Kristy Jenkins & The Rick Adamson Trio - Band in Gravenhurst ON

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KRISTY JENKINS and THE RICK ADAMSON TRIO

For years, keyboardist Rick Adamson had longed to get back to playing the music he loves – jazz. Since moving to Muskoka a few years ago, he had been playing with some excellent local blues bands, but he missed the challenge of jazz. Back in the day, Adamson led a piano trio that worked Toronto’s top hotel lounges and jazz rooms. Says Adamson, “While Muskoka is loaded with great blues, rock, and country pickers, the area is a little short on players who can handle the complexities of jazz.” Over time, however, Rick met two outstanding musicians – bassist Mike Bloom and drummer Wayne Hill – both of whom were more than up to the task. But there was still one member of the band missing. “I wanted a lead vocalist for the band,” says Adamson. “But not just any vocalist. Someone who could handle a wide range of musical styles. Everything from pop and jazz standards to greasy down-home funk. A female singer with enough class to add a diamond sparkle to a resort’s cocktail lounge or outdoor patio one day and enough chops to blow the roof off the local pub with us the next.” It was a tall order, probably too tall for a small community like Muskoka.

But then, in the spring of 2010, Rick heard Kristy Jenkins, a singer originally from London, Ontario, who was now living in nearby Orillia. Kristy, like Rick, had most recently been working with blues acts, and she, too, was anxious to stretch out. Says Rick, “The minute I heard Kristy I said to myself, this chick sounds great on blues, but she should be singing jazz standards as well. She has that Diana Krall, Peggy Lee kind of clarity to her voice with a behind-the-beat lag that many of the great jazz singers have.” Luckily, Rick uses the word “chick” only when talking to himself.

Kristy Jenkins and the Rick Adamson Trio cover a wide range of styles – pop, chill, bossa nova, smooth jazz, and hard swing – all with a distinctive bluesy feel and funky groove. “Our philosophy on stage,” says Jenkins, “is to have fun. Because if the musicians aren’t having fun how can they expect their audience to be enjoying themselves?” Adamson adds, “And that’s why we always wear comfortable shoes.”