Avant-Garde Jazz Duo MRS. FUN Release New Album “TRUTH”

MRS. FUN plays nu jazz. Complex, sophisticated and adventurous, their music is a unique blend of off-center jazz, ultra-funk, spoken word rap, and their own brand of neo-cabaret. Intelligent lyrics, stellar musicianship, and a dynamic stage presence are hallmarks of their music. The MRS. FUN sound is derived from Connie Grauer’s funky bass-driven keyboard playing, combined with Kim Zick’s skillful in-the-pocket drumming.

“Their music is a blend of my favorite things. Especially cool jazz. They also remind me of beatniks. I’m from Berkeley and I know my beatniks!” – Martha Davis, Motels

“Grauer is a piano player with few equals whose drive and energy spills across the stage and into the audience like nitrous oxide. She’s got a left hand that doesn’t quit, the mark of any great pianist, and a right hand with limitless boundaries.” Zick holds court as a “heart-stopping drummer” whose “grooves get so far out, most people need a map to get back.” Voted Best Contemporary Jazz Group by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry(WAMI) three consecutive years, Grauer and Zick have also received WAMI awards for Best Instrumentalist: keyboards and drums. Grauer has also received awards for Best Female Vocalist and Best Stage Entertainer.

Improvisation is the driving force of MRS. FUN. The duo’s very first gig was all improvisation. Some of the improvisations became songs. 30 years and five recordings later, they wrote the music for “TRUTH” and held strong to their original mission statement. In every recording, they include one or two cover pieces, usually a Thelonious Monk song. On “TRUTH”, “Soulful Strut” and “Light My Fire” were selected being a great fit to their original material. All of the instrumental tracks were recorded live. The only overdubs were vocals.