Hale Baskin and her Jazz Addiction

M-A senior takes the stage Wednesday in Fremont Park
by Sean Howell
Almanac Staff
If you close your eyes at the concert in Fremont Park this Wednesday, July 19, you might hear the confident delivery and nuanced phrasings of an experienced jazz singer, someone who has honed her skills with world-class musicians.
That would be an accurate description of Hale Baskin, who will perform in the fourth week of Menlo Park's Summer Concert Series.
But you probably wouldn't guess that Hale is a 17-year-old student at Menlo-Atherton High School, where she will be a senior next year.
"I'm the only 17-year-old I know who has a day planner," she jokes.
Hale, a resident of Redwood City, has sung at Fremont Park in the past as part of her high school jazz ensemble. This time around she will be the featured performer, with professional musicians backing her up.
She will be accompanied by Dee Spencer on piano, Ron E. Beck on drums, David Jones on bass and Danny Hull on saxophone and harmonica.
She's been catching the attention of Bay Area jazz enthusiasts since she was in her early teens, when she recorded her first album, "Forecast Calls for Hale," at age 13. The performance earned her a DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award in 2002.
Her father, Bill, inspired her love for jazz by singing classics like "Route 66" to her when she was a child, she says. He has taken her to the Monterey Jazz Festival for as long as she can remember.
"I don't remember making a conscious choice to sing jazz," she says. "I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else."
Hale really broke onto the Bay Area jazz scene in the last week of 2005, during a run of 12 performances as a guest singer at Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, a Cuban expatriate and a pre-eminent Latin jazz musician.
They met after Bill Baskin wrote lyrics to a Sandoval instrumental composition, "Closely Dancing," and sent them to him, asking for his approval for Hale to record it.
"I was going to record the song, but not with lyrics (Mr. Sandoval) didn't like," Hale says. "His booking agent called back and said that he loved them, and that he wanted me to send the song in when I recorded it. He heard it and invited me to sing with him at Yoshi's."
She describes Mr. Sandoval with reverence and appreciation. "Man, playing with him is such an honor. Every single time I see him I get star-struck," she says.
Nervous time for Hale came only after the show, making small talk with Mr. Sandoval backstage.
She played with him recently — and unexpectedly — on June 14, the night Mr. Sandoval was scheduled to perform at the historic 500-seat Napa Valley Opera House.
"He called and said, 'What are you doing tonight? Sound-check's in two and a half hours.'"
Mr. Sandoval's last-minute call presented a perfect opportunity for Hale to test her improvisational jazz chops.
"We traded solos back and forth; it was fun to play with it," she says. "I learned how to solo from that show."
When asked about her favorite musicians, she immediately names Kim Nalley, the owner of Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco, saying that she admires Ms. Nalley's scatting ability. She also enjoys more traditional jazz singers, such as Natalie Cole, Billie Holiday and Diane Schurr, as well as music from the Preservation Hall and Dixieland eras.
Hale draws much of her material from the Great American Songbook, a term that refers to the peak of popular songwriting between 1930 and 1950.
"It's a lot of hard work," Hale says when asked about her success. "Sometimes, it feels like the amount of success I have is not related to the amount of work I put in. But I am proud of what I've accomplished so far."
This summer, Hale will continue to sing at festivals, clubs and concerts, including the Burlingame Art and Wine Festival in August and the Canterbury Woods Jazz Festival in September. She also plans to record her second full-length CD, scheduled for completion by the end of summer.
Hale says that she wants to sing jazz for the rest of her life, and plans to do so professionally. She won't, however, focus primarily on music in college.
She is looking forward to the concert in Fremont Park because it will give her a chance to let loose after singing in more intimate venues recently, she says.
"Until I get there, I don't know who's going to take a solo, whether we're going to play ballads or something more up-tempo," she says. "It depends on the audience. We just kind of go with it."
You can read more about Hale and listen to some of her recordings at her Web site, www.halebaskin.com.

