Results for "jazz vocals"

Paul Vornhagen

Born: August 18, 1950

Paul performs on saxophones, flute, piccolo, clarinet and vocals with styles reminiscent of Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Mann, Hubert Laws and Chet Baker (vocals). Based in Ann Arbor, he has released numerous recordings as a bandleader for several labels including Schoolkids, BOPO, PKO, Inner Light and Global Pulse.  His Quartet performs throughout Michigan and northern Ohio on a monthly basis as well as touring in California and the Chicago area.  His latest Quartet recording was released on February 3, 2025 on Global Pulse Records entitled Paul Vornhagen-Live at the Blue LLama to NPR and Internet Programs.  

Sharada Shashidhar

Los Angeles-based vocalist, composer, and producer Sharada Shashidhar has a deep awareness of the cosmos. There’s a distinct tug-of-war in her music, an understanding that scanning the heavens to answer existential queries isn’t quite enough; there are internal depths to plumb as well. Shashidhar’s first album, 2020’s Rahu, found her voice billowing out of smoky, post-beat-scene soundscapes, meditating on the collective unconscious and the energy exchange between all living things. Her newest work, Soft Echoes, is a bold step forward, eschewing her previous work’s hip-hop tilt for expansive compositions that blend jazz and Indian classical influences into a swirling, spiritual whole.

Though she has an extensive resume as a collaborator in LA’s experimental jazz scene, notching work with the likes of Carlos Niño, Zeroh, and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Soft Echoes marks Shashidhar’s first outing as a bandleader. Gathering an ensemble that includes Anna Butters on bass, Julian Rodriguez on keys, Devin Daniels on saxophone, and Timothy Angulo on drums, Shashidhar sought to create a band that ostensibly functioned as an extension of herself. Her primary goals in writing these songs were to “let [her] body do what it wanted to do,” to trust her intuition, and “play without judgment.” Through that process, making Soft Echoes became a practice of presence and exploration, a chance to unlearn rigid structures and rediscover the joy of creating for oneself.

Recording took place over three brief, distinct sessions at Altamira Sound in Alhambra, California. Though the full band wasn’t ever present at the same time, Soft Echoes sounds like the work of a group in complete, mind-meld focus. Splashy drums nudge up against skronkingsaxophone on “Canyon Song,” while mushrooming synth tones stack up behind rippling Rhodes piano on “Luckiest.” Shashidhar’s elegant voice is the anchor for each of these tracks, sometimes gracefully stretching between instruments like a lithe dancer’s limbs, other times scattering through psychedelic delay.

She describes the album as having “two poles,” illustrated by the whimsical, buoyant opener “Soft Echoes” and the darker, more anxiety-ridden closer, “New Echoes.” The songs in between may come from different emotional spaces, but “it’s all really reflective,” she explains. The album can play like a loop, with Shashidhar entering a portal “into the endlessness” during “New Echoes,” only to be transported back to the beginning, full of gratitude and pondering “how strange it is to be alive.” On Soft Echoes, Shashidhar leads us on a journey through her mind, traversing its peaks and canyons in search of greater connection. “I want to take people places,” she says, pausing thoughtfully. “I can’t always guarantee that they’re good places, [but] hopefully you’ll feel something.”

Silva & Steini

Active since: 2020

The debut album from Icelandic duo Silva & Steini, More Than You Know is proof of the pure magic in truly inspired song interpretation. Over the course of eight spellbinding tracks, Reykjavík-based musicians Silva Thordardottir and Steingrímur Teague reimagine a lovingly curated collection of jazz standards, presenting each in a gorgeously sparse arrangement that often finds their vocals solely accompanied by the warm and dreamlike tones of Wurlitzer or the muted sounds of a felted piano. A delicate convergence of their distinct sensibilities—the gracefully understated approach to jazz singing Silva first revealed on her 2019 full-length debut, the inventive yet elegant musicianship Steini has showcased as a member of globally beloved band Moses Hightower and as a touring/recording keyboardist for indie-folk powerhouse Of Monsters and Men—More Than You Know ultimately lends a sublimely new vitality to its selected songs (some nearly a century-old). The result: a lovely and luminous body of work, both timeless and quietly forward-thinking.

