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| Jessie Sparks: Critically Acclaimed Debut That cool, rolling thunder you're hearing from down under isn't Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman making a long-awaited homecoming, or the gods paying tribute to Heath Ledger-it's Jessie Sparks reassuring this increasingly chaotic world that it's okay, we can all Breathe Easy. The Melbourne-based singer/songwriter's career has been in serious overdrive since the release of her critically acclaimed indie debut in Australia earlier this year. Now, the album John Carver of PBS Radio calls "seductive, intelligent and engrossing"-and whose raw power has earned comparisons of Sparks to everyone from PJ Harvey to Norah Jones-is available at U.S. retail outlets for the first time. The self-produced project features key contributions from her longtime guitarist Mark Donnelly, keyboardist Nathan Liow (piano, keyboard, organ) and bassist Ken Lim. Because neither commercial nor public radio stations there are specifically singles oriented, Sparks (www.JessieSparks.com) has enjoyed significant airplay on such outlets as ABC, SBS and PBS with many of the collection's infectious, heartfelt tracks. With the help of graduating film students at Swinburne University Of Technology, she has also created music videos for the poignant piano-vocal songs "History" and "Walk A Mile, " which she has posted on her myspace page (www.myspace.com/JessieSparks). The multi-talented artist has played everywhere from well-known cafes and bars to major pop and jazz festivals, including The Queenstown International Jazz Festival in New Zealand. She also keeps a very active corporate gig schedule and has lent her time to numerous charity organizations. Beyond benefits for national groups like the Bone Marrow Donor Institute, Sparks has performed sets to raise money and awareness for child slavery in Africa and poverty stricken communities in Guatemala. She has an upcoming gig for Burma Band-Aid, which is dedicated to relief for people in that country devastated by the recent cyclone. She also performed during the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the largest sporting event ever to be staged in Melbourne; over 70 countries participated and the Games were opened by Queen Elizabeth II. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |