Latest News!
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CD Release Party
Austin American-Statesman
By Brad Buchholz
Jazz singer Suzi Stern goes deep into music - and takes her heart with her. Her songs are rivers of feeling. Stern is sensitive to the currents of melancholy, wistfulness, vulnerability. She lets her music flow in its own natural time, her voice sliding and gliding and bending in the direction of beauty
Stern's "Lament" (released in 2004) stands as one of the finest Austin albums of the decade - a masterpiece of understatement that honors the highest aspirations of jazz. "Lament" works with dark hues, but it is by no means "sad." Stern's affinity for texture, tone and nuance is ever-present - in the lyrics, in the singing, in the original arrangements...
"Now there is a new album: 'leap of heart'..."
"...Stern takes a love song filled with head-over-heels romantic imagery but imbues it with dabs of darkness and trepidation - acknowledging the risks of stepping into love..."
December 8, 2009
Dylan Thomas set to sounds of toys, instruments, words
statesman.com
By Brad Buchholz
Once upon a time, three Austin jazz musicians went Christmas shopping. They came home with snow, wistful memories of snow, tall quiet drifts of snow. They also came home with a storybook, a nostalgic Christmas tale by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. And they came home with toys: whistles and bugles and squeaky rubber ducks.
The jazz musicians sat together with their gifts, their memories, their instruments. And then they created a piece of art - part music, part spoken word, part toy symphony - inspired by Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales."
These three jazzers - singer Suzi Stern, saxophonist Alex Coke and pianist Rich Harney, with newcomer Buddy Mohmed on bass - have been performing this Christmas-time piece for five years now. Read more
A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES WINS A SILVER ADDY AWARD!!
Austin Jazz musicians Alex Coke and Suzi Stern's latest cd, A Child's
Christmas in Wales (Aardvark Records), won a Silver Addy Award in the Packaging category. The unique, pop-up art packaging was produced by Marla
Camp at Impact Productions with artists Steve Stratakos (pop-up
illustration) and Steve Wiswell (pop-up design).
For more information contact:
alexcoke@mac.com
suzistern@austin.rr.com
barry@aardvarkrecords.com
What's an Addy?
"The ADDYs are the nation's largest and most inclusive creative
competition in the
Advertising industry with more than 50,000 entries. Austin winners move on to regional
and national competition."
Check out the official ADDY website at www.austinaddys.com
"A Child's Christmas In Wales" on Aardvark records
featuring Suzi Stern, Rich Harney, Chris Maresh and Alex Coke, is based on the masterpiece by Dylan Thomas, with original compositions by Suzi Stern and improvised music through out the poem.
It's now available at record stores, cdbaby.com, amazon.com as well as some Austin area toy stores. This has been an exciting project and is in a beautiful, pop-up award winning package. Pictures of the package are at http://www.aardvarkrecords.com
This sparkling work presents
a reading of the timeless
Christmas tale enhanced
with sound effects, improvised
jazz and three original songs
sung by jazz vocalist Suzi Stern. Live performance dates include: Dec. 6th, 7th, and 18th.
A concert that features the smooth jazz style of the Tom Braxton Quartet and the 'straight ahead' jazz of the Sebastian Whittaker Trio. Joining the Tom Braxton Quartet will be Suzi Stern, the sultry and sassy vocalist.
The Horacio Rodriguez Memorial Concert will pay homage to this incredible musical force with performances by some of Austin’s best musicians. All proceeds will benefit the Jazz Foundation of America – Jazz Musician Emergency Fund.
Fourth Annual Trinity Jazz Festival
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The fourth annual Houston Trinity jazz festival was a huge success!
The Suzi Stern
Quintet opened for Sax legend Bud Shank. The entire evening was a beautiful mix of music.
Suzi's band (Eddy Hobizal - piano, Sebastian Whittaker - drums, David Craig- bass, Dennis
Dotson - trumpet) played a high-energy set and warmed up the stage for the wonderful Bud
Shank. The festival reported that this was the first time an opening act at Trinity has
received a standing ovation.
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For more info: http://www.trinityjazzfest.net
Click here for more information!
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Suzi Stern Collaborates with CASA Travis County in Benefit for Children
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special
Advocate, and is an organization that provides an activist for the welfare of each child who
enters its arena.
Suzi participated as part of a benefit concert lending her voice so that abused and abandoned children
who are shuffled through the court system, might, in fact, also have a voice.
"Her voice drenches you, evoking a feeling of bubbling tears inside your heart."
May 23, 2004 - American-Statesman profiles Suzi!!
Click here to read the full article in new window!
April 23, 2004 - Austin Chronicle
Phases and Stages!
One of Austin's quiet little musical secrets is the Jazz Pharohs, a group for whom the Ellington adage
"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" is their stock and trade.
Led by clarinetist and vocalist . . .
Click here for the full article online!
February 23, 2004:
Houston, TX - The February jazz vocal clinic that Suzi taught, at The University of Houston was a big success.
Participants did brave and fun a cappella exercises with each other taking chances improvising
off of each other and creating some pretty amazing spontaneous compositions. The second half of
the day was devoted to working with each singer individually as they experienced performing with
one of Houstons' finest jazz ensembles. They had Ken Ward on piano, David Craig on bass and
Sebastian Whitaker on drums for the most supportive and inspiring accompaniment! Everyone seemed
to leave the workshop smiling.
The performances at Cezannes' Jazz Cub in Houston were also a highlight of Suzi's February gigs.
Stern had Ken Ward piano, David Craig bass, Dennis Dotson trumpet. and Sebastian Whitaker
drums with her, playing to a warm and full house of jazz enthusiasts. The band was really smokin'
and the weekend there caused quite a buzz.
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