Enja released Elisabeth Kontomanou's new album

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Of Greek and African origin, singer Elisabeth Kontomanou has worked with musicians on both the European and American scenes: Leon Parker, Michel Legrand, Mike Stern, Jeff Watts, Richard Bona, Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jim Beard, Alain Jean-Marie and Toots Thielemans to name but a few. She first gained recognition at French 'Concours de La Défense' and was nominated for a Django d'Or Award in 1999. As well as performing across several continents, Elisabeth has also played at such world-renowned New York jazz venues as the Blue Note, Village Vanguard, Sweet Basil and the Knitting Factory. Not limited to purely musical endeavours, she has branched out to both musical cinema ("Masque de Lune" by Michel Legrand) and musical comedy ("Rag Time" in 2003).

Awarded "Best Jazz Vocalist of 2006" in France (Les Victoires du Jazz), Elisabeth reaches the peak of her art with her new album "Waitin' For Spring" (Enja Records). Assisted by world-class players -- multi-Grammy winner John Scofield, outstanding soprano saxist Sam Newsome, brilliant French keyboarder Laurent Coq, Monk Competition winner Darryl Hall and young talent Donald Kontomanou --, she delivers vocal renditions totally fresh and yet deeply rooted in the tradition of classic jazz singing. A collection of attractive originals and indestructible standard songs -- among them Hebb's "Sunny", Distel's "Good Life", Mingus' "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love", Arlen's "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues" and others --, this album presents a great jazz vocalist with an approach that is all her own. "You think of Billie Holiday, Cassandra Wilson, Edith Piaf… yet all the time of Elisabeth Kontomanou", La Terrasse (Paris) read. "She is on her way to becoming one of the great voices of the next decades" (Rap Mag).

Pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, who played on her previous album "Midnight Sun" (2004), refers to her as "an artist who has that remarkable ability to shake your soul and touch your heart by the very unique nature of her voice. Her presence possesses you right away and instantly takes you to another world that changes you forever. Like Piaf, she could sing the phone book and make you cry. When Elisabeth sings, it is not simply her voice that you hear, but her very soul transformed into sound."

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