April Hall has the perfect blend of sophistication and soul and her repertoire is filled with classic jazz standards, soulful ballads, bossa novas and incandescently swinging jazz standards and blues, and she continues to delight audiences in the U.S.A.
About the CD: On her latest CD, Fun Out of Life, April Hall revitalizes the classic jazz
standard, creating music that's alive with energy and attitude. From subtly nuanced
ballads to soul-drenched blues, the emotional power of her delivery is perfectly framed by
the elegant simplicity of her arrangements.
Hall's performance is deeply personal on I've Got the World on a String and
unapologetically swinging on “Foolin’ Myself. She sings Jimmy Rushings Boogie
Woogie Blues with an authentic southern swagger, and gives an unforgettably sultry
rendition of
Percy Mayfields protest song Please Send Me Someone to Love (featuring New Orleans
saxophonist Amadee Castenell, of Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello).
Add to these stunning vocals a stellar ensemble that organically follows the lead of Halls
exquisite phrasing, and you can be sure that this collection of great American songs will
provide any lover of vocal jazz with a great deal of Fun Out of Life!
Bio: April, a Florida native, has roots steeped in southern tradition, music and culture.
Her deep roots in southern gospel and blues combine with urban soulfulness and
sophistication to create music thats pure, gutsy, and unmistakably authentic.
Aprils voice is an instrument of astonishing beauty and versatility, capable of
ranging from the subtlest nuance to the most powerful soul-drenched belting with
equal ease and mastery. But her focus is always on singing the song, in the tradition
of classic singers like Joe Williams, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and Tony Bennett.
In 1993 April graduated from Berklee College of Music, where she received the prestigious
Louis Armstrong Performance Award. She has done projects for Atlantic Records under the
direction of Arif Mardin for the likes of Melissa Manchester, Bette Midler and Chaka Khan
and has appeared on stage with artists such as Al Jarreau, Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius,
Rosemary Clooney and Dinah Shore. For the past 12 years, she has been recording and
performing with New England's finest musicians, including Tim Ray, Marshall Wood, Kenny
Hadley, Dino Govoni, Jon Damian, Bruce Gertz, Tom Hall, Bob Neiske, Jerry Bergonzi, John
Lockwood, Marty Balue and Amadee Castenell.
Her graceful good looks and powerful presence have captivated audiences at every
conceivable venue, from night-clubs like The Regattabar and Scullers to the fine ballrooms
of the Copley Plaza and Ritz Carlton, from the Vonn Trapp Estate in New Hampshire to the
mansions of Newport, from intimate parties on the Cape to major events like the Anthony
Spinazolla Gala Festival of Food & Wine, National Democratic Convention and the NAFTA
Convention.
April is also an award winning songwriter, and her music has been featured on Boston's
”Women in Music” series (presented by WERS) and on “The Coffeehouse”.
