Cabaret Room: Pangea Jazz Night Series: MELISSA HAMILTON

About

To make a reservation call: 212-995-0900or send an e-mail to: info@pangeanyc.com \(click here\) $25 music cover CASH ONLY,  $20 food/beverage minimum per personMelissa Hamilton is a distinguished jazz vocalist and was a member of the acclaimed jazz vocal group, The Ritz, with whom she recorded four albums on the Denon label, including the self-produced Almost Blue \(1991\). Her extensive career includes performances at world-renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, and Birdland, as well as international appearances at the Budweiser Newport Jazz Festival in Japan and Jazz à Vienne in France. She has shared the stage with jazz legends Sheila Jordan, Clark Terry, Doc Cheatham, and Frank Wess, and toured as a backup vocalist for David Bromberg.      In addition to her performance career, Hamilton is a respected educator who taught at the University of Maine and received its Distinguished Achievement Award in 1996. She was a finalist in the 2009 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition and the 2015 HotHouse Magazine Fan’s Decision Contest. Her discography also includes the solo album Live Songs and Love Songs \(2012\), recorded largely at Iridium in New York City. Her contributions to the genre with The Ritz are documented in The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz and The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide. Barbara Lea was a highly respected interpreter of classic American popular songs, known for her musical integrity and deep devotion to lyrics. Born into a musical family in Detroit, she began her career singing with jazz legends in Boston while studying music theory at Wellesley College. Her professional debut led to critical acclaim, including winning the DownBeat International Critics’ Poll as Best New Singer of 1956. After a period focused on legitimate theater and teaching speech and acting in the 1960s and early 70s, Lea experienced a career resurgence following her appearances on the National Public Radio series “American Popular Song”. Throughout her later career, she performed at major jazz festivals and dedicated herself to the works of iconic composers like Rodgers and Hart and the Gershwins, leaving behind a prolific discography of over a dozen CDs on the Audiophile label and several other recordings. Listed by WBGO Live Jazz.