Australian-American jazz vocalist-composer, Chris McNulty moved to the United States in 1988 and has been a fixture on the New York jazz scene for almost three decades. Her seven album releases in ...view moreAustralian-American jazz vocalist-composer, Chris McNulty moved to the United States in 1988 and has been a fixture on the New York jazz scene for almost three decades. Her seven album releases in the USA have received wide critical acclaim including her latest album, Eternal, a chamber ensemble and jazz quintet collaboration with orchestrator, Steve Newcomb and pianist-arranger, John Di Martino which placed #11 on the 80th DownBeat Readers Poll in 2015 for Album of the Year.
McNulty has performed throughout Russia, the UK, Ireland, Europe, the Middle East, Central America and Lebanon including festival appearances at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Kilkenny Arts Fest (Ireland), Breckon Jazz Fest (Wales), Kharkov Jazz Fest (Ukraine), White Nights Jazz Fest, St Petersburg (Russia) and Petrozavodsk Jazz Fest (Russia) as well as the Perth, Wangaratta and Melbourne International Jazz Festivals in Australia. Among the jazz greats she has performed and recorded with are the late pianists Mulgrew Miller and John Hicks, saxophonists Gary Bartz, Gary Thomas, David Pietro, Frank Wess, Tineke Postma and Joel Frahm, drummers Billy Hart, Matt Wilson, Tony Reedus, Montez Coleman and Marcus Gilmore, Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and her long time colleagues, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and guitarist Paul Bollenback.
The American magazine Jazz Times has described her vocalizing as "fearless" and her composing as "peerless." Britain's Jazz Wise magazine describes her as possessing "a voice of serene beauty, striking veracity and compelling emotional fervency.''
In 2013 Chris was the recipient of the Australian Jazz Bell award for the Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album for her album The Song That Sings You Here. Since relocating back to Melbourne in early 2016 she has performed at the Perth International Jazz Festival, Stonnington Jazz Festival and the Wangaratta International Festival of Jazz and Blues and most recently at the invitation of the National Gallery of Victoria and MIJF for their MoMA jazz series.
McNulty is currently based in Melbourne and increasingly augments her touring and performance work with teaching and presentations of her VCM workshops and clinics. Vocalist As Complete Musician is McNulty's first educational publication. She continues to tour internationally.view less