Kai Alece
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Kai Alece

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"ABYSSJazz Magazine"

She's not the new kid on the block. She sang back-up for Glenn Jones and has opened for noted national acts like Mary J. Blige and Cherrelle. Alece’s sound is fresh, yet sultry, with all the sophistication of a Natalie Cole or Diana Krall with an R&B twist. Reason, Season or Lifetime, her debut album, will be released on December 4. The album is centered around encouraging you to find yourself. The blending of smooth and mainstream jazz intertwined with moving lyrics was used to accomplish this. The use of music to lovingly tell us that all relationships are not forever, is in my opinion, an ingenious way to deliver a message that for many is a bitter pill to swallow.

“Music has always been a part of my life. Both my parents are musicians.” The Jacksonville, Florida native started singing at the age of six in church choirs and at home. “My mom plays the piano and dad plays the guitar.” This is an up close and personal look into the life of a rising star. We are going Beneath the Music with Kai Alece. “We lived on the second floor of the jazz club/restaurant they owned. Live music was featured nightly. So, I even heard music in my dreams. As I got older, I listened closely to a lot of different artists and tried to imitate them. That was the beginning of what I now know to be my destiny.”


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- Lyndah Glover


"Florida Times-Union"

Singer finds her own way to success


By TONYAA WEATHERSBEE
River City News
A funny thing happened to Karen Hodge on her journey toward medical school.

First she took a detour to pharmacy school. Then she took another turn -- to the recording studio.

But from the looks of things, Hodge's last stop wasn't a detour.

It's her destiny.

"I started out wanting to go into the medical field," said the 20-something singer, who said she majored in pharmacy at Florida A&M University with plans to pursue a medical degree later.

"But while I was in pharmacy school, that's when the music started. ... Basically, I had a friend who was doing a gospel album, and he needed someone to do background vocals for him. That led to me doing some demos for him, and when they got out, people liked them. We got a lot of good feedback."

For Hodge, who also sang in her church choir and numerous other choruses while growing up, the music hasn't stopped.

Hodge, who is known by her performing name Kai Alece, is a jazz and rhythm-and-blues artist who has appeared in venues all over town. She has also opened for national artists such as Mary J. Blige. But Hodge isn't just dreaming and hoping that some mogul will make her a star.

The Northwest Jacksonville native is using her education -- she works as a pharmacist here -- and her ambition to be her own mogul.

"That's the big thing about being a pharmacist and being able to pay your own finances," Hodge said. "I haven't turned on the TV in my house in months because I've been reading about the recording industry. ... I have tons of books on this industry.

"So I formed my own label, because I figured I knew what I needed to do to get myself out. I've always said that I'm going to be the first female [to be featured] in Essence magazine who has a label and is running it."

- Tonyaa Weathersbee


"Times-Union Weekender"

Smooth-jazz's Kai Alece doing something she loves


Local smooth-jazz singer Kai Alece is a great voice in a lost genre. "I think smooth jazz is really for the older, mature 25-year-old and all the way up," she said.

Alece started her career looking to break into the R&B and hip-hop genres. She sang backup for Mary J. Blige but then kind of discovered her love for jazz.

She recorded her debut album, Reason, Season or Lifetime,and she's having a CD release party Thursday at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.

The album is full of sultry, smooth-jazz-and-R&B-tinged compositions. Alece's voice is great, but at times it can be too controlled; you just want her to let loose and scream a couple of times. The stand-out track is Slow Down, which combines a social commentary on the hurriedness of society with a syncopated bass line to create a jaunty feel that's really irresistible.


Alece said she grew up listening to smooth jazz but hadn't really listened to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald. On a recent day, she was at her office, preparing for Thursday's performance. She was listening to Fitzgerald.

"Basically, I'm in the process of my continual jazz studies. Every day I listen to jazz, I learn something," she said.

Alece's CD release party is at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, 300 W. Water St. Tickets are $15. Information: (904) 766-1766.

- Eyder Peralta


"The Jazz Nation"

Jimmy Sommers knows how to throw a Smooth Jazz party, and there’s no better place to do just that than beachside on a summer night in Florida. The Jacksonville Beach Seawalk Pavilion is a small amphitheater that overlooks the ocean and is surrounded by some of the areas most popular bars and restaurants. It is large enough to hold a good sized crowd but small enough to create a more intimate atmosphere than most outdoor venues. When Sommers came running up to the guys from our Smooth Jazz station raving about what a great place it was, we knew we were in for more than just a set of perfectly executed smooth jazz songs. Sommers is a guy who can hang!

He hit the stage running, setting the mood for the evening with an infectuously funky version of Kool and the Gangs "Take My Heart” that got the crowd on their feet before they could get their lawn chairs unfolded, then let them loosen up and settle in with an extended bluesy version of “James’ Cafe", the title track from his first CD. Both songs featured rousing solos from Stan Cooper on guitar and Leon Rawlings on bass, who got to stretch out and jam quite a bit as the evening continued. In a live setting "This Weekend” is more uptempo and danceable, and when people started dancing in front of the stage, Sommers moved closer to the edge and urged them on with some fiery improvisation. As Cooper and Rawlings traded chops onstage Sommers walked out into the crowd and got comfortable, playing a few notes to fans as he passed by. Then finding a group with a nice picnic spread, he sat down and hung out for a while. Making his way back to the stage, he played for a couple of large, wet, Golden Retrievers who enjoyed him immensely, as did their owners. Back on stage he gave us another old school party jam, a soulful version of Earth Wind and Fire’s "You Can’t Hide Love," then invited Kai Alece, an up and coming local vocalist, to join him. That they sounded like they had been working together for years, is a tribute to both Sommers and Alece’s charisma and professionalism. They made it sound loose and casual, but they were tight! Sommers then treated us to a breathtaking version of "America The Beautiful" and wrapped up the evening with his chart topping cover of "Lowdown".

