Results for "Singer-Songwriter"

LETIZIA GAMBI

Born in Naples, Letizia Gambi is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress who has a wide-ranging education. She has studied dancing, acting, singing, painting and musical theater.

Letizia Gambi’s music is Cross-cultural combination of her Neapolitan-Italian roots with the heritage of Black American Jazz. Her Mediterranean passion sings through Jazz's language in a contemporary, crossover, personal style.

She lived in New York, Los Angeles and now she is based in Miami and Milan (when she is in Italy).

Letizia began dancing lessons at age eleven, attended art school at thirteen and began showcasing her art and winning awards for her paintings when she was fourteen . At fifteen, she began traveling to London, in the summer, to study musical theater. Continuing to dance, she became a dance instructor and choreographer at a very young age, while continuing to sing and act. She studied acting and worked as an actress. Finally, because of her great love and passion for music, she auditioned for the International Jazz Academy in Milan, out of 60 people who auditioned, she was one of only seven who was accepted into the program.
She studied for four years and became an assistant to the vocal professor in her fifth, "Master Year.” Letizia graduated with a Masters Degree in Jazz Vocal Performance.

Nicole Zuraitis

Grammy® Nominated New York based musician Nicole Zuraitis blends clever songwriting skills, an effervescent presence and dazzling vocals in a consummate package that has thrilled audiences across Manhattan and across the world. If recently you happened upon Greenwich Village’s 55 Bar or Birdland Jazz Club and were enchanted by the seismic versatile talent of inspired vocalist, keyboard player and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis, you’re officially part of the lady-powerhouse burgeoning fan club. Nicole was nominated dually with her husband Dan Pugach in the arrangement category the 61st annual Grammy® Awards for their version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”

Wendy Simon

Born: October 5

A Jazz singer is truly a unique combination of talents - the abilities to bend a melody, improvise on a harmony,and at the same time, keep a rhythmical sense that makes you want to pat your foot.  One such singer is Wendy Simon, originally a member of the recorded group, "52nd Street."  Their album on Inner City Records, "Scrapple To The Apple,"  earned them international recognition for their be-bop takes and advanced harmonic explorations.  ​Wendy Simon has re-invented herself in the modern Jazz world, creating and investigating newer sounds in Jazz, while still paying homage to the Jazz classics of yesterday.  Her adventurous, innovative and exciting approach is a sure crowd-pleaser.  Wendy Simon's musical background includes studies at Arcadia University, Chestnut Hill College and independent studies with musicians, Al Stauffer and Owen Brown, Jr.  Her search for musical excellence has given her an exciting new approach to stimulate Jazz audiences.   With a soon-to-be-released title, "Time Of Silver Rain," Wendy Simon stands poised to take her place among Jazz divas of the current Jazz scene - check her out!

Alex Bird

Born: September 18, 1990

Over the last few years, ALEX BIRD has become one of the most exciting names on the Canadian Jazz scene. With praise from around the globe, and alongside songwriting & piano partner EWEN FARNCOMBE, Bird has created timeless and heartfelt originals for a modern audience. Over the last few years, this talented team has produced something that is completely unique; three original & independent albums in three years. Their sophomore album You Are the Light and the Way, backed by their Jazz Mavericks, was nominated for “Best Vocal Jazz” at the 2022 JUNO Awards.

Bird and Farncombe’s latest album, a duo record, dropped as a surprise of 11 originals entitled, Songwriter. Kira Grunenberg at DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE wrote, “Impassioned messages sung and played from one’s heart but worn on a well-dressed sleeve. Songwriter is an elegant, romantic, and well-executed gem of a record.”

Walter Duda

Artist Information Walter Duda is a self-taught musician (piano) and vocalist from New England and a writer and publisher member of ASCAP. He has co-founded an independent record label, negotiated a national distribution agreement and achieved significant radio air play of his music worldwide. He was born in Connecticut, graduated from The University of Detroit with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and also attended Fairfield University and Wayne State University graduate schools. After a year of teaching a foreign language on the high school level, he decided that music is his language of choice. With his earliest influences in music, he identified with Rock & Roll singers Dion and Bobby Darin

Burke Ingraffia

Jazz songwriter Burke Ingraffia has a rare lyrical gift in the Southern style of Mose Allison or Bob Dorough. A native of New Orleans, Ingraffia blends the sounds of jazz with the warmth of the acoustic guitar and his auspicious vocals. He has been a Kerville New Folk Finalist and has received awards from the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest in both the jazz/blues and folk categories. Burke Ingraffia's 2020 album, Waves, received critical acclaim and features some of New Orleans' finest musicians including Johnny Vidacovich, James Singleton, and John Gros and was produced by multi-Grammy Award winner Scott Billington (Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Professor Longhair, Bobby Rush).

Lili Añel

Born: June 8

Lili Añel considers music a calling. This striking six-foot tall singer-songwriter-musician grew up in New York City’s Spanish Harlem, where she discovered her passion for music. As a child, Lili remembers singing along to her mother’s Cuban, jazz and pop-standard albums. It was also her mother who supported Lili’s desire to join the church choir. However, it was her Afro-Cuban grandfather’s recognition of how much joy her singing brought others, being the voice that stood out in that choir, which served to set her feet firmly on the path of a career in music.

Sonia Johnson

Born: April 7, 1974

Les Productions Sonia Johnson, headquartered in Montreal, produced its first CD, Don’t explain in 2005 with the help of a grant from the Fondation du maire de Montréal pour la jeunesse [the Montreal Mayor’s Foundation for Youth]. The artist garnered critical acclaim for her first release. This first production allowed the jazz vocalist to gain recognition in her artistic field and new collaborations arose, such as her participation in Frédéric Alarie’s project Sous Hôte Tension part of the 2006 edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Sharing a common vision of jazz music, Frédéric and Sonia decided to explore composing together, and were then joined by pianist Luc Beaugrand and drummer Camil Belisle

Lizzi Trumbore

Born: July 25, 1996

Chicago based vocalist and composer Lizzi Trumbore infuses catchy melodies, lush harmonies, introspective lyrics, and genre-bending grooves to create a unique spin on both the pop and jazz idioms. Her debut album "Lifelines" is set to release in the fall of 2019. Lizzi is a published songwriter and arranger who’s original compositions have been performed by collegiate and professional vocal groups throughout the country and at the JEN (The Jazz Education Network) and ACDA (American Choral Director’s Association) conferences. Her songs have been described as "world class," "sincere and intelligently crafted," and "full of beautiful surprises." She skillfully combines a vibrant and youthful perspective on songwriting while still capturing a mature depth and understanding of the art form

Natalie Hanna Mendoza

Born: August 7

LA bred and based musician NATALIE HANNA MENDOZA is an award winning jazz vocalist and songwriter. She performs many other vocal genres including POP, R&B, Blues, Jazz, Motown and Classical. With a broad range of vocal stylings, Natalie is lead vocalist in several groups including The Fabus Four, Natalie and Shane, and the acoustic Americana band, The Frogtown Serenaders. She can be found performing tirelessly at venues throughout Southern California such as Herb Alpert’s Vibratos Grill Jazz, Disneyland, Clifton’s Cafeteria, the Cicada Club, the Queen Mary, Vitellos, and many more