When Kaylene Peoples was born, who knew that she would become a world-renowned flutist, conductor, composer, arranger and performer. 15Minutes the Show asked Kaylene about her history and passion for all things Woodwind and we found that she was prodigy even as a child. Mastering the flute, piccolo and most woodwind instruments, Kaylene graduated from UCLA with a BA in music composition and ethnomusicology which has given her a broad base of concepts and range when playing and performing. Completed an elite Film Scoring Master’s program under the direction of Academy-award winning composer, Walter Scharf, played side-by-side with Oscar winning composer, Jerry Goldsmith. If that doesn’t light up your jazz pallette she mentored with Academy award-winning composers, David Raksin and Henry Mancini. She wrote a 10-piece orchestrated symphony, Apocalitica and with having a special beauty it’s no wonder she won Ms. California not once but twice, the first African-American to do so. She seems to run things efficiently, is no stranger to being organized, exhibits a top level of brilliance, and shows the willingness to do a more than an outstanding job is only a narrow view of what her soul’s purpose truly is. Her having all the right things in place gives her an unshakeable boldness and confidence that wreaks of success. It doesn’t hurt to have a group of royals like Grammy-nominated bassist, Bunny Brunel, 5-time Grammy winning bassist, Stanley Clarke, Emmy-nominated pianist and organist, Bobby Lyle and 3-time Grammy-nominated flutist, Hubert Laws in your camp either and so with that being said you now know why Kaylene is not just loved but respected. Producing an album couldn’t be a walk in the park, however, Kaylene appears to multi-task with little or no effort. With an active-five-octave range her voice beckons, and like the angelic sounds of a siren, it draws you in and compels you to stay. Her vocal prowess is comparative to Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nancy Wilson, and one can hear elements of Streisand and Holiday. That’s a lot of credit and well deserved to a woman who says that everything she does turns out big. Jazz aficionados often claim their own and with countless string arrangements, orchestrated by Kaylene, why not? She has stamped her mark on American Pie 2, Serendipity, Ruby and her own self-directed multi-award-winning film, Redemption. Labels like Warner Brothers, Capitol Records, Polygram, EMI and Universal Republic also made use of Kaylene’s writing and arranging skills for their artist. Awards are the least of highlights that have helped Kaylene to build a solid foundation, you can hear her touch of something other world on Spirituality Wet which she produced for the LA Awards Best Album of the Year’s, Best R&B Album of the Year and Best New Artist, Christina Fusano. She didn’t do too bad on her first premiere Jazz album, All Jazzed Up, either which featured her much requested single, “Do You Remember”. Independently, it fired up the AC/40, NMW charts , Top 100 charts, FMQB, ACQB, and Indie 100 chart all by itself.
Jazz aficionados often claim their own and with countless string arrangements, orchestrated by Kaylene, why not? She has effectively stamped her mark on, American Pie 2, Serendipity, Ruby and her own self-directed multi-award-winning film, Redemption. Awards are the least of highlights that have helped this one to build a solid foundation, you can hear her touch of something other world on Spirituality Wet which Kaylene produced for the LA Awards Best Album of the Year’s, Best New Artist, Christine Fasano. She didn’t do too bad on her first premiere Jazz album, All Jazzed Up, which featured her much requested single, “Do You Remember”, Independently, which fired up the AC/40, NMW charts , Top 100 charts FMQB, ACQB, and Indie 100 chart all on its own.
Her latest self-produced CD, “My Man, is a refreshing breath of jazz flavored just right and set to appeal to ears worldwide. Currently being played on Reverbnation Jazz Charts at Top 40; My Man. is hot and headed all the way to sizzle. With a single like, “Giant Steps” winning the, December 2015, Akademia Music Awards and sitting in a nice spot on the Grammy’s ballot at the same time, fans are in for a double treat. The album also highlights keyboardist, Bobby Lyle written and produced track, “Giant Steps” and featured solo by the grand master flutist, Hubert Laws. When it comes to arrangements Kaylene shines with resonance and doesn’t forsake the roots of her training in classical music on tracks, Spain, Take 5, Nature Boy and Stormy Weather. Basically, in a nutshell Kaylene walks tall in self, knows who she is, where she wants to go and how to get herself there. In dedication to her father, her main go to on performances is still the silver flute gifted by him to her.
Jazz is Kaylene Peoples and Kaylene Peoples is Jazz and that’s about all one need say about that.