Kathy Sanborn

Kathy Sanborn (born January 16) is an award-winning American jazz vocalist and composer based in California. Sanborn's notable recordings include the albums Lights of Laniakea, Fantasía, Sultry Night, Six Degrees of Cool, Blues for Breakfast, Small Galaxy, and Peaceful Sounds. Sanborn won a 2015 American Songwriting Award for her song, "Fantasy," included on her 2015 release, Lights of Laniakea. Stylistically, Sanborn has been compared to 1950s cool jazz singers Anita O’Day, Chris Connor, and June Christy, due to her smooth, velvet vocals and clear diction. Her vocal tone has been compared to the 1970s singer/songwriter Laura Nyro for its depth and timbre. JazzTimes on Sanborn's work: "Romance is always in the air as far as Kathy Sanborn is concerned, and her songs are reflections of those emotions which take flight when overpowered by love."
A native of Los Angeles, Sanborn graduated magna cum laude from the California State University, Sacramento. Sanborn combines sultry vocals with artistic originality, writing songs that span the Jazz and World Music genres.
Spain’s NoSoloSmoothJazz.com says: “Kathy Sanborn is one of the most original vocalists in the American musical landscape.”
A trained pianist, Sanborn creates both music and lyrics for her projects. Sanborn’s albums include both jazz vocal and instrumental songs. Her 2011 project, Blues for Breakfast, features a song dedicated to the jazz masters of old, such as innovative trumpeter Miles Davis. Adding musical contributions to Blues for Breakfast are renowned GRAMMY® nominee bassist Scott Petito, drummer Chris Carey, and trumpeter Wayne Ricci.
Sanborn is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and Broadcast Music, Inc.. Her biography is profiled in Who's Who in America.

Self-released in 2008, Peaceful Sounds is Sanborn’s debut album. An organic blend of jazz and new age music, Peaceful Sounds is dedicated to those who take a stand for peace. The sometimes dark and philosophical project garnered almost immediate international radio attention. With the release of Peaceful Sounds, Eric Cohen of New York radio station WAER proclaimed that Sanborn’s voice “truly is a gift from the heavens.”

Released in 2010 through the Pacific Coast Jazz label, Small Galaxy marks a major turnaround in style and emotion from Sanborn’s first work. Small Galaxy includes upbeat songs and infectious energy, and is minus the heaviness that colored the debut album, Peaceful Sounds.

Perhaps in large part due to its cheerful lyrics and bouncy songs, the Small Galaxy album climbed to No. 4 on radio station WSCA's Top Chart, and garnered critical acclaim for its silky, sensual vocals.

Singer-songwriter Kathy Sanborn

Sanborn’s third album, Blues for Breakfast, released March 2011. Besides Sanborn’s smooth vocals and keyboard work, the album features GRAMMY® nominee Scott Petito’s bass, Chris Carey’s drums, and Wayne Ricci’s trumpet. Blues for Breakfast reached Amazon's MP3 Vocal Jazz bestseller list.

The title track, "Blues For Breakfast," showcases Sanborn’s love of jazz history and her affection for the famed musicians of the 1930s-50s who performed on New York’s 52nd Street. Sanborn says: “I wrote the song, Blues for Breakfast, as a fond tribute to the jazz masters of days gone by. On New York’s 52nd Street, the greats would ‘walk the high wire’ and enthrall and inspire new generations of jazz players. As jazz continues to evolve in the modern era, I imagine the masters are looking down and nodding their approval.”

In 2011, Sanborn released her single, "Magnetized," a song dedicated to film historian and TCM movie host Robert Osborne. A fan of classic movies, Sanborn composed the jazz love song as an homage to the power of attraction exhibited by film stars whose screen presence can virtually electrify an audience.

Released August 28, 2012, Six Degrees of Cool showcases Sanborn's cool jazz roots and influence. The album includes "Bitter Winter" and "Shanty Man," songs directly referring to societal effects of economic depressions, both past and present. "Drawing from renowned influences such as Cool Jazz giants Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Anita O’Day, Sanborn’s new album brings Cool Jazz into today’s contemporary scene."Six Degrees of Cool also reached Amazon's MP3 Vocal Jazz bestseller charts.

A strong believer in the natural and unobstructed evolution of jazz music, Sanborn strives to take her jazz songs into the modern era, appealing to all generations of jazz fans. She says, "The music needs to evolve, and this means letting new artists in on the airwaves—and not excluding a hot new player simply because he or she is an independent artist."

Sanborn's fifth album project, Sultry Night, released September 3, 2013. The artist's smoky-style album hearkens back to the glamour days of sizzling romance in classic movies, with a spotlight on the film noir era. Sultry Night includes songs honoring jazz legend Anita O'Day and screen star Cary Grant.

Besides producing, composing, and arranging the Sultry Night album, Sanborn provides the vocal and piano artistry. As an MP3 album, Sultry Night reached Amazon's Bestselling Vocal Jazz Charts.

Award-winning singer and composer Kathy Sanborn

With Fantasía, released June 3, 2014, Kathy Sanborn pays homage to her Latin heritage. Composed primarily of Spanish vocal jazz songs, the new album includes “Madre Mundo” (Mother Earth), reflecting the current global concern over environmental issues, and “Viva El Sueño” (Live the Dream), which encourages people everywhere to follow their dreams. Fantasía reached the iTunes bestselling Latin music charts.

August 2014 marked the release of the extended version of the album's title track, "Fantasy." Produced by Billboard #1 New Age recording artist and 2015 GRAMMY® winner Ricky Kej, "Fantasy" reached the iTunes bestselling World charts. Sanborn is a 2014 Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominee for the single.

Released August 14, 2015, Sanborn's latest album, Lights of Laniakea, teams the vocalist/composer with 2015 GRAMMY® winner Ricky Kej.

Sanborn won a 2015 American Songwriting Award for "Fantasy," the first single released from the new album.

Says Sanborn, "Back in 2014 at the University of Hawaii, scientists mapped a new supercluster that contains our own galaxy, the Milky Way. They named it Laniakea, which means, 'Immeasurable Heaven.' The album, Lights of Laniakea, describes our universal desire to live in the light – in the 'immeasurable heaven' that is our home."

One music reviewer states that Lights of Laniakea contains a "recurrent theme of light, abundant love, a belief that someday people will stop the wars and work towards making the world a better place, coupled with a genuine desire to encourage people to move away from the darkness, into the healing light."

In 2016, Lights of Laniakea was nominated for a ZMR Award (Best Vocal Album) and a One World Music Radio Award (Best Vocal Album).

In addition to her own releases, Kathy Sanborn appears on the new album released September 21, 2016, Action Moves People United, which recently reached Billboard's top ten chart for compilation albums. Other artists featured on the album are Julian Lennon, Dan Aykroyd, and Janis Ian, to name only a few. Action Moves People United brings artists together in order to create positive change in the world, and to promote global peace.