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Carmen Marsico

“Carmen has a beautiful voice with a distinct sound and style… definitely unique! Her beautiful tone of which she has a superb command lends itself to challenging music that most singers could not perform successfully.”

- Lisa Thorson
Vocalist, composer and associate professor at Berklee College of Music

Italian vocalist and composer Carmen Marsico is an active performer in the New England area. She currently leads her own quintet performing her compositions and jazz standards originally arranged. Her music uniquely blends her Italian tradition with contemporary jazz and Brazilian music. Leading her own quintet in 2003, after graduating from Berklee College of Music with magna cum laude, Carmen recorded her debut CD 'Sogno' which has received excellent reviews in jazz magazines such as All About Jazz and Cadence Magazine.

Who made Carmen discover jazz and push her to pursue it was jazz vocalist Lilian Terry (recordings with Dizzie Gillespie, Tommie Flanagan) with whom she studied with for almost two years. After only two months of studying jazz, she was chosen to be the singer of Little Town Jazz Band, a big band directed by trumpet player Maurizio Scomparin (Claudio Roditi, Kenny Wheeler, Claudio Fasoli), and started performing in several different theatres in the north east of Italy as well as touring in Europe. Meanwhile, Carmen attended jazz workshops organized by Manhattan School of Music where she worked with great performers and mentors like Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan, Vivian Lord- Alge, Cameron Brown, Vic Juris, Harvie Swartz and Eliot Zigmund.

Wanting to establish her career as a professional musician and after having been awarded a scholarship from world famous and prestigious institution Berklee College of Music, Carmen moved to Boston in 2001. While at Berklee she studied jazz composition and improvisation with Kevin Mahogany, Bob Stoloff, Mili Bermejo, Ed Tomassi, as well as Lisa Thorson who became her musical guide and inspiration. In the spring 2002 Thorson invited Carmen to perform, as soloist, with Many Voices, a musical project based on jazz improvisation. During the same year she auditioned for one of the most important concerts that Berklee organizes annually and among hundreds of singers Carmen was selected to perform the amazing Wayne Shorter composition ‘Infant Eyes’. At that time she also started performing and, later on recording, with composer and bandleader Björn Wennås. Carmen participated on two CDs with Wennås’ group, 'Early Summer Sketch', 2002, and the recent 'Static', 2005.Static' has so far received extended airplay in North America. In March 2003 Björn Wennås Quintet was chosen to perform at the 'New Music Festival' in Boston, an event that celebrates new composers pushing the edge. In 2004the composition ‘Love song’(sung by Marsico) from the first CD mentioned was nominated for Best Original Jazz Vocal Composition for the Just Plain Folks Award, Hollywood, CA. In addition, Carmen was one of the finalists in the International Massimo Urbani Award 2005.

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134
Album Review

Carmen Marsico: Sogno

Read "Sogno" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


Bearing the same title as the album of a few seasons past — Sogno, by the popular Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli—this is Carmen Marsico's jazz vocal debut. In order to pursue her musical goals, Marsico moved to New York and then Boston from her native Italy and enrolled in the Berklee School of Music. She appeared on two tracks of guitarist Bjorn Wennas' Early Summer Sketch.

Marsico's choice of material shows a good sense of balance mixing ...

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136

Event

Bjorn Wennas/Carmen Marsico Septet at Ryles August 2nd

Bjorn Wennas/Carmen Marsico Septet at Ryles August 2nd

Source: All About Jazz

Two weeks from tonight...

Wednesday, August 2nd at 9pm Bjorn Wennas and Carmen Marsico Septet Ryles Jazz Club 212 Hampshire Street in Cambridge, MA (Inman Square) Tickets are $10 Tickets are available at (617) 876-9330

Bjorn Wennas, guitar/composer; Carmen Marsico, voice; Todd Marston, piano, Fender Rhodes and accordion; Daniel Blake, saxophones; Kendall Eddy, bass; Miki Matsuki, drums; Michael Daillak, percussion

Guitarist/composer Bjorn Wennas (pronounced Be-yearn When-nose) ...

Cadence Magazine February 2006 CD Review by Jerome Wilson Static, Bjorn Wennas

...Carmen Marsico carving out a rough beat on "Song 2”...“Ruby My Dear”.. is a delicate duet for Wennas’careful picking and Marsico’s strong but delicate voice.

FALUKURIREN September 9, 2005 Arts & Entertainment Static, Bjorn Wennas

Carmen Marsico...whose voice is often used as an instrument...Carmen Marsico’s version of Monk’s “Ruby My Dear” accompanied by Wennås’ tasty guitar is a standout.

AMG all music guide Summer 2005 CD Review by Scott Yanow Static, Bjorn Wennas

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Primary Instrument

Vocals

Location

Boston

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Carmen is a graduate from Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. She also completed the Somatic VoiceworkTM Level I and II. Carmen Teaches Privately in her home studio in Jamaica Plain, MA. She is also voice faculty at Noble and Greenough School as well as Sharon Music Academy.

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Static

Beartones
2005

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Sogno

Beartones
2004

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Sogno

Beartones
2003

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