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Fini Bearman: Last Night of the World
by Neil Duggan
As professor of Jazz Voice and Songwriting at London's Guildhall School, Fini Bearman naturally incorporates songwriting exercises into her teaching. Over time, some of the songs born from these sessions evolved into fully realised pieces, several of which now appear on her fifth album, Last Night of The World. Bearman brings an impressive jazz pedigree to the project. A celebrated singer, composer, and instrumentalist, she has earned nominations for London Jazz Singer of the Year from the Global ...
Continue ReadingFini Bearman: La Loba
by Bruce Lindsay
London-based singer, musician and songwriter Fini Bearman has a history of fine recordings, notably 2014's Porgy And Bess (F-ire Records) and 2016's Burn The Boat (Two Rivers Records), which featured her exquisite “I'd Rather Have The Rain." La Loba is her fourth studio album and her first duo recording, featuring the cellist Zosia Jagodzinska. Just two performers, but with a sound that has all of the fullness and tonal variation of a much larger ensemble. On La Loba, ...
Continue ReadingFini Bearman: Burn The Boat
by Bruce Lindsay
Vocalist Fini Bearman made an impressive debut as a leader with Step Up (Feenz Beenz Records, 2011), a set of her original songs. In 2014 she effectively re-imagined classics on her second album, Porgy And Bess. Burn The Boat returns to the structure of her debut release, presenting another nine of Bearman's original compositions, with the singer alongside a completely new band. It's a beautiful recording. Bearman's talent as a vocalist is clear from Porgy And Bess, where ...
Continue ReadingFini Bearman: Porgy And Bess
by Bruce Lindsay
For her second album, singer and songwriter Fini Bearman moves away from the original songs of her debut, Step Up (Feenz Beenz Records, 2011). She chooses instead to delve into one of the best-known operas of the twentieth century--George Gershwin's Porgy And Bess. It's a work that has inspired some major jazz performers, including vocal greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Tough acts to follow, but these interpretations hold their own particular magic. The London-based Bearman makes ...
Continue ReadingFini Bearman: Step Up
by Bruce Lindsay
Step Up is the debut from British vocalist/songwriter Fini Bearman. Bearman has studied with Judy Niemack, and lists Gretchen Parlato as an influence--two singers with the ability to inhabit the lyrics of a song, giving the impression that even well-worn songbook standards were written about their lives. Bearman shares that quality and also has Cassandra Wilson's ability to weave her voice in and around the instrumental lines as if it were an additional instrument. She sings with the London Vocal ...
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