UNC-A Jazz Faculty performing with NEA Jazz Master Jamey Aebersold
Singing with the New York Voices - 2022
ARTIST BIO
Wendy is a singer, recording artist, songwriter, and arranger who is often praised for her approachable and accessible presence...both onstage and off. She consistently receives accolades for her authentic and honest renditions of jazz standards as well as her ability to transport an audience with her musical storytelling. She is drawn to music that is beautiful, somewhat nostalgic, but also thought-provoking.
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A lover of big band since childhood, Wendy is honored to be the featured vocalist with several area big bands including the Asheville Jazz Orchestra, the Ole '74 Big Band, the Russ Wilson Orchestra (specializing in music of the '30s and '40s), and is a frequent guest artist with the Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band.
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"My love of jazz and swing began with big band. I used to stay up late, despite my mother's protestations, just so I could hear the Tonight Show Orchestra on Johnny Carson each night. I even wrote a tune about that experience which has been arranged for big band by Dave Wilken. I credit the Tonight Show for piquing my interest in this genre."
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As a professional vocalist, Wendy has appeared on stages from NYC to Chicago to Tokyo and has performed with artists such as NEA Jazz Master Jamey Aebersold, legendary jazz guitarist Howard Alden, jazz violinist Christian Howes, Crystal Gale, and has sung backup for alternative hip hop group Deltron 3030. She has appeared at Club Bonafide in NYC, the Jazz Arts Initiative in Charlotte, The Mauldin Blues and Jazz Festival, Mountain Oasis Music Festival, Women In Jazz Festival, Spartanburg Jazz Festival, Our World Festival, and the Django Reinhardt Festival in Asheville, NC.
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A musical dream came true in the summer of 2022 when she was invited to perform with the New York Voices and fill in for Kim Nazarian whose plane had been delayed. "The New York Voices have been invaluable in helping me to grow as a jazz musician, songwriter, and improviser. Having the opportunity to sing with them was something I will never forget..it was so surreal and mind-blowingly wonderful!"
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In addition to singing with her own jazz quartet, she has also sung and recorded with the Michael Jefry Stevens Trio, the Steve Watson Trio, and the Richard Shulman Group.
“The singer’s distinctive and sometimes-haunting voice proves to be very effective no matter what the mood of the piece. She gives sensitivity to each selection that she interprets and displays a complete understanding of the lyrics while swinging at every tempo.”- Scott Yanow, Jazz Journalist and Music Critic (Los Angeles, CA)
​(Wendy) "possesses a rich voice and that ineffable quality that allows certain performers to glow from within. She dazzled every time she was onstage." - Nancy Stetson, Naples Daily News - Naples, Florida
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