Music

SASSY Award finalist Kristin Lash on her musical journey from Slovakia

WBGO | By Lee Mergner,

Published November 2, 2022 at 6:37 AM EDT

For the last four weeks, WBGO’s Gary Walker has been interviewing the five finalists for The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition: Allan Harris, Kristin Lash, Ekep Nkwelle, Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso and Lucy Yeghiazaryan. This week he spoke with Kristin Lash, a 26-year-old singer from Slovakia, who formed Lash & Grey with her boyfriend, Jakob Grey. The two released two self-produced albums in two years and they received the Best Debut Album of the Year in Slovakia for Sleepin’ With The Lights On (2020). Lash has performed on several European stages such as Jazz Festival Wiesen, Paris Jazz Marathon, Jazztime Ravensburg, Viva Musica!, Fara Music Festival and Prague PROMS. She won the best performance award at Bratislava Jazz Days 2019 and Jazz StartUp contest in 2019 and the Discovery of the Year award at the New Faces of Slovak Jazz 2017.

Watch their conversation here:

Kristin Lash interview by Gary Walker

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Lee Mergner

For over 27 years, Lee Mergner served as an editor and publisher of JazzTimes until his resignation in January 2018. Thereafter, Mergner continued to regularly contribute features, profiles and interviews to the publication as a contributing editor for the next 4+ years. JazzTimes, which has won numerous ASCAP-Deems Taylor awards for music journalism, was founded in 1970 and was described by the All Music Guide, as “arguably the finest jazz magazine in the world.”

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Gary Walker

In jazz radio, great announcers are distinguished by their ability to convey the spontaneity and passion of the music. Gary Walker is such an announcer, and his enthusiasm for this music greets WBGO listeners every morning on Daybreak. He's the winner of the 1996 Gavin Magazine Jazz Radio Personality of the Year Award and the recipient of the 2021 Marian McPartland-Willis Conover Award for Career Achievement in Broadcasting from the Jazz Journalists Association. Gary hosts the morning show each weekday from 8am til noon. And, by his own admission, he's truly having a great time.

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