'Kaya Nicole, jazz vocalist, poet and guitarist, releases a solo album of covers entitled: “Moody: A Selection of Songs for Everyday Sadness,” on Sunday, November 28th at the Marigny Opera House in New Orleans.  Her rhythmic vocal style reminds one of the dynamic Carmen Miranda or Elis Regina, with a robust low end the likes of Lauryn Hill or Sarah Vaughan.  Kaya performs jazz, neo soul, folk, blues, bossa nova and hip hop, and has even been known to break into rap at least once a show to pay homage to her New York roots.  Recipient of the 2021 Arts Alive grant, Kaya continues her legacy of storytelling through her debut original project: “Tracing the Diaspora” in 2022.'

Visit the kayanicolemusic.com to purchase her new album of acoustic covers: "Moody: A Selection of Songs for Everyday Sadness."

Drum and bell music from Finland, by Lauri Wuolio.

Pianist-singer-composer, based in Paris since 2012. 
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D’origine russe, dont elle a gardé la langue maternelle, Olinka Mitroshina est née en Lettonie, pays dans lequel elle a vécu la période Soviétique (URSS), ainsi que son historique changement politique en 1989. Elle y étudie le piano classique, avant de venir s’installer en France en 1999 (depuis 2012 à Paris). Suite à cette longue période d’apprentissage, qui lui a apporté une reconnaissance officielle diplômante, elle « vend » son âme au Blues.
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Albums:
« Gershwin Blues » - 2017 
« Short Stories » - 2016 (unreleased album)
« All Sensitive People »  – 2009 
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« Feeling, feeling, and more feeling. Olinka is pure feeling, of a rare kind. Hearing her sing and play the blues gives you goose bumps, the beauty and authenticity of her voice makes you dizzy and warm. She's got rhythm and much more. A unique artist with a bright future.» © Jean-Michel PILC

 « Elle est belle, raffiné, tendre, souple, un peu froide, indépendante, un peu sauvage et ne vient pas de ce monde. Elle est changeante et plein de nuances, ce qui l’apparente avec les impressionnistes français. » © A.S. BROK 

« The effortless execution in a beautiful phrasing - is one thing I personally like to hear from a singer. Olinka has it »  © Lionel LOUEKE

 « I've had the pleasure to work with Olinka on several occasions. We played standards in a club where she exhibited her knowledge and command of the jazz lexicon. I was pleasantly surprised after hearing her latest recording, because it shows a side of her of which i was not aware. The music goes beyond being just a recapitulation of songs that we all know. Each track shows true imagination in its instrumental setting, texture and arrangement. It is music that should be listened to more than once to discover its different layers. I know I will and urge you to do the same » (...about “Gershwin’s Blues” album) © Rick MARGITZA 

« Olinka is a gifted pianist and vocalist of russian origins (from Latvia). It's revealed in her very apropo project Gershwin's Blues, baring her soul and heart beautifully and honestly. I continue to enjoy listening frequently to the wonderful and intimate interpretations of some of the best music ever written. » © Darryl HALL

« Voix féline, enjôleuse et parfaitement maîtrisée et piano minimaliste, qui s'insinue dans vos oreilles, votre cerveau, pour mieux vous mordre les tripes et vous faire fondre. Le nouveau projet de la fatale Olinka et son excellent et élégant partenaire (co-lead pour ce beau LP) Georges Guy a la guitare, tient haut ses promesses. Laissez-vous aller...Le plaisir est au bout.» © Emmanuel P. DJOB

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Journalistes en parlent:
« Une voix atypique comme une lame ébréchée » © Franck BERGEROT

(en parlant de “Gershwin’s Blues” Album) « Ce disque est avant tout une histoire d’amitié autour d’une belle entente musicale et humaine, un goût commun pour le Blues et les chansons de Broadway, une alchimie idéale entre piano, voix et guitare, et beaucoup de sincérité et de feeling pour porter haut et fort ces standards, mille fois entendus, mais jamais avec autant de grâce et de fraîcheur. » © Lionel ESKENAZI.

Shara Lunon aka Sha-Raw the panther paw, aka RaRa bird no.3, has dedicated herself to the art of voice. She studied Ethnomusicology and Vocal Performance at the University of Florida under Dr. Elizabeth Graham, focusing on the operatic technique and attended master classes with revered vocalists as Kiri Te Kanawa and Denyce Graves. Shara also attended the University of São Paulo, where she studied voice with Francisco Campos Neto, Ricardo Ballestero and researched Brazilian modernism with Ivan Villela to complete her thesis. Shara furthered her education at Manhattan School of Music’s SVA program under the instruction of Maitland Peters and participated in master classes with Hilda Harris, Mignon Dunn, Rhoda Levine, and Joan Caplan. 

