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Petra van Nuis

Petra van Nuis (pronounced Pay-tra van Nouse) is a Chicago-based jazz vocalist who has been described in Downbeat Magazine as having "a light, gorgeous and fairly delicate voice...a gift for melody and plenty of rhythmic confidence." All About Jazz Magazine calls her music "hauntingly atmospheric and filled with creative substance...poetic, moving and subtly provocative." Famed jazz critic and author of "Singing Jazz" Bruce Crowther says "van Nuis is not as well known internationally as should be the case although she has a devoted following in Japan. An exceptionally gifted singer, she has a light yet subtly textured sound and is always delightfully melodic....lyrics are clearly very important to her and she delivers them with admirable sincerity."

A Chicagoan since 2003, Petra sings at all the finest jazz venues in town including the Green Mill, Andy's Jazz Club, Winter's Jazz Club and the Jazz Showcase. Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs has presented Petra at the Chicago Cultural Center and Chicago Summer Dance. The Jazz Institute of Chicago has featured Petra's Recession Seven band at the Chicago Jazz Festival and Jazz City.

Nationally, Petra performs at jazz clubs/societies/festivals with highlights including Joe Boughton's Chautauqua Jazz Party (NY), Shanghai Jazz (NJ), Detroit Institute for the Arts (MI), Cleveland Classic Jazz Party (OH), Roswell Jazz Festival (NM) and Elkhart Jazz Festival (IN).

Internationally, Petra's five Japanese CD releases have been used as in-flight entertainment on ANA, Japan's largest airline. Highlights from European and Canadian tours include Traditional Jazz Hall Stuttgart (Germany) Gorinchem Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Yardbird Suite (Canada), Jazz Cafe Hopper (Belgium) and Jazzhaus Heidelberg (Germany).

Germany's Jazzpodium Magazine hails Petra's twenty-three year musical collaboration with her husband, guitarist Andy Brown, as "a magical musical dialogue, which can only partially be described as blind understanding." The couple's most recent project Lonely Girl – I Remember Julie (2022) is a tribute to vocalist Julie London which was originally recorded for Muzak, the Japanese label responsible for introducing Petra to Japanese audiences with the re-release duo's earlier CDs Lessons Lyrical (2017) and Far Away Places (2009).

Because We're Night People (2019), Petra's live recording with revered Chicago pianist Dennis Luxion, was awarded 4 stars by DownBeat Magazine and included in their "Top Rated Albums of 2019" listing. Jazziz Magazine describes the set of night themed standards as “spellbinding sonic snapshots that movingly capture the intricacies of life...atmospheres brimming with beguiling intimacy and mystery...pure magic."

At the start of the Great Recession in September 2008, Petra's Recession Seven was born at Chicago's legendary Green Mill. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune for their "high-spirited music-making” this “fresh rather than nostalgic classic-swing collective” features an all-star line up of internationally known Chicago veterans including trombonist Russ Phillips, reed man Eric Schneider and trumpeter Art Davis. The American Rag, in a review of the band's on location recording Live In Chicago (2011) praises "a killer of a band that grabs your attention and doesn't give it back until they are finished playing."

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4
Album Review

Petra van Nuis: Lonely Girl - I Remember Julie

Read "Lonely Girl - I Remember Julie" reviewed by Kyle Simpler


Julie London made a name for herself as an actress and a singer during the '50s and '60s. Today, however, her legacy as a singer overshadows her acting career. During her lifetime, she released around thirty albums, and several of the recordings still continue to influence jazz performers. Chicago-based singer Petra van Nuis is among these, and Lonely Girl--I Remember Julie is her tribute to this legendary performer. Judging from the title alone, it might be tempting to ...

1
Album Review

Petra van Nuis: Because We’re Night People

Read "Because We’re Night People" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


On the elegant and delightful Because We're Night People Chicago natives, vocalist Petra van Nuis and pianist Dennis Luxion, interpret thirteen night-themed tunes with charm and sophistication. The two musicians are superbly matched, she with her refined grace and emotive vocals and he with his vibrant lyricism. The pair performs a selection of standards in a refreshingly singular style, that is simultaneously true to the original's essence yet deeply personal. For example, Luxion embellishes the intimate “Night People," ...

4
Album Review

Petra van Nuis: Lessons Lyrical

Read "Lessons Lyrical" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


Chicago based vocalist Petra van Nuis and her husband guitarist Andy Brown have impeccable artistic synergy, something that is superbly demonstrated on their delightful duet album Lessons Lyrical. The 17 standards that van Nuis and Brown interpret are stripped down to their basic melodic elements and are reconstructed with such warmth and intimacy that highlight the beauty at the core of each one. On the effervescent “Save Your Sorrow For Tomorrow" van Nuis' graceful vocals soar over Brown's ...

299
Album Review

Petra van Nuis / Andy Brown: Far Away Places

Read "Far Away Places" reviewed by Jack Huntley


The combination of a female vocalist backed by a solo guitar is not a heavily- exploited instrumentation, and there's a reason for that--it's very hard to pull off. While Ella Fitzgerald's recordings with Joe Pass are a perhaps the gold standard, overwhelmingly the piano is the stand-alone accompaniment instrument of choice for singers. But vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown's wonderful Far Away Places is a reminder of the beauty this form can achieve, and how the inherent ...

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Recording

Vocalist Petra Van Nuis & Guitarist Andy Brown to Release Their First Duo CD, "Far Away Places," March 30

Vocalist Petra Van Nuis & Guitarist Andy Brown to Release Their First Duo CD, "Far Away Places," March 30

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Since settling in Chicago in 2004, vocalist Petra van Nuis and guitarist Andy Brown have established themselves as artists of note in a variety of musical settings. Petra has recorded two well-regarded albums of her own and gigs regularly with a trad jazz band, while Andy, a top-call sideman, has released an album documenting his artistry in both trio and solo contexts. Van Nuis and Brown have also long worked as a duo, but only in the last four years ...

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Recording

Revenge of the Kissing Bug: Bradley Williams and Petra van Nuis

Revenge of the Kissing Bug: Bradley Williams and Petra van Nuis

Source: All About Jazz

With great excitement we, vocalist Petra van Nuis and pianist/vocalist Bradley Williams, announce the release of our brand-spanking-new CD, Revenge of the Kissing Bug, This recording features our duo work with piano alongside quartet numbers accompanied by two of Chicago's Finest, bassist Daniel DeLorenzo and drummer Michael Schlick. We're particularly pleased to be able to introduce Revenge of the Kissing Bug to you via its companion website, revengeofthekissingbug.com, explaining the dark story of the Kissing Bug and allowing you to ...

"Van Nuis is not as well known internationally as should be the case although she has a devoted following in Japan. An exceptionally gifted singer, she has a light yet subtly textured sound and is always delightfully melodic....filled with many memorable moments, notably in Van Nuis’s interpretation of the lyrics; these are clearly very important to her and she delivers them with admirable sincerity." Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal International

"Van Nuis exudes tenderness and sensual warmth with her phrasing...her voice delicately tinged with nostalgia...a collection of spellbinding sonic snapshots that movingly capture the intricacies of life...creates atmospheres brimming with beguiling intimacy and mystery...the results are pure magic." Lissette Corsa, Jazziz Magazine

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Lonely Girl - I...

String Damper
2022

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Lessons Lyrical

String Damper
2017

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Live In Chicago

Self Produced
2012

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Far Away Places

Self Produced
2009

buy

A Sweet Refrain

String Damper
2006

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