Results for "Vocals"

Andrew Kettle

Holly Dayle

Born: July 29

Holly Dayle is a gifted jazz vocalist whose warm, classically trained voice evokes the timeless grace of artists like Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, and Laufey. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Holly brings emotional depth and polish to every performance — whether interpreting classics like "At Last" or performing her own original songs, heard on streaming platforms worldwide.

That polish is grounded in serious training. Holly holds a formal music degree and trained under Dr. Raymond Gibbs — a tenor who sang eleven years with the Metropolitan Opera, in leading roles including Rodolfo in La Bohème, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and Pelléas in Pelléas et Mélisande. Holly was, in effect, his protégée, and training of that caliber builds the breath control, placement, and range that free a singer to cross genres — it is the foundation under everything she sings. In jazz especially, that foundation shows: the technique disappears, and what remains is ease, phrasing, and the freedom to improvise without ever losing the line of the song. It is why her interpretations carry both technical excellence and soulful storytelling that resonates across generations.

Maria João

Born: June 27, 1956

Most singers perform a song. Maria João takes it apart, rebuilds it, and hands it back unrecognizable and unforgettable. 

A voice that improvises like breath, breaks like free jazz, and lands like home. Born in Lisbon in 1956, Maria João has spent four decades bending jazz into folk, avant-garde and electronica — from her 1983 debut Quinteto Maria João to her long-running partnership with pianist Mário Laginha, and to OGRE, her electronic project. Her most recent album, Abundância, travels between Lisbon and Maputo, produced by Luís Fernandes.  

Cobby Brzeski

Active since: August 22, 2015

ABOUT

Cobby Brzeski is a San Diego-based jazz vocalist, flutist, and songwriter originally from Naples, Florida. Her project, The Vintage Girl in a Modern World (VGMW) Swing Band, blends the elegance of the 1930s and 1940s with fresh, contemporary energy. A magna cum laude graduate of Berklee College of Music, Cobby and the VGMW Band perform timeless swing standards, original compositions inspired by the Golden Age of Jazz, and modern songs reimagined in vintage style. Whether experiencing a more intimate ensemble or the ful band, VGMW creates an immersive, high-energy experience that delights jazz lovers, swing dancers, and new audiences alike.

Irene Aranda

Born: September 2, 1980

IRENE ARANDA

Pianist, composer.

Born in Jaén ( Andalucía / Spain ) and Berlin-based, started to play piano at age seven. Classical trained and selftaught in jazz and free improvisation, Aranda is defined by the critics as original, astonishing and freed from stereotypes.

Irene Aranda has played with Don Malfon, Brandon López, Ami Yamasaki, Samuel Blasser, Chuck Roth, Elisabeth Coudoux, Maria Reich, Agustí Fernández, Joanna Mattrey, Ernesto Rodrigues, Johannes Nästestjö, and so on.

Valerio Marino

Born: January 22, 1970

Able to range from pop to jazz, with excellent vocal flexibility and an appreciable stylistic versatility, Valerio Marino is a talented and refined singer.

In the early 2000s, with the pop band Egoricarica, he participated in important festivals, winning high-level awards and recognitions such as the Premio Lunezia "Giovani Autori" and the San Marino Festival, to name a few.

Throughout his career, he has performed throughout Italy, in prestigious clubs and at particularly noteworthy festivals.

Among his most notable collaborations, those with pianist Alessandro Bravo, trumpet player Riccardo Catria, arranger and director Mario Corvini, and the Rieti Jazz Orchestra stand out.

Isabella Isherwood

Born: April 3

Isabella Isherwood is a Chicago-based jazz vocalist, pianist, and actor. Critic Neil Tesser writes, “Her range includes thrilling low notes, a middle register that resonates warmth, and ghostly obbligatos to enhance an arrangement. In our atmosphere of deep fakes and broken trust, her unadorned reading cuts the fog like a quavering beacon.”

Isherwood has shared her artistry on stage and screen both across the United States and internationally. Notable performances include appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Center and Ravinia, performances with her quartet at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and three concert tours throughout Europe.

Vanessa Matthys

Born: May 23, 1988

Vanessa Matthys graduated as a Master in jazz singing with David Linx at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. She also studied at the “Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse” in Paris for one year as an Erasmus exchange student.

She became a finalist in the international jazz vocal competition in Riga, Latvia (2013) and the Dinant Jazz competition (2009).

Vanessa had the opportunity to collaborate on stage and in the studio with numerous jazz artists such as the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Dirk Brossé, Bill Carrothers, The Keystone Bigband, Drew Gress, Ivan Paduart, Frank Deruytter, Jan De Haas, …

Vanessa is a vocal teacher at the Conservatory of Kortrijk (Belgium).

Rowan Flack

Born: June 18, 1998

Rowan Flack is a jazz and folk-inspired vocalist and composer whose musical roots trace back to the BRIT School and Trinity Laban to Norway’s Edvard Grieg Academy, where she studied Norwegian folk and jazz on the west coast of Norway.

Her debut EP New Light Dwelling (2019) featured original vocalese set to Keith Jarrett’s ‘Belonging’ and was shaped by mountainous terrain, leaving London and the quiet unravelling of a long-term relationship. This project led to sold-out headline shows in Bergen and marked the beginning of her professional career, including a three-month jazz residency in Xiamen, China. 

Debo Ray

Grammy-nominated and award-winning artist, Debo Ray is a powerhouse vocalist and charismatic storyteller that connects deeply with her audience both on and off stage. Blending the soulful richness of R&B with cross-genre influences, her sound reflects the depth of her artistry and the vibrancy of her spirit. On stage, her radiant energy transforms every performance into an immersive, unforgettable experience that leaves a lasting impression long after the music ends.