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Stephanie Nakasian: The Renaissance Woman of Jazz

By Nick Catalano

For decades, Stephanie Nakasian has been swinging through an immensely challenging jazz repertoire with astonishing aplomb. Her audacious ventures into vocal territory that others have carefully avoided have resulted in recordings and performances of unrivaled excellence. From pioneering vocal efforts with singer Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross to the rigorous charts of The Danish Radio Big Band and the improvisational intricacies of saxophonists Phil Woods and Scott Hamilton, Nakasian has constantly associated herself with jazz subtleties in uncharted territory.

Stephanie Nakasian: Thrush Hour

By Michael P. Gladstone

Stephanie Nakasian, who has been recording since the 1980s, has released an ambitious tribute to those singers she calls the “Great Ladies of Jazz." On Thrush Hour, the vocalist tries to connect to each of twenty female vocalists, going back as far as Bessie Smith.

Arranged in more or less chronological fashion, the album is almost like a compilation of the years in which these singers made their respective marks upon the world of vocal jazz. ...

Stephanie Nakasian: I Love You

By Michael P. Gladstone

Jazz Vocalist Stephanie Nakasian has an active history over the past several decades, working with vocal jazz legend Jon Hendricks and Family in the mid-1980s. Around that time, I first saw Nakasian when she appeared with Phil Woods. Nowadays, Nakasian resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she has been recording and, with her pianist/partner, Hod O'Brien, has a daughter who sings and records under the name Veronica Swift.

I Love You was released in Japan in ...

Stephanie Nakasian: Thrush Hour

By Suzanne Lorge

Stephanie Nakasian is a great gift to jazz buffs--and especially to those who love singers. Not just for her exuberant performances but for her ability to articulate in layman's terms what it is to be a jazz singer. Her latest recording on V.S.O.P. Records, Thrush Hour, combines masterful singing, top-notch musicianship, and an educator's expertise to deliver a comprehensive “study of the great ladies of jazz, as the subtitle reads.

On this release Nakasian approaches a generous number ...

Stephanie Nakasian: Invitation to an Escapade

By Dave Nathan

Of Armenian descent, Stephanie Nakasian first gained prominence in the mid-1980's when she hooked up with vocalese master Jon Hendricks. Since then, she has appeared in a number of venues including TV and clubs. Nakasian sings without fancies or frills. Straight from the heart singing with rapt attention to the lyrics make her one of the top story tellers on the contemporary scene. On this album, Nakasian often comes across as a torch singer in a nightclub scene in one ...