After growing through musical phases from 60’s folk music and blues, to 70’s folk-rock, and 80’s pop-rock, Richard Kalman settled on vocal jazz as the prime vehicle for artistic expression. He formed CON ALMA in 1998 as a small ensemble counterpoint to the large and prestigious Oakland Jazz Choir of which he was a member. Con Alma, “with soul”, is the name of a famous song by Dizzy Gillespie. Over the years the group has matured into a quartet with a rich harmony sound in the vocal tradition of Manhattan Transfer or Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross. While writing the arrangements for the group, Kalman keeps alive a sense of the jazz—bebop and swing, rhythm & blues, pop, rock and doo-wop genres that inspire the music.

Each singer brings a special quality to the mix: Erin Bloom offers bold soprano leads and a sense of play from a musical theatre background, Avis Clark and Cameron White have backgrounds in choral jazz and popular music and blend in as alto and tenor respectively. Richard Kalman, tenor/baritone, is a highly charged scat singer. CON ALMA has entertained at restaurants, clubs, weddings and parties, radio and TV broadcasts, festivals, in the greater bay area since its inception. CON ALMA works with top professional musicians active in the Bay Area Jazz Scene.