Valentine’s Day
Bria Skonberg Quintet – New York City hot jazz.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Tickets On Sale Now!
Trumpeter/Singer Bria Skonberg to Jazz up World Records
NYC Trumpet Player, Singer, Songwriter, Instigator – 2017 JUNO winner Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
Bria Skonberg promises to win over some hearts with her jazz quintet on the World Records stage this coming Valentines’s Day. The New York based Canadian singer, trumpeter and songwriter Bria Skonberg has been described as one of the “most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal). Recognized as one of 25 for the Future by DownBeat Magazine, Bria Skonberg has been a force in the new generation with her bold horn melodies and smoky vocals, and adventurous concoctions of classic and new.
Bria signed to Sony Music Masterworks’ OKeh Records in 2016 and released her debut LP, Bria, which won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts. She collaborated again with producer Matt Pierson, as well as multi-Grammy winner Gil Goldstein, for her second Sony album, With A Twist, released May 2017. Her take on Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End of Love” has garnered over 3 million streams.
Noted as a millennial “shaking up the jazz world,” (Vanity Fair), Bria Skonberg has played festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and over a hundred more. She recently performed the Star Spangled Banner at Madison Square Garden for an NHL game. Originally from the small town of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Bria studied jazz and performance at Capilano University in Vancouver while balancing a full road schedule with two bands. After graduating, she traveled extensively, performing in China and Japan and throughout Europe.
When she wasn’t traveling, Bria was honing her chops with Dal Richards, Vancouver’s King of Swing. Playing BC Place Stadium at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver capped off this exciting period, with Bria featured at the Paralympics opening ceremony. Seeking new challenges, Bria moved to New York city in September of 2010. Upon arrival she went to jam with friends in Washington Square Park and an hour into playing world renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis stopped to listen. He gave her a thumbs up.
In 2012, Bria released So Is The Day (Random Act Records). That collection showcased a developing flair for original songs and new takes on standards, including a duet with John Pizzarelli. So Is The Day received rave reviews from critics; “while tipping a hat to tradition, [So Is The Day] appropriately pushes Bria Skonberg to the forefront of today’s musical talents” (All About Jazz). In 2015, following her second album Into Your Own, Skonberg received the distinguished Jazz At Lincoln Center Swing Award. Further accolades include Best Vocal and Best Trumpet awards from Hot House Jazz Magazine (2014-15, 2017), Outstanding Jazz Artist from the New York Bistro Awards (2014), DownBeat Rising Star (2013-17), and a nominee for Jazz Journalists Association Up and Coming Artist (2013).
For “With a Twist” (available at World Records), Skonberg pays tribute to some of the iconic singers who influenced her, such as Valaida Snow (“High Hat, Trumpet and Rhythm”), Nina Simone (“My Baby Just Cares for Me”), Peggy Lee (“Alright, Okay, You Win,” arranged with Quincy Jones’ “Soul Bossa Nova”) and Betty Hutton by way of Björk (“It’s Oh So Quiet”). Other standards include Spike Jones’ “Cocktails for Two,” “Whatever Lola Wants” from the musical “Damn Yankees,” and the 1920s favorite “Back in Your Own Back Yard” that was performed by singers as diverse as Al Jolson and Billie Holliday.
“With a Twist” also includes three originals: “Same Kind of Crazy” (written with Jeff Cohen), “How I Know” (penned with Sam Hollander), and the appropriately titled album finale “Time to Go.” Not surprisingly, they slot in seamlessly among the jazz classics.
“My songs show a broad scope of what I’ve been influenced by, everything from doo wop to classic jazz to newer and more contemporary styles to world music like tangos,” Skonberg said.
She is an avid educator and supporter of public school opportunities, giving numerous workshops and concerts for students of all ages. Bria has been a faculty member at the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Camp (2008- present), Centrum Jazz Camp, performs outreach on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center and co-founded the New York Hot Jazz Camp for adults in 2015. She is also co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Festival.
In the last year she has sang the music of Aretha Franklin alongside Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child), played with U2 at the Apollo, sat in with the Dave Matthews band, and was a featured guest with Jon Batiste.
Thursday February 14th she will be at World Records on Valentine’s Day. You should be too.
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Buy your tickets at World Records
• In Person
– 2815 ‘F’ Street Bakersfield, C
• By Phone
– 661-325-1982
WORLD RECORDS – 2815 ‘F’ Street Bakersfield, CA 93301 – 661-325-1982
Where Music Matters Most since 1982