By the time an artist discovers their own voice, they’ve inevitably been shaped by countless influences. On her debut album, Ode To Heroes, vocalist Thana Alexa pays tribute to the personalities both personal and musical who have impacted her on the path to forging her own distinctively individual voice. It’s a telling list that encompasses her own family; jazz giants like Wayne Shorter, Charles Mingus, and Paul Desmond; and the stellar musicians who collaborate with her on the album, including drummer and coproducer Antonio Sanchez, saxophonists Donny McCaslin and Lenart Krecic, bassists Jorge Roeder and Scott Colley, pianist Sergio Salvatore and vibraphonist Christos Rafalides.

The release of Ode To Heroes (Harmonia Mundi/Jazz Village), marks the arrival of a rising star on the modern vocal jazz scene. The album mainly features her engaging original compositions, along with vibrant takes on jazz standards like Shorter’s “Footprints,” Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” and Desmond and Dave Brubeck’s “Take 5.” Most importantly, it spotlights Alexa’s ability to engage in rewarding and illuminating conversation with some of the music’s most renowned and forward-thinking players.

Alexa is an active member of Antonio Sanchez' touring ensemble Migration (John Escreet, Seamus Blake, Matt Brewer) and has recorded two critically acclaimed albums with the group (New Life and The Meridian Suite). They have toured all over the United States (including Rochester Jazz Festival, SF Jazz, Jazz Bakery's Moveable Feast and Dizzy's Coca-Cola Club), Canada (Montreal Jazz Festival), Mexico, Costa-Rica, Brazil and Europe (North Sea Jazz Festival).

Alexa also appears on guitarist Gene Ess's albums Eternal Monomyth (John Escreet, Thomson Kneeland and Clarence Penn) and Fractal Attraction (David Berkman, Thomson Kneeland, Gene Jackson). The records, which Alexa contributed vocals, compositions and lyrics, won the SESAC Jazz Award in 2015 and 2016. The group will be releasing their third album in Summer 2016 (Gene Ess, Manuel Valera, Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn). 

Alexa came in 2nd place in the 2014 Made in New York Jazz Competition and won the 2011 Jazzon Alpe-Andria International Competition for "Ode To Heroes," while her composition "Siena" was nominated for a Best Jazz Composition award by PORIN, the Croatian Music Academy, an honor equivalent to the Grammy® Awards in America.

Ode to Heroes

When Evening Comes

Cassandra 
Music & Lyrics by Thana Alexa

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a princess of Troy. The god Apollo tried to seduce her by granting her the ability to see the future, but when she refused his advances he cursed her so that no one would ever believe her prophecies.
After the birth of the #MeToo movement I began thinking about women who have remained silent about the traumas they have experienced in fear of not being believed or heard. This is for the Cassandras of the world and their untold stories.

Cassandra

Pachamama 
Music & Lyrics by Thana Alexa
Featuring Regina Carter on violin

Pachamama is mother to us all. She connects and gives life to everyone and everything that exists. We’ve become so consumed with ourselves that we’ve forgotten how to respect her and the gifts she has given us. In our narcissism we’ve overlooked the fact that Mother Nature can absolutely survive without us, but we cannot survive without her.

Pachamama feat. Regina Carter

He Said She Said
Words and Music by Thana Alexa
Featuring Becca Stevens on vocals, charango, ukulele

We as people have an incredible ability to throw ourselves into love and vulnerability because we believe in its power. Love has inspired and moved the world since the beginning of time. It gives meaning to life. This is the story of two lovers who risk everything to be together.

He Said, She Said feat. Becca Stevens

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - by Tears For Fears (arranged by Thana Alexa)

In this day and age, it seems as though the only thing on everyone’s mind is power and domination. Everyone really does want to rule the world.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Animal Instinct 
Music & Lyrics by Thana Alexa

Women are passionate and sexual beings whose desires and fantasies are advertised in society as merely props to excite, entice and satisfy the whims of men. A woman’s needs are often overlooked. Animal Instinct is about my unapologetic pride and comfort in my own sexuality.

Animal Instinct

Set Free 
Music & Lyrics by Thana Alexa

Siblings have a special connection that’s unlike any other relationship. It’s a bond that links you physically and emotionally to another person for your whole life. That relationship is your family history, shared secrets, memories… a part of your identity. After I lost my brother I realized that a part of me went with him; a part that no other person on the face of this Earth would ever fully know or understand. I’m grateful that I know what being a sister feels like and I will keep the memories I had with my brother close to my heart forever.

Set Free

You Taught Me
Music and Lyrics by Thana Alexa

There are very strong women in my life who have helped me grow into the person that I am, but my father is the male figure who showed me what it means for a man to truly respect a woman, her mind, her life and her work. My dad and I have seen tragedy, loss and heartbreak in our family life and we’ve learned a lot from each other in the process – something that will connect us forever. In recent years we’ve disagreed about many things, which has caused strain on our relationship, but I’ve recognized the fact that I am able to speak my mind and feel confident in my own opinions even when disagreeing with him because of how he helped raise me and how he taught me to defend myself and my ideas.

You Taught Me

Surprising is the word that perhaps best describes Grammy® nominated and Downbeat cover artist, Thana Alexa, an extraordinarily creative force in music.  An awe-inspiring vocalist, composer, arranger and producer – for whom the voice is both a lyrical and experimental instrument – her music pushes the boundaries of the genre into new and unexplored territory with deep seeded roots in jazz and overtones of contemporary soul and world music.

Her latest album, ONA (self-release, March 2020), which earned her two Grammy® nominations (Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Jazz Solo for Regina Carter’s performance), is Alexa’s focus, her mission statement. Translated to "SHE" from her family's native Croatian, ONA was inspired by the cross generational and cross-cultural stories of the immigrant women in her family and evolved into an exploration of the experiences of contemporary women everywhere. Its premise crystalized in 2017 after her attendance at the Women's March on Washington, D.C. after which she was inspired to learn more about the stories of the women in her own family and the influences that their life experiences have had on her own existence, growth and sense of freedom.  The album speaks to us musically about every facet of womanhood, conveying a message of strength and empowerment. 

ONA has spawned more female-focused projects: Alexa, together with Grammy® nominated artist, Nicole Zuraitis and bassist, Julia Adamy formed SONICA, a trio that fuses electronics, three-part harmonies, electric bass, keyboards and percussion into their unique original music and arrangements. Alexa also created the project Founding Mothers of Jazz in conjunction with MusicTalks Concerts to celebrate and honor the powerhouse women who helped build the jazz genre from the ground up, many of whom are not historically recognized for their contributions because of their gender.

During the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, Alexa made headlines as a co-founder of what Rolling Stone called the first “virtual jazz festival” and fundraising initiative, Live From Our Living Rooms. Over the course of their three series (including a partnership with the DC Jazz Festival to present their FromHome series), Alexa, together with co-founders Owen Broder and Sirintip, contracted over 120 artists, raised over $140,000, and helped facilitate grants to over 80 US based musicians in need.  Live From Our Living Rooms received attention from Rolling Stone, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the BBC, and more.

thana-alexa

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