Results for "Vocalist"

Gracie Terzian

Born: May 16

Ted Gioia, jazz critic and author of History of Jazz, calls her “a genuine talent” and ICON Magazine says “she’s a beguiling singer and modern song stylist with an astute sense of swing.” A native of the Washington, DC area, Gracie Terzian is a singer, songwriter, ukulelist and actor now living in New York City. She recently gained attention in the jazz world with the release of her debut EP, Saints and Poets, co-written with pianist Wells Hanley and produced by Mike Tynan. The EP debuted at #23 on the Billboard jazz charts and quickly became the #3 jazz album on iTunes

Judith Nijland

Born: February 2

Judith is a jazz singer and composer. She likes to create stories and songs. And her concerts are little journeys with food for thought and a lasting smile. FROM CLASSICAL LANGUAGES TO JAZZ Judith is music. Starting at a young age she participated in talent shows with her own songs. The piano at home is often played and used for private try outs and classical lessons. After graduating in Greek and Latin, Judith studied Jazz at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague. She now mainly focusses on writing her own material and creating new versions of old songs. Jazz remains her true love. VOICE AND PERFORMANCE Her clear and warm voice with a wide range is very flexible

Khadijah Renee

Kiki Ebsen

Born: January 14, 1958

Kiki Ebsen is a versatile artist whose work includes multiple music genres—jazz, folk, pop and classical. Whether composing new songs, performing or producing new music showcases, Kiki is driven by a well stream of creativity and the pure joy of connecting with audiences around the world. At ease in any venue from intimate cabaret to large performing halls, during the past year, Kiki has performed from Los Angeles to New York and places in between, plus Canada. Her sixth and latest record, “Scarecrow Sessions,” has enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim. Born from a desire to fulfill her father’s wish for her to sing jazz (her father is iconic performer, Buddy Ebsen), Kiki recorded an album of songs that had a connection to his life and seven-decade career, beginning with his New York Vaudeville days and Hollywood’s Golden Era

Ruby Alexander

Born: January 3, 1975

Ruby was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. She began singing at the age of 5 and hasn’t stopped since. With a foundation in jazz from her youth, she carries an understanding of musical creativity and improvisation. Her musical influences are: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Nat King Cole; just to name a few.

Erin Bentlage

Born: August 6, 1991

Hailing from the green mountains of Vermont, Erin Bentlage writes, sings, and plays music with an unquenchable thirst for organic sound. Raised in a small town near the city of Burlington, she developed her love for emotional musical expression through ballet and classical piano lessons, and in high school found herself involved in any musical activity possible, from performing as a singer and pianist to directing the school’s first a cappella group. She became the first vocalist to win the Vermont All State Jazz Scholarship in 2008 and 2009, which also served as her first experience in jazz and improvisation

Synia Carroll

Synia Carroll ( sin-‘nī-ah ) Music has loomed large in Synia’s life since her childhood in Philadelphia. As young as four years old she was writing her own songs and by the age of 12 she was singing for a variety of audiences, while accompanying herself on folk guitar. Synia earned a full music scholarship to Chestnut Hill, nearby woman’s college, however she opted instead to attend Wesleyan University in Connecticut. where her music experienced expanded to include classical, latin and gospel music as well as work at local recording studios. Shortly after college, Synia moved to New York where her smooth, clear vocals were soon recognized, leading to session work with a number of performing and recording artists including Curtis Hairston, Cookie Watkins, and jazz harmonica player Will Galison It was vibraphonist Jay Hoggard who first encouraged Synia to step forward to pursue a career as a lead vocalist. Synia’s developed an affinity for “Soca Music” also known as the soul of calypso, and worked with groups lead by Bernard Liburd, Designer, and Lord Nelson

Douyé

Born: January 4, 1969

Enter the extraordinary Lagos, Nigeria-born, Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist Douyé who breathes new life into the tried-and-true standards on The Golden Sèkèrè—her fifth album named after the beaded percussion instrument unique to her homeland. She blends her polyrhythmic African heritage with the lyricism of the Western jazz world to create an astonishing fourteen song collection of sublime beauty and percussive festivity. It stands tall as a special font of creative innovation.

“I’ve seen thousands of people on YouTube sing these jazz standards, but so much of it feels inauthentic,” Douyé says. “Like my father taught me, I needed to connect with the spirit of each of the songs to understand them directly.

Renée Yoxon

Born: December 28, 1987

Renée Yoxon is a young vocalist and songwriter who recreates and reinterprets the traditional jazz sound with verve and poise. In only a few short years, Renée has firmly established herself as a musician dedicated to the art of jazz singing. Her latest album, Here We Go Again, has been described as having “torch song clarity with fissures of folk, blues, and Judy Garland-tinged soul.” In 2005, while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in physics, Renée began her jazz studies with acclaimed Toronto jazz vocalist Tena Palmer. In 2009, Renée was awarded her BSc in physics, with minors in math and music

Vanessa Racci

Growing up with her Southern Italian grandfather in New York, Vanessa learned Italian American classics and jazz at an early age, hearing Dean Martin, Connie Francis, Frank Sinatra and the like played throughout the house. She developed as a singer in musical theater (starring in professional theater at age 12), discovered her love for jazz in her 20’s and started touring with a trio.

After her grandfather passed, Vanessa was inspired to reinvent the Italian classics that he taught her with modern jazz arrangements to keep the music alive for future generations. She teamed up with Gianni Valenti of Birdland Jazz Club NYC, producer, David Finck, and Manhattan Transfer arranger, Yaron Gershovsky, to realize her vision. The result was a sold-out album release show at Birdland in 2017 and a unique album entitled, Italiana Fresca, that reached #65 on the jazz charts. Since then, she has performed at over 70 festivals, events and jazz clubs across the country and has been played on over 20 Italian radio stations across the US and Italy.