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Fay Claassen

Fay Claassen was born in 1969 in Nijmegen The Netherlands. Before she devoted herself to singing, she followed courses at the academy of ballet. Subsequently she studied at the academy of acting after which she finally opted for singing. She completed her study at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague in Holland with remarkable distinctions for jazz-timing and vocal improvisation.

Fay Claassen graduated in 1997 from the Royal Consevatory of The Hague with two special endorsements for Jazz timing and Jazz improvisation. Some of her teachers were: Rita Reys, Deborah Brown, Frans Elsen, Racheal Gould, James McGray, Marjory Barnes and Judy Niemack.

After her conservatory period she appeared as vocalist in different groups and toured through different countries in Europe. Her first recording ‘Simply Be’ was released with a band together with the saxophone player Carolyn Breuer. She was guest in different groups ‘The Tony Overwater V-Group’, Loet van der Lee Group, ‘Big Moves’ and ‘The Amsterdam Jazz Quintet’. With this last formation she recorded on the album ‘Playground’.

Just after the release of the first album of her own she was asked to be part of a tour through Japan with ‘The Historical Dance Theatre’ in which she performed as a dancer and singer After her conservatory period she appeared as vocalist in different groups and toured through different countries in Europe. Her first recording ‘Simply Be’ was released with a band together with the saxophone player Carolyn Breuer. She was guest in different groups ‘The Tony Overwater V-Group’ and ‘The Amsterdam Jazz Quintet’. With this last formation she recorded the album ‘Playground’.

In 1999 Fay Claassen was chosen by ‘The Jazz Impuls Foundation’ as their first selected musician. This foundation supports and promotes jazz musicians deserving wider recognition and produced in that year with Fay Claassen her first own album (‘With a Song in my Heart’ CHR 70096). This album almost instantly nominated for an Edison-Award and was received with highly enthusiastic reviews. It was the first step to a real break-through.

In 2000: Fay featured on the North Sea Jazz Festival (The Hague) with the Tony Overwater group. She became a teacher at the Conservatory of Rotterdam (CodArt).

In 2001: her second album was recorded in New York (‘Rhythms and Rhymes’BMCD 380) with: Toots Thielemans (mouth hrp), Kenny Werner (piano) and Mike Stern (Guitar). A few months later she recorded ‘Specialy Arranged for Fay’ (BMCD 381) with the Millenium Jazz Orchestra, conducted by: Joan Reinders. Conductor and composer Joan Reinders is responsible for the beautiful work on this album. Fay taught at several workshops and Master Classes at Conservatories throughout the country. In 2001, as the only European vocalist, she was chosen and invited by the Selection Committee of The International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) to perform in Los Angeles in 2002. She appeared in several concerts in the ‘Music Village’ jazzclub in Brussels with the Ivan Paduart Trio.

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5
Album Review

Fay Claassen: Luck Child

Read "Luck Child" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Dutch singer Fay Claassen has taken her sweet time releasing a follow-up to her 2010 big band release, Sing (Challenge). Her most recent recordings before sing include Red, Hot & Blue: The Music of Cole Porter (Challenge, 2009), and the uniformly excellent Two Portraits Of Chet Baker (Munich, 2006), all uniquely their own works of art. On Luck Child, Claassen steps out of the standard's-heavy arena, devoting her attention to more contemporary fare like the funky blues of ...

337
Album Review

Fay Claassen: Sing!

Read "Sing!" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Dutch singer Fay Claassen doesn't necessarily push beyond the musical house, but she does occasionally rearrange the furniture. Her surveys of the Chet Baker catalog Two Portraits of Chet Baker (Jazz'n Pulz, 2006) revealed an abiding respect for the jazz canon, while also giving hint to a playful and creative attitude toward the music. This is never in more evidence than on her cover of Björk's “Cover Me," from the Icelandic pop singer's Post (Elektra, 1995). Under the ...

224
Album Review

Fay Claassen with WDR Big Band Cologne: Sing!

Read "Sing!" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Internationally recognized Dutch vocalist Fay Claassen joins forces with the Grammy Award-winning WDR Big Band from Cologne, Germany and Berlin's Rundfunk Orchester, for her sixth album as leader with Sing!. Paying tribute to iconic female vocalists, the repertoire contains songs associated with jazz divas from Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington to singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell and Icelandic pop star Björk. Claassen tips her hat to these singers, voicing each song with such conviction that her interpretation becomes unique and ...

252
Album Review

Fay Claassen: Red Hot & Blue: The Music of Cole Porter

Read "Red Hot & Blue: The Music of Cole Porter" reviewed by Ken Dryden


With a virtual flood of female jazz vocalists seemingly appearing every year, it is a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff. But anyway you slice it, Fay Claassen, one of European jazz's top singers, makes the cut. Graduating from the Conservatory of The Hague in 1997, she had a host of great teachers, including renowned jazz vocalist Judy Niemack. The rich-voiced alto learned her lessons well, with clear articulation and terrific tone to complement her urbane, sophisticated approach ...

124
Album Review

Fay Claassen and the Millennium Jazz Orchestra: Specially Arranged for Fay

Read "Specially Arranged for Fay" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Not only was Frank Sinatra an incomparable singer, he was a smart one too, employing only the finest arrangers (Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Gordon Jenkins, Axel Stordahl) and musicians to bring out the best in every note he sang. On her third album for Jazz Impuls, Fay Claassen takes a cue from Ol’ Blue Eyes, using as her back-up crew the world-class Millennium Jazz Orchestra and commissioning superlative charts by conductor / music director Joan Reinders. Claassen has a handsome ...

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Luck Child

Challenge Records
2017

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Sing!

Challenge Records
2010

buy

Red Hot & Blue: The...

Challenge Records
2009

buy

Red, Hot & Blue

Unknown label
2008

buy

Sings Two Portraits...

Unknown label
2006

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