Irene Kral (January 18, 1932 – August 15, 1978) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer who was born to

Czechoslovakian , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

parents in Chicago, Illinois and settled in Los Angeles in the early 1960s. She died from breast cancer in

Encino, California Encino (Spanish language, Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north t ...

. Kral's older brother,

Roy Kral Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise t ...

, was developing his own career as a musician when she began to sing professionally as a teenager. She sang with bands on tours led by

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

and

Chubby Jackson Greig Stewart "Chubby" Jackson (October 25, 1918 – October 1, 2003) was an American jazz double-bassist and band leader. Biography Born in New York City, Jackson began at the age of seventeen as a clarinetist, but quickly changed to bass in ...

, the Herman's bass player. She joined

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

's band in the late 1950s and sang with groups led by

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

Terry Gibbs Terry Gibbs (born Julius Gubenko; October 13, 1924) is an American jazz vibraphonist and band leader. He has performed or recorded with Tommy Dorsey, Chubby Jackson,Theroux, Gary"Gibbs, Terry".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. Re ...

, and

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, s ...

. She had a solo career until her death at 46 years of age. She was a ballad singer who said

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

was one of her inspirations. She became better known posthumously when

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

used her recordings in his 1995 movie ''

The Bridges of Madison County ''The Bridges of Madison County'' (also published as ''Love in Black and White'') is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married Italian-American woman (WWII war bride) living on a ...

''.Victor L. Schermer, "Irene Kral: Just For Now"
All About Jazz, July 4, 2004. Her style has been compared to that of

(the two singers were friends).

Dana Countryman Dana Countryman is an American electronic music composer, songwriter and performer notable for his sustained presence in the Music of Seattle, Seattle Pop scene as well as his collaborations with France, French electropop artist Jean-Jacques Perr ...

quotes from Linda Dahl's 1984 book on women in jazz, ''Stormy Weather'': "Irene Kral had a lovely, resonant voice with a discreet vibrato, flawless diction and intonation, and a slight, attractive nasality and shaping of phrases that resembled Carmen McRae's. But where McRae's readings tend to the astringent, Kral's melt like butter. She was a master of quiet understatement and good taste."

Discography

* ''

The Band and I ''The Band and I'' is an album by vocalist Irene Kral performing with Herb Pomeroy's Orchestra which was recorded in 1958 and originally released on the United Artists label.

'' with Herb Pomeroy (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, 1958) * ''SteveIreneO!'' (United Artists, 1959) * ''

Better Than Anything ''Better Than Anything'' is an album by vocalist Irene Kral performing with Junior Mance's Trio that was recorded in 1963 and originally released on the Äva label.

'' with Junior Mance ( Ava, 1963) * '' Wonderful Life'' (

Mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso Mu ...

, 1965) * ''

Where Is Love? "Where is Love?" is a song from the Tony Award-winning British musical '' Oliver!'' and the 1968 film of the same name, based on the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. The musical was written by Lionel Bart and was first staged in ...

'' (Choice, 1974) * ''Sessions, Live'' (Calliope, 1976) * ''

Kral Space Kral, Král or KRAL may refer to: * Kral (surname) * Král (surname) * Kráľ (surname) * Kráľ, a village in Slovakia * KRAL, an AM radio station licensed to Rawlins, Wyoming, U.S. * Riverside Municipal Airport, Riverside, California, United ...

'' (

Catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

, 1977) * '' Gentle Rain'' with Alan Broadbent (Choice, 1978) * ''Angel Eyes'' (Trio, 1978) * ''Live'' (Just Jazz, 2000) * ''Just for Now'' (Jazzed Media, 2004) * ''Second Chance'' (Jazzed Media, 2010)

As guest

Laurindo Almeida Laurindo Almeida (September 2, 1917 – July 26, 1995) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He and Bud Shank were pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. Almeida was the first guitarist to receive Gra ...

, ''Guitar from Ipenema'' (Capitol, 1964) *

Buddy Collette William Marcel "Buddy" Collette (August 6, 1921 – September 19, 2010) was an American jazz flutist, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He was a founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Early life William Marcel Collette was born in L ...

, ''The Buddy Collette Quintet'' (Studio West, 2001) *

, ''

Boy with Lots of Brass ''Boy with Lots of Brass'' is a 1957 album by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson featuring singer Irene Kral.

'' (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...

, 1957) *

, ''Dream Band, Vol. 6: One More Time'' (Contemporary, 2002) *

, ''My Fair Lady Swings'' (Tall Tree, 1984)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kral, Irene 1932 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American singers American jazz singers American people of Czechoslovak descent Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from breast cancer Jazz musicians from California Jazz musicians from Illinois Singers from California Singers from Chicago United Artists Records artists 20th-century American women singers