Chiara Izzi (Vocals)

Kevin Hays (Piano & Vocals)

 

Award winning Italian singer, songwriter Chiara Izzi has been described by Jazz Times as “a talent to be heard, admired and anticipated” after the release of her debut album “Motifs”. She started her musical path in Italy by learning to play the piano and performing very early. She developed a versatility thanks to a multitude of performances in Italy and abroad in Belgium, Switzerland, France, the United States, Finland and Germany, which led to her vocal mastery of traditional jazz alongside contemporary styles. Chiara’s sound is based on her own unique interpretation of a fusion of different genres, including jazz, pop and Mediterranean sounds.

 

Chiara’s International debut took place at the Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition in 2011, where she was awarded first prize by the living musical legend Quincy Jones. Following this award the vocalist was invited to to open for Paco de Lucìa’s concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2012. Thanks to this award she had also the chance to record her debut album “Motifs” released by the New York based label Dot Time Records. The record has been presented in some well-known radio programs in Belgium, Holland, Italy and received notable reviews in the US on Jazz Times, All About Jazz, AXS, Midwest Record, to name of few.

 

She is currently living in New York and performs regularly around the city. Some of her notable performances occurred in prominent jazz venues such as The Iridium, Apollo Theater, Aspen Jazz Festival, Jazzahead, Smalls, Italian Embassy in Washington DC. She’s also graced the stage with some of the finest musicians, including Kevin Hays, Bruce Barth, Eliot Zigmund, Warren Wolf, Anthony Wonsey, Pat Bianchi, Yotam Silberstein, among many others. Chiara graduated with honors with a Masterʼs Degree in Jazz Music in Italy and she has caught the attention of and received remarkable appraisals from Quincy Jones, Bobby Watson, Benny Golson, Kevin Hays, Eliot Zigmund, Joel Frahm, Aaron Goldberg, David Kikosky, Greg Hutchinson, Jonathan Kreisberg, Dado Moroni and many others.