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Melody Breyer-Grell

Melody Breyer-Grell

Biography

"Best Vocal CDs of 2004” - The Right Time - All About Jazz New York Annual Top 5 Critics' Poll

"An expressive voice, at times warm and throaty, at times pure and delicate, that brings intimacy and a touching vulnerability!" - Roy Sander, formerly of Back Stage

"Melody has done an astounding transfer of vocal sound over to the world of Jazz...Pick up Melody's lovely CD, it's kinda sexy too!" - Mark Murphy

For extensive reviews please go to www.melodybreyerGrell.com or Jazzcorner.com

MELODY BREYER-GRELL's Blujazz label debut CD, The Right Time Sweet Rhythm tells a story. While vocalizing in a traditional melodic style, her clever arrangements and simple improvisations add freshness to some familiar and lesser-known jazz and "Great American Songbook" standards. Each piece is specifically selected and ordered to create a mood and a sense of direction.

Following the realease of this debut CD, Melody has performed this past year at, Sweet Rhythm, Iridium, Trumpets, Traid amoung other venues.

Melody's theatrical background is responsible for her bent towards telling stories. Born in New York City and raised in Long Beach, Long Island, she was deemed a "natural" singer and was already at the Manhattan School of Music at 12 years old. Theater songs and classical music were her first introductions to music, but she eventually found true compatibility with "The Great American Songbook," (voraciously listening to the late great WNEW and QEW. While at conservatory she already showed a propensity for backphrasing and singing over the bar lines in general. When she started to seriously listen to jazz, she realized she found a vehicle for her natural style of phrasing and interpretation.

Melody appeared in many of New York's music room's while honing in on her skills. During that time, she listened to a wide variety of jazz singers, observing Jay Clayton, Sheila Jordan. Mark Murphy, Blossom Dearie and every local singer she could find. Sinatra, June Christie, Carmen McRae, Ella - all the great ones were in her CD player. In time, Melody found her own personal style, "a happy meeting of cabaret and jazz...full of pleasures...

Melody communicates words with clarity and warmth, while letting the composer's intentions shine through." --James Gavin, critic and author.

In the past few years, Melody has been extremely busy as the musical director of the Jazz/Supper Club, "Chez Suzette." She also works as producer, and last year's show "Sing Jazz" (based on the book that is edited by Dr. Gloria Cooper) played to a full house, offering a chance to hear a wide variety of singers - Giacomo Gates, Linda Ciofalo, Audrey Silver, Miles Griffith and Seth Fruiterman - All singing these newly published tunes under the Musical Direction of Dr. Cooper, herself a singer and pianist, as well as educator.

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237
Album Review

Melody Breyer-Grell: Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin

Read "Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


Coming on the heels of her well-received debut album, The Right Time (Rhombus, 2004), jazz singer Melody Breyer-Grell's Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin is an appreciation of the Gershwin songbook. This is, by itself, a daunting task, since there are many preceding greats who have interpreted these songs many times over. Tackling tunes like “Embraceable You," “Someone to Watch Over Me" and “Nice Work If You Can Get It," the obvious comparison is with the Ella Fitzgerald-Billie Holiday-Sarah Vaughan A-List. Here, ...

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Album Review

Melody Breyer-Grell: Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin

Read "Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin" reviewed by Marcia Hillman


Melody Breyer-Grell and the Gershwin songbook make a good combo on this, her second release, ably abetted by Don Braden (sax), Jim Rotondi (trumpet), Gloria Cooper (piano), Dean Johnson (bass), Matt Wilson (drums), John Hart (guitar) and Kahil Kwame Bell (percussion). The vocalist's classical and musical theater training blends well with the richness of George's harmonies and Ira's intelligent lyrics. Breyer-Grell has chosen a large chunk of the Gershwin collection to explore--some which many have done but ...

357
Album Review

Melody Breyer-Grell: Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin

Read "Fascinatin' Rhythms: Singing Gershwin" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


2008 is shaping up to be a stellar year of stripped-down jazz vocal recitals. Witness Long Beach native Melody Breyer-Grell's collection of Gershwin standards, Fascinatin' Rhythms; Breyer-Grell is supported by the basic jazz piano trio, with the intelligently applied supplementation of solo instruments. Breyer-Grell's voice is front and center in this recording, never obscured by the instrumentation. The singer's approach to this canonical material is reverent, but not so as to make it boring.

“Somebody Loves Me and ...

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136

Performance / Tour

Melody Breyer-Grell's What's so Funny About Jazz? At The Triad Theatre

Melody Breyer-Grell's What's so Funny About Jazz? At The Triad Theatre

Source: All About Jazz

Melody Breyer-Grell Vocal Comedienne Extraordinaire

What' So Funny About Jazz??!!!!

April 18th @ 9:15PM & April 22 @ 5:00PM At Triad Theatre 158 w. 72nd street 10$ music charge 2 drink min. & Yummy Snacks on the House 158 w. 72nd street Reservations 212-362-2511

Melody Breyer-Grell may not have a right to sing the blues, but she certainly knows how to whine about them!

In a business where ...

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Performance / Tour

Melody Breyer-Grell at Trumpets Jazz Club - Thursday, March 17 - 7:30PM

Melody Breyer-Grell at Trumpets Jazz Club  - Thursday, March 17 - 7:30PM

Source: All About Jazz

March 8, 2005 To: Listings/Critics/Features From: JAZZ PROMO SERVICES Press Contact: JIM EIGO, [email protected] Melody Breyer-Grell at Trumpets Jazz Club Thursday, March 17th Doors Open at 6 PM - Music starts at 7:30 6 Depot Square Montclair, New Jersey 973-744-2600 http://www.trumpetsjazz.com/ What the critic's are saying about MELODY BREYER-GRELL's debut CD, “The Right Time" Best Vocal CD of 2004 - “The Right Time" - All About Jazz New York -- Annual Top 5 Critics' Poll MELODY BREYER-GRELL's debut CD, “The ...

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Performance / Tour

Vocalist Melody Breyer-Grell appearing at Trumpets Jazz Club March 17th

Vocalist  Melody Breyer-Grell appearing at Trumpets Jazz Club March 17th

Source: All About Jazz

March 2, 2005 To: Listings/Critics/Features From: JAZZ PROMO SERVICES Press Contact: JIM EIGO, [email protected] Vocalist Melody Breyer-Grell appearing at Trumpets Jazz Club March 17th Doors Open at 6 PM - Music starts at 7:30 6 Depot Square Montclair, New Jersey 973-744-2600 http://www.trumpetsjazz.com/ Best Vocal CD of 2004 - “The Right Time" - All About Jazz New York -- Annual Top 5 Critics' Poll MELODY BREYER-GRELL's debut CD, “The Right Time", tells a story. While vocalizing in a traditional melodic style, ...

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