Sunday, April 3, 2011

The Talents of Roberta Gambarini



Well today was such a treat, and a great way to end the weekend with a lovely brunch with the clan today having Bloody Mary's and great, dirty conversations in Philadelphia at my favorite spot- Mixto! The weather was great, but even better was they had on NPR, which at that hour, was Marion McPartlins' Piano Jazz. This week they featured the very talented Roberta Gambarini.She was born in Turin, Italy, and started taking clarinet lessons at age twelve. She made her singing debut at age seventeen in jazz clubs around Northern Italy, then moved to Milan, where she worked in radio and television and began recording under her own name in 1986. In 1998, two weeks after arriving in the United States with a scholarship from the New England Conservatory of Music, she was awarded a third place finish in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition. With this credential in hand she left Boston for New York City to find work in jazz clubs. After walking the pavement and knocking on many doors, she finally got her big break in 2006 with the release of her album "Easy to Love," which caught the attention of jazz critics.Since then, she has performed with Michael Brecker, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Slide Hampton, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Hank Jones, Christian McBride, Russell Malone, Toots Thielemans, and many others. Roberta has performed at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Town Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and international jazz festivals such as Barbados, London, Monterey, North Sea, Toronto, and Umbria. A dynamic performer with virtuosic vocal chops, Roberta draws rave reviews and enthusiastic fan support wherever she performs. She has done so with no hype and, to the astonishment of many, no domestic releases. It just blows my mind she is Italian and sing jazz so damn well! I could listen to her all afternoon, but this is my favorite song by her-Lush Life, one of my all time favorite songs.

16 comments:

  1. Oh you so must come to Savannah. We will have a fantabulous time at the jazz festival. And no, there is no need to warn the city of our arrival as I know that some may be thinking.

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  2. Jeff Martain4/03/2011

    Wow, what a voice Roberta has! I noticed the host filling in for Marian sounded as if he was smitten by her, understandable considering her singing - then I saw her picture and now it makes complete sense. I'm enthralled as well.

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  3. beautiful sound and great voice..
    thanks for sharing this!

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  4. My gosh, she's a beautiful reincarnation of all that was great from a era I thought was lost on old vinyl records. Thanks for the post on this!

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  5. She is Italian trained. Her scat is amazing; her trills are perfectly pitched! Her register is strong.She is amazing! listen to other modern female jazz singers and you will find no one like her.I have met her personally; almost all her scats are made up on the spot; most singers can't claim that skill.She is talented in ways other singers wish to be! Thanks for the great post Mistress!

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  6. Anonymous4/04/2011

    Truly beautiful ~

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  7. Wow, she's great! Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful singer -- had not heard of her before!

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  8. Exceptionally talented singer.!!!

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  9. If I close my eyes, her delivery totally sounds like classic 50s-60s supper club elegance.

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  10. Thanks for posting this,I heard about her being very good but never really knew her voice until now.

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  11. I had heard she was on Npr Sunday and I heard she was excellent, sorry I missed her. I was wondering what she sounded like as I heard of her before.She sings like a musician, which right away puts her in a small minority. Great chops. Great range. Terrific scatting. She's a real jazz player whose instrument happens to be her voice. Thanks for posting Mistress

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  12. WOW! Hadn't heard of her before, but you better believe I 'll be getting her work and supporting her.

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  13. Wonderful.. just wonderful

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  14. Roberta's voice is exellent for a relax friday evening!

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  15. Not a huge jazz fan here, but wow, what a voice!!!

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  16. haha cute! very creative! =) Hope you weren't to tired today! Have a good week!

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!