SMOKE Jazz Club
Sunday February 3, 2008
2751 Broadway
New York, NY 10025
212.864.6662
2 Sets: 6:00pm & 7:00pm
No Cover, $20 minimum
BIOGRAPHY
It is easy to see why 2008 is looking to become a breakout year for jazz vocalist Michelle Walker. Coming off the heals of an extraordinary 2007 fall/winter touring season, Walker impressed critics with her performances in Moscow, Tel Aviv, and most recently at the Black Rock Performing Arts Center outside Washington, DC where she helped kick off the 2008 concert season which has featured Russell Malone, Rene Marie, Cyrus Chestnut and Ravi Coltrane. Walker also joined the ranks of jazz veterans Kenny Werner, Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, David Hazeltine and Jimmy Greene to perform at the “Hot Jazz" Concert Series where she was one of the first vocalists be asked to perform. Each of the five concerts throughout Israel was to sold-out, standing room only crowds of 800+ attendees and the featured show at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art was broadcast live on Israel National Radio.
Michelle is often compared to Cassandra Wilson, Nina Simone and Betty Carter in style and tone. Her performance resume includes concert and festival performances at The Lincoln Center-Women in Jazz Festival, The Silver Spring Jazz Festival, Goshen Jazz Festival and The Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival. She studied music and vocal performance at the University of Maryland, Stanford Jazz and Amsterdam Conservatory in Holland. She has also studied with Betty Carter, Rhiannon, Jay Clayton, Dena DeRose and Mark Murphy. She has opened in concert for Wynton Marsalis, Rene Marie, Terrell Stafford, Chris Botti, George Benson and Mark Murphy. Her arrangements of straight-ahead standards and contemporary pop tunes blend genres effortlessly and with a fresh level of originality that is solidifying her own distinctive sound. Dave Nathan at AllAboutJazz.com says, “Walker demonstrates an extraordinary degree of musicality." According to Mike Joyce of the Washington Post, the hypnotic, sexy, deep tone of Michelle's voice has a “soul-comforting allure".
On Sunday February 3rd, Walker returns to one of her resident performance haunts on the New York Jazz scene, SMOKE Jazz Club, with a talented line up of musicians joining her on stage. Joining Michelle will be:
Toru Dodo on piano
Gavin Fallow on bass
Bill Campbell on drums
Joel Frahm on Sax
For more information contact All About Jazz.