Throughout the evening Sommers hung out with the crowd, often improvising little rives that seemed to be created for the people who were dancing in front of the stage, following him with cameras, leaning on the boardwalk fence with their dogs on leashes or just chillin' in the seated area. A group of young children were mesmerized, especially a boy who crawled onto the stage several times. Sommers made him a part of the show. In less skilled hands, two hours of casual interaction could have become a distraction, but Sommers has an intuitive knack for knowing when to get loose and when to tighten it up and bring the song back to its center. Plus, he has the chops and the range to keep the audience in his hands and make every song memorable and compelling. If you’re planning a beach party, invite Jimmy Sommers! He may be from California and specialize in the Urban Groove, but give him the North Florida Casual vibe, and he flows with it like a natural.

- Shannon West


"SmoothJazz.com"

It's always exciting to discover a bright, new, shining light in the world of music, especially when it's someone with so much talent and such a vivid future as this young woman. Kai Alece's voice and style smoothly cross over musical terrains including pop, soul, and jazz. Her debut release, REASON, SEASON OR LIFETIME, is a very strong collection of performances that are comparable to Smooth Jazz favorites, Brenda Russell, Oleta Adams and neo-soul sensation, Alicia Keys. Definitely check out "River" and "I Want You" (Yes, the Marvin Gaye tune) and you'll hear exactly what I'm talking about. This young Floridian hadn't even considered music as a career until college, and then started working in earnest on her first album only after finishing the Pharmacy program at Florida A&M and becoming a registered Pharmacist. Other than the Marvin Gaye tune, all songs on this album were either written or co-written by Kai, and revolve around a central theme, expressed very eloquently in her own words: "I find that things and people exist in my life for a reason, season, or lifetime, and my job is to identify their purpose and move forward." With that kind of outlook, and the talent she displays on this album, Kai Alece should be looking forward to not just a season, but to an entire lifetime of musical success! ~Scott O'Brien
- SmoothJazz.com


"Ebony Magazine"

New artist KAI ALECE demonstrates that she has what it takes––a great voice and insightful lyrics––to be a music star on Reason, Season or Lifetime (G-Rod Records). Her soothing, earthy voice with range and dimension is perfect for the soul, R&B and jazz that she delivers with vibrancy. The multitalented artist also wrote or co-wrote all the tunes, except of course for her mellifluous take on Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You.” The title song advances her mission of encouraging listeners to find themselves, and she accomplishes this with jazzy grooves and dynamic, poignant lyrics (“I know I make mistakes, but I know I will be okay”). “Slow Down” is another meaningful yet jazzy cut with great lyrics: “Good things come to those who wait, but not to those who wait too late.” Other standout tunes include “Didn’t Know,” which focuses on the hurt of unrequited love; and the romantic, sexy “Tell Me.” While in the pharmacy program at FAMU, the now registered pharmacist seriously considered music as a profession. Music lovers applaud her decision. “Things and people exist in my life for a reason, season or lifetime,” she says, “and my job is to identify their purpose and move forward.” - Lynn Norment


Discography

Reason, Season or Lifetime - released 12/4/2003

Photos

Bio

G-Rod Records rising star, Kai Alece, one of the newest vocalists in the dimensions of pop, soul, and jazz, has hit center stage with a voice that will sail across music genres. Her debut album, Reason, Season or Lifetime, is nothing short of a perfect combination of soul, R&B, and jazz. The Jacksonville native started singing at the age of six. “Music has always been a part of my life. Both my parents are musicians. My mom plays piano and dad plays guitar. We lived on the second floor of the club they owned. Live music was featured nightly. So, I even heard music in my dreams. As I got older, I listened closely to a lot of different artists and tried to imitate them. That was the beginning of what I now know to be my destiny.”

The album is centered around encouraging you to find yourself and it uses a smooth jazzy groove and moving lyrics to accomplish this. Her remake of Marvin Gaye’s, “I Want You,” will undoubtedly play a major role in the success of this album.

It’s never to late to change the course of one’s life. Therefore, never say never. Kai is a true example of dreams that will come true. “I didn’t really consider music as a profession until college. Although, I had an opportunity to leave college for a music career, I went on to finish the Pharmacy program at Florida A&M University and I am now a practicing registered pharmacist. Because my first chosen path demanded so much of my time, this project has been a long time coming. We all know nothing happens overnight. So, if it looks like I finished this project in a short time, take another look. This has been years in the making. I felt I had to complete this project to prove to myself that I could do it, and I did.”

“All of the songs on this album are originals, which I wrote or co-wrote, except for, of course, the Marvin Gaye track. These songs were a definite reflection of where my life was and is, even at this particular moment. I learned that life is a series of lessons and we create our experiences, moment by moment. My biggest challenge was understanding the concept of life and my sole purpose. I found that things and people exist in my life for a reason, season, or lifetime and my job is to identify their purpose and move forward.