- Sean Howell, Palo Alto Weekly

M-A senior takes the stage Wednesday in Fremont Park
by Sean Howell
Almanac Staff
If you close your eyes at the concert in Fremont Park this Wednesday, July 19, you might hear the confident delivery and nuanced phrasings of an experienced jazz singer, someone who has honed her skills with world-class musicians.
That would be an accurate description of Hale Baskin, who will perform in the fourth week of Menlo Park's Summer Concert Series.
But you probably wouldn't guess that Hale is a 17-year-old student at Menlo-Atherton High School, where she will be a senior next year.
"I'm the only 17-year-old I know who has a day planner," she jokes.
Hale, a resident of Redwood City, has sung at Fremont Park in the past as part of her high school jazz ensemble. This time around she will be the featured performer, with professional musicians backing her up.
She will be accompanied by Dee Spencer on piano, Ron E. Beck on drums, David Jones on bass and Danny Hull on saxophone and harmonica.
She's been catching the attention of Bay Area jazz enthusiasts since she was in her early teens, when she recorded her first album, "Forecast Calls for Hale," at age 13. The performance earned her a DownBeat Magazine Student Music Award in 2002.
Her father, Bill, inspired her love for jazz by singing classics like "Route 66" to her when she was a child, she says. He has taken her to the Monterey Jazz Festival for as long as she can remember.
"I don't remember making a conscious choice to sing jazz," she says. "I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else."
Hale really broke onto the Bay Area jazz scene in the last week of 2005, during a run of 12 performances as a guest singer at Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, a Cuban expatriate and a pre-eminent Latin jazz musician.
They met after Bill Baskin wrote lyrics to a Sandoval instrumental composition, "Closely Dancing," and sent them to him, asking for his approval for Hale to record it.
"I was going to record the song, but not with lyrics (Mr. Sandoval) didn't like," Hale says. "His booking agent called back and said that he loved them, and that he wanted me to send the song in when I recorded it. He heard it and invited me to sing with him at Yoshi's."
She describes Mr. Sandoval with reverence and appreciation. "Man, playing with him is such an honor. Every single time I see him I get star-struck," she says.
Nervous time for Hale came only after the show, making small talk with Mr. Sandoval backstage.
She played with him recently — and unexpectedly — on June 14, the night Mr. Sandoval was scheduled to perform at the historic 500-seat Napa Valley Opera House.
"He called and said, 'What are you doing tonight? Sound-check's in two and a half hours.'"
Mr. Sandoval's last-minute call presented a perfect opportunity for Hale to test her improvisational jazz chops.
"We traded solos back and forth; it was fun to play with it," she says. "I learned how to solo from that show."
When asked about her favorite musicians, she immediately names Kim Nalley, the owner of Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco, saying that she admires Ms. Nalley's scatting ability. She also enjoys more traditional jazz singers, such as Natalie Cole, Billie Holiday and Diane Schurr, as well as music from the Preservation Hall and Dixieland eras.
Hale draws much of her material from the Great American Songbook, a term that refers to the peak of popular songwriting between 1930 and 1950.
"It's a lot of hard work," Hale says when asked about her success. "Sometimes, it feels like the amount of success I have is not related to the amount of work I put in. But I am proud of what I've accomplished so far."
This summer, Hale will continue to sing at festivals, clubs and concerts, including the Burlingame Art and Wine Festival in August and the Canterbury Woods Jazz Festival in September. She also plans to record her second full-length CD, scheduled for completion by the end of summer.
Hale says that she wants to sing jazz for the rest of her life, and plans to do so professionally. She won't, however, focus primarily on music in college.
She is looking forward to the concert in Fremont Park because it will give her a chance to let loose after singing in more intimate venues recently, she says.
"Until I get there, I don't know who's going to take a solo, whether we're going to play ballads or something more up-tempo," she says. "It depends on the audience. We just kind of go with it."
You can read more about Hale and listen to some of her recordings at her Web site, www.halebaskin.com.

- Sean Howell, Palo Alto Weekly

Menlo-Atherton High School student Hale Baskin is awarded an “outstanding performance” for her submission to the 29th DOWNBEAT Student music awards.

