Born: May 19, 1987 Primary Instrument: Vocal
“The Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate moves fearlessly up and down octaves, all the while maintaining a distinct sense of purpose. She can explore the upper register in a beguiling waft, or plunge into the basement with buoyant, swelling articulation.” -CapitalBop
A native of the cosmopolitan city of Washington D.C with a passion for travel and music from around the world, cultural immersion and diversity have always been a driving inspiration for vocalist Andrea Wood’s unique musical style. With her hauntingly rich vocals and intuitive feel for the music, Andrea brings a distinctively eclectic approach to Jazz singing in over four languages and incorporating American Swing, Bop and Soul music along with the styles of the Caribbean, France and Brazil.
Music has always been a singular force in Andrea’s life. Born into a musical family, her mother began teaching her the piano at age five. As a child, she spent three years in the vibrant city of Prague, Czech Republic, the birthplace of Bohemian culture, where 12-dollar symphonies were ubiquitous and gypsy Jazz could be heard echoing down narrow, cobblestone streets. She played leading roles in school musicals and was a regularly featured soloist in church choirs throughout grade school. Upon returning to the US, Andrea studied classical voice and piano at the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. It was at Ellington that she first dove into Jazz, working closely with mentor and Jazz band director Davey Yarborough.
Andrea went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance at Michigan State University in May of 2009, studying with vocalist Sunny Wilkinson. At MSU, Andrea sang lead soprano for the top vocal ensemble and was the selected vocalist for the top Jazz band led by internationally acclaimed bassist and program director Rodney Whitaker. Andrea studied reggae music and culture during a study abroad in Kingston, Jamaica in 2007, where she sang and worked with noted reggae band The Fab Five of Jamaica. After graduating from MSU, Andrea spent four months living and performing in Toulouse, France with a trio of local Jazz musicians.
Andrea currently leads her own group in Washington D.C. She just released her debut album “Dhyana”, which features her own original compositions, lyrics and arrangements. She also sings for two other bands in the city including the French Gypsy-Jazz band The Hot Club of DC and the Nigerian afro- beat band Afrikan Rhapsody, led by former Femi Kuti drummer Tosin Aribisala. With Afrikan Rhapsody, Andrea sings in both English and Yoruba and performs in New York City as well as Washington D.C. She will attend the Manhattan School of Music in the fall of 2011, studying Jazz voice with New York Voices member and co-founder Peter Eldridge.
Andrea has performed at notable venues including the Kennedy Center, Constitution Hall, Twins Jazz Club, the Atlas Theater, and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C, as well as the historic Bakers Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, Michigan and La Mandala in Toulouse, France. She has also performed at the Detroit Jazz Festival, The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington, Delaware, DC’s Adams Morgan Day Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City, and gave an award- wining performance at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho. She has been blessed with the opportunity to work and perform with many distinguished musicians of the day, including Dianne Reeves, Kevin Mahogany, Jon Faddis, Geoffrey Keezer, Larry Willis, Butch Warren, Ron Blake, Sean Jones, Tia Fuller, Benito Gonzalez, Randy Gillespie, Tosin Aribisala, Dennis Williams, Rodney Whitaker, Walter Blanding, Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, and Denyce Graves.
Primary Instrument:
Vocal
Location:
Washington, DC
Willing to teach:
Beginners
