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These performers can generally be found on the Internet by putting a www. before their name and a .com after it (providing they have a website). Here is an assortment of musicians who I strongly recommend seeking out. There are many more and I hope to add quite a few more performers to this page in the near future. Rob Mullins is a very versatile and colorful pianist who always puts on a good show. He can play anything from straight ahead jazz to funky r&b and sound original, distinctive and enthusiastic. He also has a continually interesting website. ROB MULLINS Diane Hubka is a fine singer-guitarist from the East coast who happily relocated to the Los Angeles area. Her warm voice is always a joy to hear. DIANE HUBKA Although I generally think of Greg Abate as a hard-swinging bebop altoist, he also plays tenor, soprano and flute on the same high level. GREG ABATE Meredith D'Ambrosio is the type of singer who grows on you. Her lyrics are very intelligent and her soft voice ranges from haunting to quietly sensual. MEREDITH D'AMBROSIO Riz is an unusual and infectious performer, a one-man roots blues band. I heard him playing some vibes last year but he also plays guitar, kazoo, hi-hat and bass drum in addition to singing. Quite fun. RIZ Terry Blaine can always be relied upon to add life and swing to 1930s and '40s standards, often teaming up with pianist Mark Shane. Her recent Benny Goodman Songbook CD, which also features clarinetist Allan Vache, is very good. TERRY BLAINE Ann Hampton Callaway could have spent her entire life singing cabaret music and enjoying her fame. Instead she loved jazz so much that she switched her emphasis towards creative music. She is a major asset and delight for the jazz world. ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY I always see Anton Schwartz at jazz conventions and festivals. In addition to being a fine tenor-saxophonist with a large tone, Anton is fun to hang out with. ANTON SCHWARTZ Corina Bartra sings both "World Jazz" and "Music For Bliss and Transformation." Her haunting and memorable vocals are in their own special category. CORINA BARTRA Always an exciting performer and a singer with a big heart, Dee Dee Bridgewater has long ranked near the top of her field. DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER Trombonist Big Bill Bissonnette has always been a great proponent of New Orleans jazz, not only in his playing but in his producing of a long series of enjoyable recordings. His Jazz Crusade label's catalog is quite impressive. JAZZ CRUSADE A passionate jazz vocalist who should be much better known, Tessa Souter has an eclectic repertoire and style; both filled with surprises. TESSA SOUTER Few singers perform the music of Mildred Bailey and her contemporaries with as much understanding, warmth and talent as the lovable Daryl Sherman. DARYL SHERMAN A brilliant pianist with a highly original style, G.F. Mlely's music is complete yet accessible. G.F. MLELY A delightful dixieland and swing jazz singer, Carol Leigh is a famous name on the trad jazz circuit, and one of the best. CAROL LEIGH Subtle yet constantly creative, lyrical yet never shy to stretch herself, Andrea Wolper is a true jazz singer. ANDREA WOLPER Pianist-singer Jeannie Cheatham (who recently wrote her colorful memoirs) and the late bass trombonist Jimmy Cheatham co-led the Sweet Baby Blues Band, one of the most swinging and fun bands around. THE CHEATHAMS A singer with a real feel for 1920s and '30s jazz including Annette Hanshaw and Ruth Etting, Barbara Rosene is a major addition to the New York trad jazz scene. Her records are a constant delight. BARBARA ROSENE An excellent trumpeter whose style and stage personality is somewhere between Al Hirt and Louis Prima, Lance Buller puts on entertaining shows on the West Coast. LANCE BULLER Altoist Virginia Mayhew has been gaining a well-deserved reputation as a consistently inventive improviser. VIRGINIA MAYHEW Denise Donatelli's In The Company Of Friends is one of the most impressive vocal debut recordings of recent times; her voice and Tom Garvin's arrangements work together perfectly. DENISE DONATELLI An adventurous singer from Canada who is well worth knowing, Jeannette Lambert's recent CD Sand Underfoot has pianist Paul Bley as a guest. JEANNETTE LAMBERT Stride piano would be a lost art form were it not for a select few. Judy Carmichael is a powerful pianist and a stride master despite not looking the slightest bit like Fats Waller. JUDY CARMICHAEL Another fine stride pianist, Jeff Barnhart, is often hilarious onstage particularly when playing with the Titan Hot 7. However he has his serious side too, whether it be his recent Arbors solo piano CD or performing duets with his wife, classical flutist Anne Barnhart. JEFF BARNHART A singer with a big heart, a warm voice and plenty of charisma, Roseanna Vitro is always a delight. Her most recent recording, Live At The Kennedy Center, is one of her best. ROSEANNA VITRO April Barrows is unusual in two respects. She is an excellent jazz singer who lives in Nashville (home of country music) and she writes original songs that one would swear came from the 1920s or '30s. Happily she is currently recording her long overdue third CD. Check out her songs. APRIL BARROWS Phyllis Chapell sings what she calls "world songs" in ten different languages. She always displays the spirit of a jazz singer, stretching boundaries with her group Siora. She is a new discovery. PHYLLIS CHAPELL SIORA Patti Wicks is an exquisite singer-pianist whose Max Jazz release Love Locked Out is one of the finest ballad albums in recent times. PATTI WICKS One of the top jazz singers in Sweden and one who is heard at her best singing her intriguing originals on In The Middle Of A Riddle, Jeanette Lindstrom is currently recording a standards album and is well worth checking out. JEANETTE LINDSTROM A very talented guitarist living in Portland whose most recent CD is New Wings, the underrated Margaret Slovak has a lyrical, thoughtful and often-introspective style yet also swings. MARGARET SLOVAK She has never recorded often enough, but whenever Nanette Natal makes a recording or a personal appearance, it is always memorable. She has both a powerful voice and a continually creative spirit. NANETTE NATAL A fine young singer from New York who recently released Soho Jazz, Joan Bender has lots of potential. JOAN BENDER |