Decades ago, jazz on television may have been restricted to the occasional theme song or even an appearance by Ella Fitzgerald on a talk show. But, as WRTI’s Maureen Malloy reports, someone else now joins the big names of the past.
Singer/saxophonist Grace Kelly has a name from the silver screen, but jazz has always been her main attraction. This year, jazz has propelled her into the spotlight.
Jon Batiste invited Kelly to join the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Soon after, she started working with the band in the variety show Maya and Marty. These opportunities were exciting enough, but then the surprise happened: she became a character on a TV series. The character’s name? Grace Kelly.
Grace Kelly: This year has kinda been like the year of television for me. My band was featured in the Amazon TV series Bosch.
MM: How did she end up playing herself in a TV series? The author of the Bosch novels is a fan of hers, and the main character in the series is also a jazz fan.
GK: I perform with my band in front of the main character, Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver. And we play a song I wrote for him called "Blues for Harry Bosch."
MM: That song was the catalyst for Grace’s most recent release, Trying To Figure It Out. Looks like she’s already figured out how to get jazz on TV.
The third season of Bosch premieres on April 21, 2017 on Amazon.