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elizabeth!
elizabeth! is a vocalist, trombonist, and songwriter newly based in Los Angeles, CA. Originally from Vermont, she studied neuroscience at Harvard before moving to NYC to play, tour, and record with jazz musicians, indie rockers, pop stars and more. Her ne
About Me
Vocalist, trombonist, and songwriter elizabeth! is a fun and interactive
performer and educator who connects with audiences through the thrill of
improvisation and personal, accessible musical stories. Like Nat “King”
Cole and Ella Fitzgerald before her, she’s a playful storyteller with a
twinkle in her eye that comes through in her music. In her jazzy pop
tunes inspired by travels around the world, elizabeth! also harnesses the
power of pregnant moments, carefully phrasing her vocals to give each
word its own special place.
Her upcoming album, Brainchildren (due November 2011 on Canopy
Jazz), tells stories real and imagined, outlining the similarities found in
our experiences no matter where we reside. “Three” tells the story of a
couple deciding to have a child, “Bicycle” reminds a child to enjoy his
innocence while it lasts, and “Melting Snow” describes the feeling of
rebirth after tragedy. Several songs relate tales of love gained or lost, and
the album is rounded out with instrumentals inspired by insomnia, tacos,
and a skipping stroll in Memphis. Recorded in Brooklyn with her working
band in a single day, Brainchildren features Jason Domnarski on piano,
Rob Jost (Saturday Night Live, Bjork) on bass and Robert Di Pietro
(Norah Jones, Josh Rouse) on drums. Special guests include Kiku
Collins (Beyonce), Jon Natchez (Beirut), and Mark Erelli (Josh Ritter).
Honing her craft since the age of seven, elizabeth! has studied piano,
trombone, and voice as well as arranging and composition. She played
in the jazz band while studying neuroscience at Harvard, and has a
Master’s Degree in jazz from New York City’s Queens College, but her
initial love of music came from her parents in rural Vermont. “My dad is a
musician, so I grew up listening to live jazz – going backstage, lugging
gear, learning the ins and outs,” she said. “And my mom had great
taste, playing Motown and folk music at home.” This combination of
musical genres can be heard in the music elizabeth! plays today, and in
the way she approaches performance: lyrical like a pop song, but with a
background twist of jazz. Counting Sheila Jordan and Phil Wilson as
influential teachers, elizabeth! also admits to loving Whitney Houston.
elizabeth! has toured with pop stars like Michael Bolton, jazz musicians
like Matt Wilson, and indie rockers like St. Vincent, and performed
across the United States, Canada, South America, and Europe. Notable
venues include: Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Town Hall,
Chicago Theater, Sasquatch Music Festival, Good Morning America,
Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Today Show, PBS’s Kennedy Center
Mark Twain Prize broadcast honoring Tina Fey, Bowery Ballroom, Jazz
Standard, and Switzerland’s Willisau Jazz Festival. She recently sang at
the Yaroslavl Jazz Festival in Russia, and last year spent time teaching
trombone in Quito, Ecuador. elizabeth! is an endorsing artist for Getzen
3508R Custom trombones, and a member of the all-female horn section
The Sugarhorns, and wears sequins as much as possible!
Also a dynamic teacher and clinician, elizabeth! believes everyone can
be musical. Using improvisation as a guiding tool, she works with
students of all ages, building confidence and developing imagination.
She teaches in various situations, from one-on-one performance
coaching, to workshops for fifth graders on improvisation in daily life, to
lecturing 800 rowdy inner city high school students. She also directs the
summer Vermont Governor’s Institute on the Arts.
Following up on her 2008 release hot & silver – of which The Palo Alto
Daily News said “her silky, sultry, elegant vocals enliven standards” –
elizabeth! will tour the East and West Coast this fall in support of
Brainchildren.