ARTIST-OF-THE-MONTH 2023
June 2023 - Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens has made a singular, iconic career out of stretching her brand of folk music, with its miles-deep historical roots and contemporary sensibilities, into just about every field imaginable. A two-time GRAMMY Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, and advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art.
More: https://rhiannongiddens.com/about
May 2023 - Jackie Venson
“Jackie Venson is truly an Austin legend in the making.”
— Forbes
Jackie Venson is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter known far and wide for her beautifully complex music and blazing guitar skills. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Jackie has traveled the world playing to crowds both as a headliner and as support for major acts such as Keb' Mo', Gary Clark Jr, Aloe Blacc, Melissa Etheridge, and Citizen Cope, to name a few. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2011. Venson has released four studio albums, The Light In Me (2014), Joy (2019), Vintage Machine (2020), and Love Transcends (2021). In addition to four studio albums, Venson has also released four live albums, Live at Strange Brew (2016), Live in Texas (2020), Jackie Venson Live at Austin City Limits, and Joy Alive (2021). Venson also has a musical DJ alter ego named Jackie the Robot and has released two albums. Venson intimately portrays her love for the Blues through thoughtful lyrics, screamin' guitar solos, and an unforgettable voice. Look for Jackie and her guitar to blaze a trail wherever she goes!
April 2023 - Etta James
Etta James - (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) - was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.
James's deep and earthy voice bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. She won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. She also received a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2003. Rolling Stone magazine ranked James number 22 on its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time; she was also ranked number 62 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Billboard's 2015 list of "The 35 Greatest R&B Artists Of All Time" also included James, whose "gutsy, take-no-prisoner vocals colorfully interpreted everything from blues and R&B/soul to rock n’roll, jazz and gospel."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called hers "one of the greatest voices of her century" and says she is "forever the matriarch of blues."
March 2023 - Chelsey Green
A native of Houston, Texas, Dr. Chelsey Green was born into a family of jazz and funk musicians and started her performance career as a violinist at age 5. Dr. Green went on to receive a scholarship for classical viola studies at The University of Texas at Austin where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Continuing her studies, she received a Master’s degree from The Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland College Park. In August 2017, Dr. Green was appointed Associate Professor in the String Department at the prestigious Berklee College of Music and recently served as Acting Chair for the Spring 2021 term.
Dr. Chelsey Green and her ensemble, The Green Project, tear down stereotypes of the violin and viola by fusing traditional classical technique with popular favorites and enticing original songs in various genres– including R&B, Pop, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Alternative, Hip Hop, Gospel and more! Chelsey Green and The Green Project have released 5 studio projects independently and performed live shows, jazz festivals, masterclasses and educational workshops across America and in several countries throughout the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Japan and the Caribbean.
February 2023 - Samara Joy - Best New Artist at the at the 2023 Grammy Awards!
For Black History month we have chosen two female artists as Artists of the Month for Februarywho have together raised the profile of jazz over the past two weeks to a level not seen in a very long time.
LAKECIA BENJAMIN AND SAMARA JOY
Since the New York Times stopped doing a regular jazz column there has been little serious reporting about jazz. However, in late January they devoted the coveted first page of their Arts section to saxophonist, Lakesha Benjamin, who is coming back from a serious car accident after the release of her critically acclaimed album, “Pursuance: The Coltranes, focusing on the sounds of John and Alice Coltrane. Benjamin who has been a rising star for years has finally arrived to receive the praise and public attention she has long deserved.
While Benjamin has had to wait for recognition, 23 year old vocalist, Samara Joy, has shot to the top like a rocket. Two Grammy Award nominations and a featured piece on CBS evening news in early February has made her overnight one of the most talked about jazz vocalists in years rivaling the popularity of Cecile McLorin Salvant.
The fact that both of these artists are females can only raise the expectation that more outstanding female jazz musicians will find the accolades and fan base they so much deserve.
February 2023 - Lakecia Benjamin
For Black History month we have chosen two female artists as Artists of the Month for February who have together raised the profile of jazz over the past two weeks to a level not seen in a very long time.
LAKECIA BENJAMIN AND SAMARA JOY
Since the New York Times stopped doing a regular jazz column there has been little serious reporting about jazz. However, in late January they devoted the coveted first page of their Arts section to saxophonist, Lakesha Benjamin, who is coming back from a serious car accident after the release of her critically acclaimed album, “Pursuance: The Coltranes, focusing on the sounds of John and Alice Coltrane. Benjamin who has been a rising star for years has finally arrived to receive the praise and public attention she has long deserved.
While Benjamin has had to wait for recognition, 23 year old vocalist, Samara Joy, has shot to the top like a rocket. Two Grammy Award nominations and a featured piece on CBS evening news in early February has made her overnight one of the most talked about jazz vocalists in years rivaling the popularity of Cecile McLorin Salvant.
The fact that both of these artists are females can only raise the expectation that more outstanding female jazz musicians will find the accolades and fan base they so much deserve.
January 2023 - Ella Fitzgerald
Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had the pleasure of working with Ella.) She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them to the hilt. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. In Fact, many of them had just one binding factor in common - they all loved her.