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The Toronto-based jazz vocalist Maureen Kennedy is one of today's rare jazz vocalists who evokes the purity, simplicity and directness of such great 1950s jazz voices as Teddi King, Lucy Reed, Pinky Winters and Irene Kral. Although Miss Kennedy does not sound like anyone in particular, stylistically she was inspired by early Helen Merrill and later by Irene Kral. She is known in Toronto for her vast repertoire filled with rare gems, and her diction can rival the late great Teddi King. On "This Is Always," this wonderfully unpretentious jazz vocalist is accompanied by an excellent trio led by Nancy Walker, who is a highly regarded modern jazz pianist in Canada.