"Jazz singer tours with soulful voice"
-The Charlatan Newspaper – Carleton University, September 21, 2007

- Tara Shapransky

It is no wonder that jazz singer Mary Kastle is feeling good these days.
“Pleasantly surprised is how I would describe today,” she said about the state of her life.
With the growing success of her debut EP Fresh Air, released January 2007, and a steady touring schedule across Canada, Kastle said she has more than enough reasons to be happy.
She is set to play Rasputin’s Café, Sept. 21.
Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., Kastle, a self-proclaimed piano-junkie, described her music as a “hybrid between my jazz background and my pop, groove, and funk influences.”
Shortly after the release of Fresh Air, Kastle was chosen to perform at Vancouver’s celebrated up-and-comers showcase, the Listen Up! Festival.
“That was probably the most memorable [series of] shows that I have done so far [...] The best part of it all was that I had tried to get into it before and failed, and then after the EP was released, I got in. It was just a nice ego boost,” she said.
“I mean, being a singer/songwriter, self-confidence can be quite subjective and it’s nice to finally make a little headway.”
Kastle has been honing her skills as a performer since she was 13, starting out in bands and finally dropping her first album when she was just 18.
Still she said she was not happy with the way things were going at the time and decided to attend music school in her early 20s to better her skills.
While at school, she studied jazz piano and started to develop her affinity for writing songs.
Now a graduate with a degree in jazz piano, Kastle has been active in the music industry for more than five years.
For Kastle, Fresh Air was nothing special.
“It was something that I needed to do to get the ball rolling,” she said. “It was really not a big budget production, but it captures the live sound that my music is all about and has kicked things off in a small way.”
She will release a full-length album in 2008.
As for the future, Kastle said she hopes to tour in the U.K. and the States after her new album is released.
“If people keep showing up to my shows, then I will keep playing. As far as I can go is where I will go.”
And when asked about her love for the music, Kastle had only one thing to say: “Music is just... endless. There is always something to learn.”