Roberta Gambarini
Encyclopedia
Roberta Gambarini is an Italian jazz singer. 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. Taking a classic modern jazz album by Dizzy Gillespie ("Sonny Side Up," Verve, 1957), she sang each of the three intricate solos by undisputed masters of the idiom (trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie
and tenor saxophonists Sonny Stitt
and Sonny Rollins
) executing each in the original register of horn (including Rollins' lowest notes and Gillespie's stratospheric ones) with such command, accuracy and ease of execution that jazz' elder statesman, nonagenarian pianist Hank Jones
was moved to publicly proclaim her the "best new jazz vocalist to come along in fifty years".
and Tierney Sutton
, she was, inexplicably to many close followers of the jazz vocal scene, a mere semi-finalist at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
Vocal Competition, finishing in third place and losing to Teri Thornton
.
Gambarini has performed with many major jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock
, Christian McBride
, and Toots Thielemans
, touring worldwide.
In 2004, she started touring with the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, performing with James Moody
, Frank Wess
, Jimmy Heath
, Paquito de Rivera, Roy Hargrove
and others.
In 2006 and 2007 she toured with her own trio, as well as the Hank Jones
trio.
2006 saw Gambarini singing at the premiere of Dave Brubeck
's commissioned piece for the Monterey Jazz Festival
, the Cannery Row Suite, which got Gambarini rave reviews.
In 2006, the Groovin High label released Roberta's American debut album, "Easy to Love," nominee as Best Jazz Album at Grammy Awards 2007, easily the most impressive album Gambarini has done, especially to listeners familiar with the original versions of classic instrumental tracks once considered unapproachable by the human voice.
In January 2007 she was nominee as Best Jazz Singer at the Italian Jazz Awards - Luca Flores.
In June 2007 Gambarini performed two nights in the annual Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest with top class musicians like James Moody and Roy Hargrove.
Early in 2008 Gambarini released a CD You Are There, a collaboration with Hank Jones
on piano. In support of the new release the two are making appearances at various venues. The album was followed by another, So in Love (2009), featuring Gambarini with a small jazz combo.
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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. Taking a classic modern jazz album by Dizzy Gillespie ("Sonny Side Up," Verve, 1957), she sang each of the three intricate solos by undisputed masters of the idiom (trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
and tenor saxophonists Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
and Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
) executing each in the original register of horn (including Rollins' lowest notes and Gillespie's stratospheric ones) with such command, accuracy and ease of execution that jazz' elder statesman, nonagenarian pianist Hank Jones
Hank Jones
Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
was moved to publicly proclaim her the "best new jazz vocalist to come along in fifty years".
International career
Gambarini moved to the United States in 1998. That same year, along with Jane MonheitJane Monheit
Jane Monheit is a jazz and adult contemporary vocalist for Concord Records. She has collaborated with artists such as Michael Bublé, Ivan Lins, Terence Blanchard and Tom Harrell, and has received Grammy nominations for two of her recordings.-Early life:Jane Monheit was raised in Oakdale, New York...
and Tierney Sutton
Tierney Sutton
Tierney Sutton is an American jazz singer.A three-time Grammy Nominee for "Best Jazz Vocal Album" and "a selection by Jazzweek as Vocalist of the Year in 2005," Sutton was born in Wisconsin and was educated at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and the Berklee College of Music in...
, she was, inexplicably to many close followers of the jazz vocal scene, a mere semi-finalist at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education-oriented organization co-founded in 1986 by the family of the late American jazz musician Thelonious Monk, opera singer Maria Fisher and Thomas R...
Vocal Competition, finishing in third place and losing to Teri Thornton
Teri Thornton
Teri Thornton, born Shirley Enid Avery was an American jazz singer....
.
Gambarini has performed with many major jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Christian McBride
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
, and Toots Thielemans
Toots Thielemans
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans , known as Toots Thielemans, is a Belgian jazz musician well known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling. Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century...
, touring worldwide.
In 2004, she started touring with the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, performing with James Moody
James Moody (saxophonist)
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...
, Frank Wess
Frank Wess
Frank Wess is an American jazz musician, who has played saxophone and flute.-Biography:...
, Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
James Edward Heath , nicknamed Little Bird, is an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He is the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath.-Biography:...
, Paquito de Rivera, Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
and others.
In 2006 and 2007 she toured with her own trio, as well as the Hank Jones
Hank Jones
Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
trio.
2006 saw Gambarini singing at the premiere of Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
's commissioned piece for the Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
, the Cannery Row Suite, which got Gambarini rave reviews.
In 2006, the Groovin High label released Roberta's American debut album, "Easy to Love," nominee as Best Jazz Album at Grammy Awards 2007, easily the most impressive album Gambarini has done, especially to listeners familiar with the original versions of classic instrumental tracks once considered unapproachable by the human voice.
In January 2007 she was nominee as Best Jazz Singer at the Italian Jazz Awards - Luca Flores.
In June 2007 Gambarini performed two nights in the annual Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest with top class musicians like James Moody and Roy Hargrove.
Early in 2008 Gambarini released a CD You Are There, a collaboration with Hank Jones
Hank Jones
Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
on piano. In support of the new release the two are making appearances at various venues. The album was followed by another, So in Love (2009), featuring Gambarini with a small jazz combo.
External links
- Roberta Gambarini homepage
- Brown, Marisa. Roberta Gambarini biography, All Music.com ([ link])