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| Abby Riccards and Julie Hardy Perform At NYC's Sweet Rhythm On Tuesday, January 24th, sets at 8:00 & 10:00pm, Sweet Rhythm will showcase two up and coming vocal jazz talents; Abby Riccards, a semifinalist in the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition and Julie Hardy, Fresh Sound New Talent recording artist. Both artists will share two sets featuring their unique abilities as composers, improvisers and arrangers. A vast array of material will be presented including standards, original compositions and modern pieces from Hardy’s recent CD release; “A Moment’s Glance” and Riccards upcoming debut CD. These vocalists will be accompanied by the rising star alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. In addition, they will be backed by Randy Ingram on piano, Matt Clohesy on bass and Ferenc Nemeth on drums. Sweet Rhythm is located at 88 Seventh Avenue South (Between Grove and Bleecker Streets) in the West Village. About the Vocalists: Although she has only been singing jazz for six years, Boston-born vocalist Abigail Riccards has already begun to make a name for herself. Last year Abigail was selected to be a semifinalist in the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition where she competed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. This spring she will be in D.C. again competing for a Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship. She has also won two Downbeat awards; the first for outstanding collegiate vocalist in 2002, the most recent for outstanding collegiate vocal jazz group (lead singer, 2004). In 2000, she was also selected to participate in the Jazz in July workshop at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She has also performed with numerous Big Bands in the Boston area. Abigail has played with renowned talents such as David Berkman, Dena DeRose, Carl Allen, Lonnie Plaxico, George Duke, Adam Kolker, Doug Weiss, Peter Martin, Steve LaSpina, Steve Cardenas, and Matt Wilson. Last spring, she was the opening act for several jazz greats including Kenny Werner, Jean "Toots" Thielemans and Joe Lovano. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), she is now in the graduate studies program at William Paterson University, studying jazz vocal performance. She is currently under the tutelage of Dena DeRose. This March she will be in the studio recording her debut album with David Berkman, Ben Allison, Matt Wilson and Adam Kolker. Abigail currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. As the only American vocalist currently signed to Fresh Sound New Talent records, Julie Hardy is well on her way to becoming one of the most important voices of the modern jazz scene. Hardy's debut CD, “A Moment’s Glance” was released in April 2005 to critical acclaim. This innovative record combines fresh interpretations of standards and pop classics with sophisticated original compositions, and showcases Hardy's diverse talents as an improviser and an interpreter of lyrics. She is joined by Rob Stillman, tenor saxophone and Randy Ingram, piano. Ben Street, bass, and Adam Cruz, drums (of the Danilo Perez trio) round out the ensemble. This year Hardy released “A Moment’s Glance” to a full house at the Jazz Standard in New York City. Recently, she was selected to perform at the Women in Jazz Festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Hardy grew up in Fremont, New Hampshire and holds a Masters degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. In 2002 Hardy was one of two vocalists in the nation invited to participate in the Jazz Academy Snowmass in Aspen, CO directed by Christina McBride. The following year Hardy was chosen to attend the Betty carter Jazz ahead program where she performed her original composition at the Kennedy center in Washington, D.C. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |