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Christiana Drapkin - jazz
vocalist - press quotes Critical acclaim for her recent release "Songs
About You" (IANA Records): "The album opens in a promising manner with a laid
back, midtempo "Time On My Hands" with the singer's relaxed and assured
delivery. A Sibirsky original, "Open Your Heart" begins as an attractive bossa
with a guitar intro from John Merrill and is one of the high points of the
session. Drapkin then presents a smokey cabaret reading of "You Don't Know What
Love Is." ...The album continues with four successive new tunes. "Cholesterol
Blues" is a "cute" song with a humorous idea. The best of these songs is the
ballad "Jazzman's Serenade" written by tenor saxman Charley Krachy, who is
given a feature spot. Another of these tunes, AFormation,@ written by Sibirsky,
features Drapkin's scatting with the piano trio. ... Christiana Drapkin also
provides vocals for two bona fide jazz standards. On @Procrastination Blues,@
which are lyrics set to Charlie Parker's "Now's The Time" the words do not sing
the praises of Bird as Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks have done in the past.
Rather, hers is a pleasant and tuneful story of a person's time management
problems. Thelonious Monk's "Blue Monk" is presented here with Abbey Lincoln's
lyrics and retitled "Monkery's The Blues" After about thirty years of hearing
this lyric performed soulfully by Abbey Lincoln in her Candid days, this is a
change of pace. "What differentiates this set is a number of new
songs alongside of traditional standards like "Just Friends". The creativity is
not only welcomed but some of the new selections have the makings of new
standards! We particularly liked the bossa nova feel of AOpen Your Heart@, the
humorous lyrics of "Cholesterol Blues" and Christiana's bop scatting on
"Formation". Charley Krachy adds warm tenor sax on "Jazzman's Serenade" to
further round out a very good session." "Christiana has a lightly ethereal sound,
pleasantly reedy in places, and she presents her material in a relaxed and
confident manner." "... reminiscent of the style of the great
café singers of the 40s and 50s. Christiana's voice and style sets the
tone for the entire musical enterprise with verve and clarity. She is a
felicitous combination of Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald; her scat singing is
actually very well-placed coloratura, as we from the operatic tradition would
say. The voice is full, sweetly gentle, with an excellent range and accurate
pitch. The trio of piano, bass and rhythm, obviously fine soloists in their own
right, provide steady and sympathetic accompaniment. But it is Christiana who
stands front and center. Fine work." "She's really a jazz musician." Click here for a list of venues and musicians Christiana has performed with. |
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For up-to-date press release and bio, contact Christiana Drapkin at chdrapkin@aol.com | |