Eclectic jazz-pop chanteuse Kiki Ebsen has a warm, relaxed, personal style of delivery that lets an audience know they're about to experience and be a part of a wonderful musical celebration. Fans worldwide singing her praises include British DJ Steve Quirk of "Fusion Flavors" smooth jazz show, who says "Kiki Ebsen is a sleeping giant in contemporary music who deserves to be heard."
Kiki has six CDs as well as three touring shows. "An Evening with Kiki Ebsen" includes a mixture of original songs as well as her favorite covers infused with charming stories about her songs and life.
"To Dad with Love: A Tribute to Buddy Ebsen," is a multi-media show based on her latest release Scarecrow Sessions. She recorded standards from the Great American Songbook that had a connection to her dad's career in the 1930s and 1940s on Broadway and during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Backed by a stellar band of artists like Chuck Loeb, John Pattituci, Henry Hay, Clint DeGanon and David Mann. The live show is augmented with her witty storytelling of Buddy's career and her life with "dad". All set to a multimedia backdrop of video and phot montages created by her brother, award winning video editor, Dustin Ebsen.
She also tours with The Joni Mitchell Project. A band she created to pay homage to her favorite singer songwriter. The group is made up of "A" list players who truly enjoy bringing Joni' music to life. Uber guitarists Grant Geissman and Terry Wollman round out that ensemble.
Kiki's musical journey with Yamaha began in 1987, when she was hired by the band Chicago, as their MIDI tech and offstage keyboardist on tour in support of their album "Chicago 18." To recreate their signature sounds, she used TX 816 modules triggered by Yamaha KX 88 controllers. That rig served her well as she moved to stage front, playing and singing with Grammy-winners Al Jarreau (featuring Rickey Minor and Ricky Lawson), and Christopher Cross as well as Grammy nominees, Belinda Carlisle and Jeffrey Osborne.
The Yamaha Motif Series was her go-to keyboard for several tours, including Peter Cetera, Bill Champlin, Boz Scaggs, and Tracy Chapman. For 20 years, Kiki performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa, Russia, Japan, Australia, Europe and the United States.
Over the years, Ebsen's music has been covered my multiple artists and featured on recording compilations in Germany, Switzerland, Southeast Asia, and the United States as well as movies and television.
Working as the former house keyboardist of "The Wayne Brady Show" (KTTV), and vocal and co-music director of "Lifetime's Women Rock" were her introduction to television performances. Early in her career, she became a regular TV and video performer on late night television shows, with hosts Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Arsenio Hall, Conan O'Brien, and Roseanne. Whether festival stages, cabarets, clubs, symphony orchestras, or television, Kiki Ebsen counts on Yamaha instruments.