DOWNBBEAT Magazine was first impressed with Hale’s vocal talents when they awarded her first place in the Junior High School division of their 2002 Student Music Awards. Her prize: a scholarship to Berklee College of Music's summer program, which she completed in 2003.

This years winning offering to DOWNBEAT consisted of three songs. First was a powerful Wayne Wallace arrangement of Billie Holliday’s “God Bless The Child” with six horns, B-3 organ, guitar and drums. Hale’s impressive rendition of this classic put her in the winners circle. The second was a Dr. Ronnell Bright tune called “Sweet Pumpkin” which was arranged by her current mentor, Nate Pruitt. This lively swing number has great chord changes and is seldom heard as a vocal. Hale digs into the pocket while building the vocal intensity from beginning to end. The third song w as the bluesy tune “Gee Baby.” Hale does a great trombone sounding scat on this one which surely drew the adjudicator’s attention to her versatility.

Hale is no stranger to the recording studio either. She actually began her recording career at the Annex digital studio in Menlo Park in December, 2001 with pianist Larry Dunlap, bassist Seward McCain and drummer Jim Zimmerman. This recording session produced her previous winning submission to the 2002 DOWNBEAT contest.

Listening to Baskin's sophisticated voice and nuanced phrasings, it's hard to believe she was only 13 when her first CD "Forecast Calls For Hale" was completed. Boasting mostly jazz standards ("My repertoire was more limited then, so I sang the ones I thought I could do best"), the album sparkles with a talent-in-the-making.

It stood out from the competition when Suzanne Warren, coordinator of the City of Palo Alto's summer concert series, first heard it. "I did not know her age initially when I listened to the CD. When I found out how young she was, I was definitely blown away!" Warren said.

Hale is also lead vocalist in the Menlo-Atherton High School Advanced Jazz Ensemble. She has won numerous International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) performance awards at competitions with her school band. Singing in a big band, Baskin said, has helped her sing with a smaller ensemble. "There's so much energy in a big band, and it's helped me transpose that energy to a smaller group."

Hale has been performing at festivals, corporate and private parties, fundraisers, clubs and concerts. She is always accompanied by Bay Area pro jazz musicians who love to perform with her.

Hale ended her busy 2005 gig calendar as guest vocalist with Arturo Sandoval’s band performing 12 shows through New Years Day at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square in Oakland. Hale said, “That band is crazy good and you really have to stay on top of it when performing with them. There’s no room for error.”

Hale’s view of the future of jazz is following the tradition of the great musicians who have developed the true American music form. “I love to sing the songbook and I also really like to try new things like scatting ‘Scrapple From the Apple’ to a Hip Hop beat.”

"The kids who are into jazz want to change it in some way, to make it newer," Baskin said. "As you become more accomplished as a musician, you hear more possibilities." The new generation of jazz musicians, according to Baskin, are putting their own spin on the genre, updating it for the 21st century.

Hale also attends Stanford Jazz Workshop. “Dena DeRose taught me the basics of jazz singing. She was the first teacher I had. In the beginning I was pretty shy, but by the end I wasn't shy at all. I was excited about discovering my talent."

Hale’s parents, Bill and Judi Baskin, have been instrumental in nurturing their daughter's love of music. "My Dad always knew I could sing. He taught me my first jazz song, 'Route 66.'"

But Baskin has other support, as well, such as Frank Moura, director of Menlo-Atherton's Advanced Jazz Ensemble (and two of the school's other jazz bands as well as concert band). She has known Moura ever since she started singing with the ensemble while she was still in middle school. Moura recognized the Redwood City resident's talent and Hale has thoroughly enjoyed his enthusiastic leadership.

Baskin has also sat in with vocalist Kim Nalley, owner of Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco. The experience has taught Baskin how hard it is to master the genre's improvisational nature.

Check out Hale’s Bio on her web site. It reads like that of a pro three times her age.

More Info on Hale Baskin see www.halebaskin.com



- DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE

Menlo-Atherton High School student Hale Baskin is awarded an “outstanding performance” for her submission to the 29th DOWNBEAT Student music awards.

