Jazz Articles about Deanna Witkowski

Deanna Witkowski: Having To Ask

by Joel Roberts
February 1, 2000

Don't confuse Deanna Witkowski's youthful exuberance for lack of musical erudition. On her spirited debut album, Having to Ask , the twenty-something pianist/singer/composer exhibits a wide-ranging musical knowledge that belies her tender years.Nearly everything Witkowski does has a strong Afro/Caribbean taste, reflecting her study with Cuban pianists like Chucho Valdes and time spent in Africa. She even turns a Charlie Parker blues ("Au Privave") into a salsa number. Her original compositions, like the opening “Happening at Once" and ...