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Ceremony/Reception
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Sweet Baby J'ai
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| Sweet Baby J'ai is a critically acclaimed vocalist and songwriter who has toured the world with her distinctive sound. She and her band have also performed extensively in the U.S., and have been featured at numerous festivals, clubs and benefits. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as The Jazz Crusaders, Patrice Rushen, Red Holloway, Etta James, Joe Sample, Koko Taylor, Frank Capp & the Juggernaut, Sheila E., Stanley Turrentine and the late Eddie Harris, to name a few. |
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| She has been heard on radio and television, both nationally and internationally. With her deep, powerful, sometimes playful and sensuous voice, and her acclaimed songwriting style, Sweet Baby J'ai is provocative and impassioned, combining her infectious personality and original style with the influences of Carmen McRae and Joe Williams. |
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| Some critics describe her as a "jazz singer," others as a "blues singer," but all agree that this versatile singer-songwriter is a "storyteller." Sweet Baby J'ai's debut release, The Art Of Blue, and latest release, Evolution on the Sunset Music label, are wonderful collections of blues, jazz and spoken word. She tackles diverse social issues, lost love and pays tribute to divas of the past. |
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| Sweet Baby J'ai grew up in a city rich with musical history, Kansas City, home to legends like Big Joe Turner and Charlie "Bird" Parker, among others. At only five years old, she was already writing songs and by the age of eight, sneaking in the backdoors of clubs on 18th & Vine to watch her father play with top jazz musicians. Her uncle, Vernon Gower, played bass with Billie Holiday and Lionel Hampton, and her cousin Michael Howell, played guitar with Dizzie Gillespie. |
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| Sweet Baby J'ai got her start under the guidance of her mentor, the legendary Phil Moore. Shortly thereafter she could be found performing in jazz clubs in Paris. Back home in the U.S., she benefited early on in her career from the support and direction of working with legends, saxophonist Teddy Edwards and guitarist Phil Upchurch. |
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| Her style is rooted in the Kansas City sound. Sweet Baby J'ai is a versatile performer and an unconventional musician. Whether singing a swinging version of a standard, a soulful blues ballad or a haunting original, she weaves her special magic through songs seemingly tailor-made for her intimate style. |
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| Sweet Baby J'ai demonstrates many talents on her new CD. Evolution finds her wearing multiple hats including producer, composer and arranger. She serves up a multi-hued palette of original compositions that highlight her warm, velvety tones; and manages to breathe new life into classic songs with her innovative, sometimes unexpected, often sophisticated interpretations. She swings, whispers, shouts and caresses every song like telling a personal story. |
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| Call her a renaissance woman - she's also a playwright, having co-written the acclaimed play, "3 Women: A Dramatic Tribute to The Divas of Jazz and Blues," as well as being an actress, novelist, and artist. |
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To book Sweet Baby J'ai, please contact:
Alex Samms
Sunset Music Group
P.O. Box 226
Beverly Hills, CA 90213
Email: sunsetmusic@earthlink.net
Web Site: www.sweetbabyjai.com
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