Rebecca Kilgore is a well renowned vocalist intent on preserving the vocal jazz of the '30s and '40s. She is a regular on National Public Radio, has appeared on "A Prairie Home Companion" and performed with Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall. Kilgore returns to Feinstein's at Loews Regency this summer with a brand new show called "The Jazzy Side of Judy Garland", accompanied by the Harry Allen Quartet. They will will be performing come July 31st through August 11th. TimesSquare.com caught up with "Becky" earlier this week.

TimesSquare.com: How did you first start singing?

Rebecca Kilgore: When I was little, I used to sing around the house. I was listening to musical soundtracks, like Carrousel and My Fair Lady, and music from that whole era. I loved those songs! I was dancing and singing all the time around the house, but I was also very shy. So I never thought of doing it professionally or in front of an audience (chuckles)! For many many years, I was sort of a closet musician, I was just singing in my car or in my living room. Then I met a woman, who was in a band, playing the same kind of music that I was playing on my own. We became friends, and after a while, she decided to quit the band. She suggested that I try it out, you know, as a guest at first. I fitted right in, and that was a starting point in my life. I became a professional musician towards the end of the '70s, and I've been doing it ever since. Once I started performing, there was no turning back for me!

TS: What drew you to jazz music in particular?

RK: When I was in high school, I discovered a radio channel that was playing musicals, and I just fell in love with it. I knew all the lyrics, I learned the songs on guitar and it was kind of like when you fall in love, it was love at first sight for me. That's how those singers made me feel.

TS: If you could start your singing career all over again, would you do anything differently, and if so, what?

RK: I would start performing earlier, because you learn a lot by performing. I would also have done more musical schooling. Knowing a lot about music theory definitely helps! I took a few classes here and there. I find it to be very interesting, so I would have liked to know more about it.

TS: When did you start performing?

RK: I was a late bloomer, to put it this way. I only started performing in my 30s.

TS: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

RK: Oh well, every project that I do is a challenge to me, and I get great satisfaction out of the gigs that I do. There are many gratifying experiences along the way!

TS: What advice would you give to the novice?

RK: I started teaching not too long ago, and I what I always advise my students is to listen. Listen, listen, listen! Listen to a variety of singers! You know, if you like Diana Krall, if you've heard her version of a certain song, listen to other people do it! There is so much to learn from them too! Also, go out and hear live music. That's another very important thing: don't just listen to recordings, listen to as much live music as you can. Live music is dynamic, it's happening right now, and it's very instructional. My third advice would be about playing an instrument, any instrument. I think that would help too.

TS: What do you find most gratifying about teaching?

RK: It's very satisfying when I get students to listen to people that they've never heard before. They come up to me and say "Wow, I had never heard of Chuck Baker, or whoever, before!" I open up their ears, and that's really exciting to me.

TS: What can you tell us about your upcoming shows at Feinstein's? What does a Judy Garland tribute mean to you?

RK: Well, just practically speaking, it came about because Feinstein's wanted us to have a theme. So Harry Allen, who is the co-leader, and I discussed different people. We had already done many tributes before, so I'm thinking about some great singers, and we came to the idea of Judy Garland. Personally, I've always loved her singing, along with her acting. She was just amazing at everything she'd done. It is kind of daunting, because she is one of the greatest singers of all time, and to recreate her music is very intimidating (chuckles)! But I've decided that I was not going to imitate her in any way. She's recorded so many songs, that it's easy for me to pick songs from her repertoire and play them in a slightly happier way that she did. It's been great fun studying her recordings, watching her movies, and reading her biographies.

It's all very illuminating! So with this show, I'm just saying how much I love her music, and perhaps if we play songs that some people have never heard before, we'll be able to open up their ears in some way. But I'm drawing a line, I'm not going to perform "Over the Rainbow", because that song is so identified with her, that any other interpretation of it would be just wrong.

TS: What does music mean to you?

RK: It means everything! It means truth, beauty, art, love, and I just think it enriches people's lives in every way. I'm very sad to see a lot of the public schools cutting down on their music programs. It's terrible because music makes better rounded people. Knowing literature and math is good, necessary even, but music is just as important. It is a very human endeavor that transcends language and age.

TS: Going back to what you just mentioned about public schools cutting music classes, why do you think that is?

RK: That's a very good question! There's not a whole lot of money involved in music, and right now, our whole culture seems very money-oriented. I don't particularly like the idea of American Idol either. I think it's very competitive, and in my opinion, people should sing what's in their hearts, not what some judge expects them to. It doesn't have to be better than anyone else's music, it just has to be yours.

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