Kris Adams

John Allee

Born: September 11, 1963

John Allee is a multi-faceted performer whose acting and music credits include both stage and screen.  He is perhaps best known for playing the role of Pasha on the Golden Globe nominated Starz limited series "Flesh and Bone," created by acclaimed executive producer Moira Walley-Beckett, and for his stage work in Los Angeles, CA.

Recording under the nom-de-pop, Johnnye Allee, he released his debut CD Unless it Isn't in 2007, a collection of folk-pop/roots-rock originals which American Songwriter magazine called "a stunning suite of songs." His follow up to that was Expect Delays and featured John live at the piano performing another new set of tunes. John's first straight-ahead jazz release was Bardfly, an album of jazz interpretations of songs from the plays of Shakespeare. "It is Allee's slick composing, dramatic delivery, and acting chops that make this recording a standout" (All About Jazz). His latest jazz-pop-blues album is Past Imperfect, "a splendid, alternately heartfelt, charming, gently reflective and incisively pointed fictionalized chronicle of colorful characters...a powerhouse ensemble" (Jonathan Widran, JW Vibe).

Radha Thomas

'As I Sing' From SubContinental Records is Radha Thomas's 7th album.

For those who aren't from India, and unfamiliar with her work, she is one of India’s leading and most widely recognized figures in jazz, vocalist Radha Thomas has been creating her unique sound for many decades. Transitioning from early rock & roll and Indian classical roots to present-day jazz as well as her own original compositions, Thomas loves bebop, especially vocalese, which she writes and sings a lot.

Jonny Boston

Born: March 21, 1971

Singer, Saxophonist & Songwriter JONNY BOSTON excelled in music at Christ's Hospital, a school where he was nurtured and encouraged. He debuted aged 15 with Bahrain Jazz Quartet in the Middle East. Legendary cornetist Phil Mason first heard him busking on the Underground, which led to tours throughout Europe with Max Collie Rhythm Aces by the age of 18. Jonny left Max to study at Leeds College of Music, where he sailed through his Graduate Diploma in Jazz & Contemporary Music with Honours! While there, he won the Yorkshire TV Young Jazz Player of the Year. The judges included Chris Barber, who later invited Jonny’s band, Boston Tea Party, to perform with his Jazz & Blues Band

Selma Boragian

Born: June 24

Brazilian singer, vocal arranger and conductor Selma Boragian has been part of the artistic team of the University of São Paulo Choir (CORALUSP) since 1999. She graduated from UNICAMP in Popular Music and completed a Masters in Music at USP, specializing in vocal arrangements for choir. Her book “ O samba em arranjos para coral" was published in Europe, by "New Academic Editions” in 2019.

She is the founder of the renowned vocal group Arirê, where she participated as a singer and arranger. The female vocal quartet released two acclaimed albums; the second one, inspired by João Gilberto, on the SESC label.

Jennifer Leitham

Jennifer Leitham's over 50 year career has taken her to the finest concert halls around the world, playing with the likes of Mel Torme', Doc Severinsen, Peggy Lee, k.d. lang, Bill Watrous, Bob Cooper, Benny Carter, Eartha Kitt and countless other music world greats. Her basslines have graced many movies and TV shows,

She is a bassist, vocalist, composer, arranger, lyricist, educator and producer.

Jennifer's trio features the bass as the lead voice throughout and highlights both her original compositions, arrangements, and as her massive Spottily audience will attest, her superb vocals. 

Maggie Herron

Maggie’s upcoming album features Mark Kibble (of Take 6) on Vocal arrangements and harmonies, Romain Collin-Piano, Mitch Forman-piano & Hammond B3, Bill Cunliffe-piano and horn arrangements, Grant Geissman-guitar, John Storie-guitar, Bob Sheppard-Sax, Duane Padilla-String arrangement, Steve Velez-Cello and Andrew Neu-sax and horn arrangements. Maggie released her first single from the upcoming album Sweet Lullaby in Dec. 2022. https://music.apple.com/us/album/sweet-lullaby-single/1598969097

5X Winner of Hawaii’s Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Jazz Album of the Year