Chris McNulty
b. 23 December 1953, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Starting to sing professionally when she was aged 15, McNulty quickly developed a reputation in and around Melbourne. In the early '70s, while still singing in clubs and hotels, she studied musical theory. Tours of Australia and South-east Asia extended her experience and popularity and in 1975 she helped form a jazz group which performed in the jazz-funk idiom. Simultaneously, McNulty was also in growing demand as a studio singer, working on radio and television. In 1980 she moved to Sydney where she formed a new jazz group which was highly successful during the next few years. In 1985 she visited New York where she sang at the Bluenote club. By the late '80s McNulty was back in New York, this time picking up a contract to record for Trend/Discovery. She has continued to sing in the New York area, working with such leading musicians as Peter Leitch, Cecil McBee, George Mraz and Kenny Washington. McNulty's repertoire ranges over the great standards and modern jazz classics. She has also written lyrics for various songs including Miles Davis's A Kind Of Blue. Singing in a rich contralto with a pleasing hint of toughness, McNulty ably interprets the lyrics she sings while giving full rein to her ability to phrase imaginatively in the jazz idiom.