Jazz singer in her 'Element' at City Winery show

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Whether she's standing on stage in a jazz club, behind the mic in a recording studio, or in front of students at Kennesaw State University, Atlanta singer Karla Harris is always in her element as long as music is involved.

Harris will bring her smooth stylings to the stage at City Winery Atlanta this Wednesday – but before she does, we caught up with her in the studio where she recorded her most recent album, 2019's Certain Elements.

"It's been one beautiful surprise after the next," says Harris of the album release process. "I've actually gotten letters from people in England and from around the world with reactions to some of the music."

Co-produced by Trammell Starks, Certain Elements contains several original songs written by Harris, along with covers of popular tunes like "Cherish," a #1 hit in 1966 for The Association. Harris says her laid-back, cool jazz version of the pop classic even got a stamp of approval from the song's writer, via a Facebook message: "It was Terry Kirkman commenting on what a beautiful surprise this arrangement was, and I just flipped!"

Along with recording and performing, Harris is an artist-in-residence at Kennesaw State University, working with vocal jazz students. "We work on feeling this kind of music," she says. "The rhythms of this music, and the interpretation of this music, and the storytelling of this music."

Karla Harris will do some musical storytelling of her own at City Winery Atlanta, backed by several of the city's top jazz musicians. Her show is Wednesday, July 17 – doors open at 6 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $18, and may be purchased here.