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Anne Walsh

A songbird fusing Contemporary Jazz with Brazilian stylings

About Me

Anne Walsh was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her family was quite musical with her father Frank being a baritone/tenor with local light opera companies. “My earliest remembrances of music were the musicals Mary Poppins and Oklahoma. I was a toddler when my parents brought me and my brother Michael to see Mary Poppins. As a young girl, I grew to love Simon & Garfunkel, Ella Fitzgerald, Sergio Mendes, Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass and Barbra Streisand - yes Babs; still love her.” Anne studied ballet, embraced classical music, and along the way learned to play piano, guitar and percussion. After studying voice and music therapy at Anna Maria College, Anne moved to Los Angeles and worked for a time as a music therapist. “I had such a passion for singing that I decided to spend my life singing and teaching voice.” At Orange Coast College, she was introduced to the music of the big band era, and has since sung with various big bands in LA and the Inland Empire. She discovered Brazilian music, worked towards a Masters degree in Music at Cal State Long Beach, and sang in several jazz combos. After graduating with a Master’s in Music, Anne became an important educator, joining the faculty of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

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My Jazz Story

There wasn’t a whole lot of exposure to jazz growing up in Worcester, MA, but I remember hearing Sergio Mendez’ ‘Brazil ’66’ and falling in love with Brazilian grooves and the freedom of jazz. My favorite singers growing up were Ella Fitzgerald, Lani Hall, and Barbara Streisand. I remember seeing Dizzy Gillespie in a small club in Framingham, MA when I was in high school and loved the spontaneous interaction that I saw on stage. That was kind of a revelation since most of the music I had heard before was written out.

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