DOWNBBEAT Magazine was first impressed with Hale’s vocal talents when they awarded her first place in the Junior High School division of their 2002 Student Music Awards. Her prize: a scholarship to Berklee College of Music's summer program, which she completed in 2003.

This years winning offering to DOWNBEAT consisted of three songs. First was a powerful Wayne Wallace arrangement of Billie Holliday’s “God Bless The Child” with six horns, B-3 organ, guitar and drums. Hale’s impressive rendition of this classic put her in the winners circle. The second was a Dr. Ronnell Bright tune called “Sweet Pumpkin” which was arranged by her current mentor, Nate Pruitt. This lively swing number has great chord changes and is seldom heard as a vocal. Hale digs into the pocket while building the vocal intensity from beginning to end. The third song w as the bluesy tune “Gee Baby.” Hale does a great trombone sounding scat on this one which surely drew the adjudicator’s attention to her versatility.

Hale is no stranger to the recording studio either. She actually began her recording career at the Annex digital studio in Menlo Park in December, 2001 with pianist Larry Dunlap, bassist Seward McCain and drummer Jim Zimmerman. This recording session produced her previous winning submission to the 2002 DOWNBEAT contest.

Listening to Baskin's sophisticated voice and nuanced phrasings, it's hard to believe she was only 13 when her first CD "Forecast Calls For Hale" was completed. Boasting mostly jazz standards ("My repertoire was more limited then, so I sang the ones I thought I could do best"), the album sparkles with a talent-in-the-making.

It stood out from the competition when Suzanne Warren, coordinator of the City of Palo Alto's summer concert series, first heard it. "I did not know her age initially when I listened to the CD. When I found out how young she was, I was definitely blown away!" Warren said.

Hale is also lead vocalist in the Menlo-Atherton High School Advanced Jazz Ensemble. She has won numerous International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) performance awards at competitions with her school band. Singing in a big band, Baskin said, has helped her sing with a smaller ensemble. "There's so much energy in a big band, and it's helped me transpose that energy to a smaller group."

Hale has been performing at festivals, corporate and private parties, fundraisers, clubs and concerts. She is always accompanied by Bay Area pro jazz musicians who love to perform with her.

Hale ended her busy 2005 gig calendar as guest vocalist with Arturo Sandoval’s band performing 12 shows through New Years Day at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square in Oakland. Hale said, “That band is crazy good and you really have to stay on top of it when performing with them. There’s no room for error.”

Hale’s view of the future of jazz is following the tradition of the great musicians who have developed the true American music form. “I love to sing the songbook and I also really like to try new things like scatting ‘Scrapple From the Apple’ to a Hip Hop beat.”

"The kids who are into jazz want to change it in some way, to make it newer," Baskin said. "As you become more accomplished as a musician, you hear more possibilities." The new generation of jazz musicians, according to Baskin, are putting their own spin on the genre, updating it for the 21st century.

Hale also attends Stanford Jazz Workshop. “Dena DeRose taught me the basics of jazz singing. She was the first teacher I had. In the beginning I was pretty shy, but by the end I wasn't shy at all. I was excited about discovering my talent."

Hale’s parents, Bill and Judi Baskin, have been instrumental in nurturing their daughter's love of music. "My Dad always knew I could sing. He taught me my first jazz song, 'Route 66.'"

But Baskin has other support, as well, such as Frank Moura, director of Menlo-Atherton's Advanced Jazz Ensemble (and two of the school's other jazz bands as well as concert band). She has known Moura ever since she started singing with the ensemble while she was still in middle school. Moura recognized the Redwood City resident's talent and Hale has thoroughly enjoyed his enthusiastic leadership.

Baskin has also sat in with vocalist Kim Nalley, owner of Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco. The experience has taught Baskin how hard it is to master the genre's improvisational nature.

Check out Hale’s Bio on her web site. It reads like that of a pro three times her age.

More Info on Hale Baskin see www.halebaskin.com



- DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE