Jeanie Bryson

Sultry, soulful, hypnotic, rare---there is no shortage of adjectives to describe Jeanie Bryson, whose extraordinary singing voice is at once reminiscent of Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee, and uniquely modern, original and inviting.

It is her unerring sense of swing that most defines Jeanie's style. She is best known for her warm, velvety sound and impeccable phrasing - "She has created a performance language rare in its ability to portray desire and humor", writes Peter Watrous in the New York Times. When he says "the effect is intimacy", he's right on. It feels like being cuddled in front of a smoldering fire when Jeanie Bryson sings.

Hardly surprising given her musical pedigree; she's the daughter of legendary jazz great Dizzy Gillespie and gifted songwriter Connie Bryson. Learning from her mother how a song is crafted, Jeanie acquired a strong sense of lyricism and storytelling that she brings to her music. Her enthusiasm for performance and the sense of joy that it brings to both performer and audience bespeak the many nights she spent in the company of her father and his band, taking it all in both off stage and on.

Jeanie, who earned a degree in anthropology from Rutgers University, found her life's passion by taking full advantage of the world-class jazz department on campus. She began to develop her uniquely personal singing style, and, with her father's legacy and the influence of one of her professors, Kenny Barron, her love of jazz singing happily blossomed into a career.

Having performed and travelled extensively throughout North and South America, Europe, and the Far East, Jeanie has received international acclaim. Along with being a guest vocalist on several outstanding recordings over the years, Jeanie has five solo recordings to her credit: "Deja Blue", on Koch Jazz, and “I Love Being Here With You", "Tonight I Need You So", and "Some Cats Know", all on the Telarc Jazz label, and "Live at the Warsaw Jazz Festival 1991", an import from Germany.

Fans and critics alike eagerly await Jeanie's newest project - "The Dizzy Gillespie Songbook", a loving and fitting tribute that celebrates her father's life, his music, and above all, his legacy. Jeanie directs her attention to her father's music as only a daughter can - CON ALMA - with soul.

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