World Class Lass: Songstress Eboni Fondren set to release debut album

Photo Courtesy of Heirloom Photo Company

On a Thursday night in late May, the rainy weather finally let up and I enjoyed a rare no-cover night at The Ship. At the West Bottoms venue, vocalist Eboni Fondren and her quartet performed to a crowd of doom scrollers and first dates who mostly seemed not to realize that the performance was top-notch.

Fondren was joined by Chris Hazelton, who hauled out his Hammond B3 organ, drummer Danny Rojas, and guitarist Jamie Anderson. I listened closely as the vocalist and her band delivered a lively and outstanding show.

As I scanned the room that evening, observing the smallish crowd, it felt as though I was in on some sort of secret: Fondren is one of many world-class talents that Kansas City is fortunate to have right at their fingertips.

The singer is a performer in a classic sense. It doesn’t matter if there are three or three hundred people in the audience, she will still reliably bring every ounce of charisma, energy, and warmth to the stage. Fondren looks as if she stepped out of a vintage jazz concert poster—akin to the style of Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald—and that’s part of what draws her loyal followers in. She’s always turning looks and bringing an inviting and affirming presence to the stage, whether with her quartet at The Ship or headlining with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at the Kauffman Center.

Fondren’s Thursday night gig in KC’s West Bottoms was a stark contrast from her performances this past spring, where the songstress played for attentive listeners at packed clubs in Paris and was highly praised for her talent.

“After spending a month in Paris, where they really love, respect, and appreciate American jazz music, then coming back to a town that is the birthplace of bebop and not really feeling the love so much, it’s really hard,” Fondren says.

Everything Happens for a Reason

Photo by Adri Guyer

In early 2020, Fondren was eagerly preparing to head to Paris for a string of performances. The trip was scheduled to be the Kansas City performer’s third time in France within the past five years. Gradually, she had built up her connections and was getting to know the scene better.

Looking forward to seeing what opportunities would come her way throughout that visit, she felt she had momentum.

When March 2020 rolled around, the pandemic ultimately canceled her plans. Instead of dining at sidewalk cafés in the fresh, spring air and scatting at late-night jazz jams, Fondren was stuck at home in KC.

Later, as the world gradually transitioned to a new normal, Fondren focused on bouncing back from the pandemic. Her dream of a Parisian adventure went on the back burner.

Fast forward to earlier this year, the singer was sorting through her email inbox when she saw a deal she couldn’t pass up: a roundtrip flight to Paris covered by her airline points. She promptly booked the flight and began making phone calls.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Fondren says.

This past March, Fondren spent the month in Paris gigging, jamming, and even recording. Quickly beloved by European audiences, the trip lit a fire within her.

Live from Uptown Lounge

Photo by Adri Guyer

Throughout her dozen-year professional career, Fondren has yet to release an album. Now, her debut album is scheduled to be released on July 23. The project was recorded live this past January, exactly six months prior to its release date, at Uptown Lounge—a Midtown cocktail bar that was formerly Davey’s Uptown.

In the era of ample home studios and an abundance of post-production frills, Fondren’s first record showcases her for who she is: the real deal.

While she’s best known as a jazz singer, the performer’s skill set spans far and wide. She belts pop songs in a wedding band, does voiceover work, has been involved in professional theater productions, and of course, regularly swings her tail off at clubs like Corvino and The Ship.

But she says her love for so many different styles of music was one of the biggest obstacles she encountered when she began planning the recording project.

“I felt like I was all over the place because I like doing so many different things,” Fondren says. “But Kadesh Flow told me ‘just record.’ That was the best piece of advice. It really helped me get over the hump and just do it.”

The 11-track LP showcases a bit of everything in her wheelhouse, including varied approaches to jazz standards, sometimes swinging and straight-ahead, while contemporary at other times. Much like her chic fashion sense, Fondren’s interpretations of standards are simultaneously classic and modern.

Photo Courtesy of Heirloom Photo Company

The singer also highlights her songwriting skills. While two of the album’s three originals were previously recorded as a featured artist on last year’s Kansas City Jazz Orchestra album In the Key of KC, her latest recordings of the tunes are significantly pared down from the big band recordings.

Fondren’s forthcoming album is a community effort, featuring quite the cast of collaborators from several different band iterations.
The energetic opening track, “One Million Five,” exemplifies her work as, not just a singer, but as a storyteller. The original song is a tribute to her mentor—late organist Everette DeVan—and a fictionalized retelling of how she got her nickname for always looking “better than a million bucks.”

“He put me on the bandstand, taught me all the things I know, and showed me how to scat,” Fondren says. “And here I am.”

Fondren brings down the house with “Ain’t Nobody Like My Baby”—a homage of sorts to the historically often risqué local jazz legend Julia Lee. Lined with the blues, the singer’s growling love song emanates the classic Kansas City jazz style and shows off her rich low range alongside pianist Mark Lowrey, bassist James Albright, and drummer Danny Rojas.

The singer’s latest original, “Hollow,” diverges from her other compositions. The soul-jazz heartbreak ballad featuring Ezgi Karakus on cello, Lowrey’s empathetic piano accompaniment, bassist Sam Eckhoff, and Rojas’ percussion—is lush, dynamic, and wailing.

“I cried the first time we all played it together,” Fondren says. “That’s the one I’m most scared for people to hear.”

On “Angel Eyes,” the singer is joined by her latest core band. Eckhoff’s funky electric bass, with a tight Jaco Pastorius-esque tone, and Lowrey appear on “Angel Eyes.” Fondren released the neo-soul spin on Matt Dennis’ nearly eighty-year-old ballad in April as a single from the album.

Swinging hard on Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s standard “Satin Doll” are deft, young players—bassist Jordan Faught, pianist Parker Woolworth, and drummer Andrew Wray. Faught and Woolworth were consistent members of Fondren’s house band at her former Tuesday night jam session at Uptown Lounge.

Fondren also features her longtime colleagues and friends, including Chris Hazelton’s screaming Hammond B3. which had me wanting to hop on the dance floor while listening in my car, and once again, drummer Rojas. United by their shared mentorship under DeVan, their shared “schooling” and longtime bond shines through in a funky presentation of another Ellington tune—“Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me”—which also spotlights a bit of scatting from the singer and a sax solo from Ian Corbett. Corbett also recorded, mixed, and mastered the album.

“I’m a collector of people,” Fondren says.

Photo Courtesy of Heirloom Photo Company

Confirming The Clout

Fondren has more music on the way.

During her month-long stay in Paris, the singer recorded another full-length album. Collaborating with Laurent Marode, the French pianist and arranger orchestrated tunes tailor-made for Fondren and his chamber orchestra Nonette—a nine-member ensemble that combines a jazz quintet and a four-piece string section.

Fondren hopes to release the album this fall, following with a corresponding European release and tour.

While Fondren is certainly beloved at home in KC, the appreciation she felt abroad—in a region where art is viewed as essential—was an appreciated change. She played in standing-room-only clubs, watching intergenerational crowds cheer as she announced the next standard in her setlist. Other Kansas City jazz musicians, such as trumpeter Hermon Mehari and vocalist Deborah Brown, have also found more appreciation and popularity overseas than they did in the States.

Despite her success, the singer says that, like many creatives, she still struggles with impostor syndrome. The tour served as a much-needed affirmation.

“I just have to keep telling myself, ‘You deserve this. You’ve worked hard,’” Fondren says. “But sometimes it’s nice to go to a place and have all of those things confirmed.”

Now, Fondren feels she has more direction than ever before in the past dozen years of her career and is hopeful that her future will include more time on the road.

“I’m focused on moving into the next phase of my career,” Fondren says.