During and since, Shara has experimented in the vocal stylings of electronic/dance, hip-hop, and R&B in such groups as MSNRA, Jovian Junction Orchestra, and Wizard Women. In addition, she has opened for such artists as Nicole Miglis of Hundred Waters,  M1 from Dead Prez and performed with renowned musicians Marcio do Bahia and Celso Machado. Shara has also been a member of the Church of Holy Colors/Milagros art collective, and aided in the formation of the Elestial Sound record label serving as a founder, board member, artist, and administrative assistant. She has now started her second label, Orbital Mechanix, which pushes the frontier of hip hop, electronic, and neo-soul. Relocated to the big apple, she hopes to further her work in codifying her style of "hip-hopera".

嶋田会希–Elle Shimada is a violinist, producer, curator, DJ and multi-instrumentalist from Tokyo based in Melbourne.

A unique combination of thickly layered string lines making tender love to heavy new-jazz influenced beats creates an emotive, cinematic and other-worldly atmosphere while keeping the dance floor pulsing with visionary and edgy production. Shimada's genre defying sound draws inspiration from underground electronic music like Drum & Bass, Baile Funk with jazz classical music, combined with vulnerable and introspective lyricism often in subject matter that is both relatable and challenging, Shimada’s delivery is a strong testament to her unique ability in capturing human experience through music.

As a director of the multidisciplinary art collective CO-DREAMERS, Shimada fuses a choir section and choreography with a kinetic succession of dance beats and abstract compositions to create an unforgettable live performance experience with the feel of a movie. 

In 2022, Shimada released her debut album ‘HOME ≠ LOCATION’ on The Jazz Diaries, Shimada journeys through spiritual jazz and drum’n’bass in search of a home beyond the geographical touring in Australia, UK, EU, USA and Indonesia with tenacious reception globally.

In 2023, she is set to release two singles, About Blank____ ft. Rara Zulu and Mononoke ft. Yami, along with a self-directed music video showcasing her storytelling and curatorial skills beyond music. Together with the CO-DREAMERS collective, Shimada creates captivating performances with choir sections, choreography, and abstract compositions, touring Australia, UK, Asia and Europe, supporting renowned artists such as Madlib, Liv.e, Obongjayar, Alfa Mist and Jitwam.

With an undercurrent of feminism, cultural curiosity and a political mindset, Shimada utilizes the uniting power of music to cultivate a dance-floor-activism that is inclusive, honest and raw, creating progressive spaces beyond musicianship.

Rafael Pondé is a visionary with a passion for music from around the world most especially afro diaspora music. He has recorded 6 albums and collaborated with many different artists ranging from Colombian to Jamaican and North American acts. His music performances and teaching projects are influenced by Brazilian percussive music and their expression with traditional acoustic instruments. Rafael is a multi instrumentalist, singer, record producer, music educator and ethnomusicologist .

 

His explosive performances feature a hybrid of rhythms , ranging from different styles of global music mostly African influenced music. Originally from Salvador, in The state of Bahia, Brazil, he also promotes cultural understanding and combats racism through music. Early recognition began in 1999, when he participated in the Bahian Music Festival by University of Vitória da Conquista. Here he and The Curupira band won the blessing of Waly Salomão, one of the greatest "Tropicalia" poets.This led to Rafael being placed in the hall of the greats "novissimos baianos.” Waly traveled with the young Rafael to São Paulo to record the program "Música brasileira" in the studios of Trama, with João Marcelo Bôscoli, the son of the legendary Elis Regina.  

                                    

Rafael has toured  the USA, Europe and Latin America, and played in The Weltkulture festival in Germany in 2010, among other important World festivals .In 2016, Rafael was elected as "Brazilian cultural ambassador" for the program "Partners of America" (Founded in 1964 by JFK)  from the American department of State. After being coming to USA since 2014 with grants from Bahia government and Brazil´s federal government he is living now between Brazil and the city of Philadelphia. His workshops, concerts and speeches share Brazilian culture and focus on building cultural understanding and overcoming racism through music and the arts.

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The Rafael Pondé Duo features Rafael Pondé and Rob Curto, an American vocalist and accordion player. Together, Rafael and Rob play a Jazz-fusion with rhythmic roots in Samba, Bossa Nova and Forro. Other songs feature Latin music from the Caribbean such as Reggae and Salsa. The Rafael Pondé Trio features Rafael, Rob Curto and adds the percussion of Dende Macedo.The trio gets the audience dancing on their feets!

Michelle Welchons is following