Lupa is something of an exotic. Her chosen name Lupa, or she-wolf, has
associations of pagan magic and ancient Rome, savagery and maternity. It
takes a lot of living up to, yet she inhibits it with flair. Musically, she
fluctuates between melodic psychedelic-tinged originals and radical
makeovers of jazz standards. Her life is as unique as her music. Born and
raised in Milan, as a youngster Lupa was student of classical piano and a child
fashion model for Vogue. She studied at the Birmingham School of Speech
and Drama (now Birmingham School of Acting), and England’s second city
became her adopted home, with forays to Los Angeles and Italy, where she
worked with the anarchist farceur Dario Fo’. An encounter at an LA party
hosted by Prince was crucial: henceforth her creative energies were
exclusively focused on music.
House Of Blue, her debut album, crosses language and genre. A woozy
dreamscape, conjured by lush meshes of electronic sound, contrasts with
Lupa’s pure voice and, indeed, with Bryan Corbett’s stark, beautiful trumpet.
The glittering setting can’t altogether disguise the fact that Lupa’s desperate
love songs • always treading the thin line between tenderness and torment •
spring directly form the torch song tradition. She’s an accomplished actor and
singer too, permanently on the brink yet never sacrificing control. Her breathy
sensitivity and impressive scat singing proclaim a natural jazz singer.
Mike Butler - Metro, Metro Life / Jazz - July 2007
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Lupa is something of an exotic. Her chosen name Lupa, or she-wolf, has
associations of pagan magic and ancient Rome, savagery and maternity. It
takes a lot of living up to, yet she inhibits it with flair. Musically, she
fluctuates between melodic psychedelic-tinged originals and radical
makeovers of jazz standards. Her life is as unique as her music. Born and
raised in Milan, as a youngster Lupa was student of classical piano and a child
fashion model for Vogue. She studied at the Birmingham School of Speech
and Drama (now Birmingham School of Acting), and England’s second city
became her adopted home, with forays to Los Angeles and Italy, where she
worked with the anarchist farceur Dario Fo’. An encounter at an LA party
hosted by Prince was crucial: henceforth her creative energies were
exclusively focused on music.
House Of Blue, her debut album, crosses language and genre. A woozy
dreamscape, conjured by lush meshes of electronic sound, contrasts with
Lupa’s pure voice and, indeed, with Bryan Corbett’s stark, beautiful trumpet.
The glittering setting can’t altogether disguise the fact that Lupa’s desperate
love songs • always treading the thin line between tenderness and torment •
spring directly form the torch song tradition. She’s an accomplished actor and
singer too, permanently on the brink yet never sacrificing control. Her breathy
sensitivity and impressive scat singing proclaim a natural jazz singer.
Mike Butler - Metro, Metro Life / Jazz - July 2007
A return for the Italian Chanteuse who dazzled last time out. Great band,
musicians include Bryan Corbett (trumpet/flugelhorn), Alfonso Deidda (piano,
alto sax/flute), Roger Inniss (fretless/electric/acoustic bass), Miles Levin
(drums). Lupa pushes the boundaries and provokes your thoughts.
The Cinnamon Club - Manchester, Nov 2006
This Italian-born singer treads a path that takes its cue from Jazz and Asian
underground, as well as left-field pop. This tour sees her introduce the
pianist and saxophonist Alfonso Deidda. Joining them is British trumpeter
Bryan Corbett.
Roger Trapp 'Jazz & Blues' THE FIVE BEST GIGS (n.4 Lupa) - The Independent
Feb 2006
There are not many jazz performers who go "on tour" these days, but
Birmingham-based singer Lupa is one of them. Aside from gigs further a field
during February, she has fitted in a clutch of them in the Midlands and they
are all within the next week. She fronts a very classy band which has Alfonso
Deidda on piano and saxophone, Roger Inniss on bass, Bryan Corbett on
trumpet and Miles Levin on drums.
Peter Bacon 'Peter Bacon's jazz diary' - Birmingham Post, Feb 2006
House of Blue by Lupa sounds thoroughly modern. The Milanese-born Lupa
has an incredible life-story. Self-expression is her watchword, and her voice
blends sexiness and scariness to an unprecedented degree. The jazz influence
is hidden behind refined modern beats but comes across in the imaginative
arrangements. Mike Butler 'The Jazzist ' - Manchester City Life , Oct 2005.
Lupa, meaning she wolf, is the stage name of Birmingham-based, Italian-born
and reflects her desire to project a dangerous and slightly otherwordly image.
That is certainly there in the music too, which is dreamy on one level but with
an underlying urgency too. Bjork and Kate Bush sound like Lupa's chief vocal
influences, though her cover of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat shows her jazz and Joni
Mitchell leanings too. There are some inventive touches on this debut disc,
especially in choosing to give Brucia La Terra (The Godfather Love Theme) a
setting of electric sitar from TJ Rehmi and grumbling '70s synth sounds along
with heavy beat and atmospheric trumpet...House Of Blue occupies a pretty
original niche in between pop and jazz...Peter Bacon 'Great depth and
manifold pleasures' (jazz cd reviews) - Birmingham Post, Aug 2005
After the impact of her appearance at this year’s Birmingham International
Jazz Festival, Italian singer Lupa is increasingly busy on the city jazz
scene…..with influences from classical to Reggae via Latin songs and French
chansons, Lupa takes a fresh approach to Jazz singing…
The Jazz Rag - Autumn 2003
…not surprisingly, her influences are many and varied, from classical to jazz
via reggae, touching on most points in between. Lupa breathes life back into
the Jazz golden age... The 19th HMV Birmingham International Jazz Festival -
2003
Charismatic Lupa is a sensational Italian singer with a new fresh and
fascinating approach to Jazz singing that never loses sight of the roots. Warm,
enticing, intimate, always rhythmic, she draws on surprising but always
appropriate influences. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Lush Life, Twisted, Parker's
Mood, Moody's Mood4Love, Invitation... are Lupa’s staple diet, but French
chanson, Reggae and Latin have their place as well. Lupa is delightful and
charming. She is a prolific songwriter and producer and has an uncanny knack
to rearranging jazz standards to make them sound totally new. Lupa has a
unique and unusual talent.
Big Bear Music - winter 2003
An extraordinary life produces astonishing music. The Milan born Lupa comes
from a family of artists. From child model in Vogue to actress in the troupe of
anarchic playwright Dario Fo', she seemed destined for unique distinction.
Since 1996, Lupa has operated out of Birmingham, forging links with creative
musicians, songwriters, producers and technicians within the city and the
wider international scene. Her name Lupa (the she-wolf) is apt as sexiness
and scariness co-exist in her breathy voice, which can variously beguile and
bite. Her forthcoming album House Of Blue, arranges elements from jazz,
pop, and the Asian underground in unlikely configurations. Where else could
Brucia La Terra—the love theme from the Godfather - come served with sitar,
throbbing synth, plaintive, Miles Davis-like trumpet and hip-hop beats? One
song, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat combines tributes to Lupa’s favourites Joni
Mitchell and Charles Mingus, and the unplugged version of Brucia La Terra
benefits from the concentrated resources of Lupa’s septet…jazz musicians
and wolves have one thing in common: they come out at night and strike with
ruthless efficiency. Pure lycanthropic pleasure. Mike Butler - Metro • Metro
Life / Jazz - Aug 2004
Remarkable jazz songbird Lupa, Italian by birth….her forthcoming debut
album is an eclectic mix of classic and modern jazz styles with her haunting
and passionate voice backed by leading national and International musicians.
Lupa is a name to watch out for.
Alan Cross, Birmingham Evening Mail, 2004
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