overs (bass), and Anthony Michelli (drums). Since its release, the disc has received airplay on numerous CBC radio programs including Jazz Beat, After Hours, Disc Drive, Hot Air, among others; Jazz FM 91 in Toronto; and the Public Radio International show Jazz After Hours, which is syndicated throughout the U.S. on National Public Radio (NPR). It also reached #6 on the National Jazz Chart in Canada for campus and community radio. A cut from the recording is also included on Real Divas Vol. II, a compilation CD, produced by Bill King, of some of Canada's most distinguished female jazz vocalists. Performances at numerous venues and arts events in Toronto have included gigs at The Montreal Bistro, The Rex Jazz Bar, Mezzetta, Rhode’s, Le Select Bistro, the Hart House Jazz Series at the University of Toronto, the Oakwood Village Festival of the Arts. Maureen has also participated in the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005 Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival and the 2005 Distillery Jazz Festival. Distinguished musicians who have performed with Maureen Kennedy include guitarists Reg Schwager, Ted Quinlan and Roy Patterson, pianists Nancy Walker, Richard Whiteman and Dave Restivo, saxophonist Perry White, drummers Ted Warren and Barry Romberg, and bassists Mike Downes, Jim Vivian and Artie Roth. Press: "If only other emerging jazz singers were able (or willing) to produce a song selection as fresh as this one." - Michael Gladstone, All About Jazz "She has a wonderful, direct approach to this music" - Jim Wilke, Jazz After Hours, Public Radio International "Coming straight out of left field, Kennedy reveals a lush and sensitive instrument, ideally suited to the tasty, unusual repertoire she has selected for herself on this debut release." - George Evans, Planet Jazz, Spring 2004