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Lua Hadar

Lua Hadar is a multi-lingual vocalist, emcee, comedienne, songwriter, independent producer and arts educator. Her signature “jazz without borders” brings songs from different styles and languages into the jazz idiom. She peppers her cosmopolitan jazz with funny stories, connecting the global dots between her cultural and theatrical influences and her songs. Lua has charmed audiences at venues and international festivals from San Francisco to Hollywood to New York to Paris to Italy to Bangkok.

Independently produced by her own New Performance Group, Lua has released three albums with her band Twist, as well as a live concert film, Like A Bridge. Her first original music video, Our Common Humanity, premiered at the 2018 International Arts Festival in San Francisco. She released her second original music video, Saudade, in May 2020. Lua’s recordings appear on iTunes, Youtube, Google Play, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon, and most digital services.

In Lisbon, Portugal, Lua has performed at Club Duque da Rua, Camones Artes Bar, and La Sharada, with pianist and fellow Lisboeta, Sheldon Forrest. Their association dates back more than 20 years, including several performances in Paris, and in Italy with The Kitchenettes.

Lua was a founding member of the comic girl trio, The Kitchenettes (described as “the Andrews Sisters on acid”) with whom she appeared in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Hollywood and Palm Springs, and at the Italian National Festival of Comic Song.

As an arts educator, Lua works with San Francisco Bay Area arts organizations including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, and at her own Studio NPG.

Lua Hadar with Twist: Like A Bridge

Read "Like A Bridge" reviewed by Geannine Reid

by Geannine Reid
October 25, 2012

Singer Lua Hadar her band Twist have aptly come up with Like a Bridge, a bold, worldly musical venture with multiple lingual selections and styles. Hadar's grasp of various languages and vernaculars is vast, singing in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian and Malagasy. What is more impressive is her command of each of the seven dialects' dictions and supple inflections within the musical selections, and her phrasing of each melodic line.“Bridge over Troubled Water" begins with Larry ...

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Live Review

Lua Hadar with TWIST at the Cornelia Street Café, NYC

by Marc Nieson
May 20, 2010

Lua Hadar with TWISTJazz with a Twist of Français Cornelia Street Café New York, New York April 24, 2010

Say chanteuse and what comes to mind? A smoky Parisian cellar? A rain-slicked side street in Montmartre? Edith Piaf poised before a thick microphone, spilling her ever-rallying soul for romance and La Resistance?

Well, if you were fortunate enough to catch Lua Hadar with TWIST at the Cornelia Street Café Cabaret on the night of April ...

Event

Jazz Without Borders Lua Hadar and her global jazz band TWIST debut at Yoshi’s Oakland, previewing new CD Sunday, March 11 @ 7pm

Source: Lua Hadar
March 11, 2012

San Francisco, CA: Vocalist Lua Hadar with her band TWIST make their Yoshi's Oakland debut on Sunday, March 11 at 7pm with their signature “Jazz Without Borders," an evening of international jazz. The set list includes several tunes from the band's new CD, Like A Bridge, recently recorded at the legendary Fantasy Studios, Berkeley. Also, a new song by guest pianist-vocalist-composer Candace Forest receives its U.S. premiere, along with an eclectic mix from the band's “jazz without borders" repertoire, sung ...
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…And not only could she pull off the French with due charm, but her voice offered the full roundness and savor of a vintage Bordeaux…the tiny stage [at New York’s Cornelia Street Café] blossomed forth each time Hadar took to the mic…we were transported to a place beyond language, beyond words, pure yearning, perhaps. - MS Nieson, All About Jazz

She makes the other side of the world seem just a stone’s throw away… - Michael Arens, Jazz Dimensions, Germany

This review only needs one word really - WOW! … Hadar spreads a rainbow of passion across the musical landscape… fire power spicier than any dish in a local cabana… simply amazing. - J. Edward Sumearu, The Metro Spirit, Augusta, Georgia.

She makes the other side of the world seem just a stone’s throw away… - Michael Arens, Jazz Dimensions, Germany

- … a stunning evening…sheer beauty… she rocked… her physical presence and body language remind one of the great Latin, Abbe Lane, at her peak…pure pleasure! - Joe Regan Jr. Cabaret Scenes Magazine, New York City

…a real vocalist with some long range and power…Clear and vibrant…beautiful… - Ray Redmond, Jazz USA

…seamlessly bridges the culture gap with her delightful and thoughtful new show…Her beautiful mezzo soprano combined with a superb collection of musicians creates the sound and atmosphere of a Paris music hall… I felt I understood the content without speaking French… - Steve Murray, Cabaret Scenes, San Francisco

The “French Connection” is a part of her worldly charm.- Carol Banks Weber, Examiner.com

…astounding command of [her] voice…her name should be spotlighted worldwide. - Nicolo Furmankiewicz, Department of Virtuosity Magazine, Warsaw, Poland

…vivacious brand of jazz…inspired…swinging…cool - Luna Kafé, Sweden

…seductive… polished vocal phrasing… irresistible - Blast Radio 1386, UK

…a rich and sophisticated mixture. - John M. Peters, The Borderland Magazine, UK

A sexy lady from New York who swings it internationally. It’s a high-octane release, something new and unexpected. - Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap, Lake Zurich, Illinois

…instantly accessible and truly exotic. - LMNOP Magazine. Chattanooga, Tennessee

…elegance and dignity… a mix of funkiness, sultry, art song, jazz, and Latin… - Rob Lester, Sound Advice, New York City

…well-crafted jazz with high soulfulness and spirit… - Improvijazzation Nation, Hawaii

…a sultry voice with hints of Piaf…. " Albert Goodwyn, San Francisco Bay Times

…able to make the familiar sound fresh… - Les Traub, Cabaret Scenes, Los Angeles

…beautiful...truly original... - Enrico de Angelis, L’Arena, Verona, Italy

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Primary Instrument

Vocals

Location

Lisbon

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Credentialed teacher. Teach Master Classes in vocal performance at the microphone. All levels. Private studio, San Francisco, CA and Lisbon, Portugal. Students perform in public shows at local clubs.