DONNA DEUSSEN

"I regularly read obituaries on the demise of the American song canon. So why is it that so many of best and smartest younger singers -- the real virtuosos who actually can sing -- keep doing them? Without getting nostalgic or academic about it, Donna Deussen nails a dozen ASCAP beauties on her High Wire CD with the cool assurance of a singer who also happens to be a musician of the very first order. That gives her a lot of resources to play with, especially when tackling an off-beat item like “Nature Boy”. A bright voice under the control of an agile musicianship and wise good taste." - John McDonough, (Down Beat jazz reviewer)
Jazz Vocalist DONNA DEUSSEN is a Northern California native, but spent much of her youth in rural New Hampshire. She decided to make her passion for singing her profession as well, and began her career by attending and graduating magna cum laude from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, with a degree in songwriting.

She then moved to Los Angeles, and began performing, writing, and recording all styles of contemporary music. Donna also began studying jazz improvisation with Tierney Sutton, one of her inspirations (along with Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Joni Mitchell, and Chaka Khan!) She has performed at a wide variety of venues in the Southern California area, including: Holly Street Bar & Grill, Spazio Restaurant, Millenium Biltmore Hotel, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Auditorium, The Wine Bistro (Studio City), The Palace, The Cinegrill, Lunaria’s, The Jazz Bakery, Cal Tech Summer Jazz Series (Pasadena), Monteleone’s, Sportsman’s Lodge, The Other Side, L.A. Cabaret, The Money Tree, The Gardenia Room, Portofino on Pine, Luna Park, Fox & Hound, and many more. In addition, she recently was the featured performer for a two-night stint at Johnny’s Uptown Supper Club in Phoenix, AZ. She was a soloist for the televised live performance of “Thumbs Up L.A.P.D.”, and sang at U.C.L.A.‘s Royce Hall for the televised performance of the Easter Seals Telethon. Donna sings every Christmas season with the renowned a capella group The Caroling Company, who have been seen in several motion pictures, including “The Addams Family.” She also recorded a Glendale Federal Bank radio commercial, and has worked as a session singer at several recording studios in the L.A. area.

Donna has performed and recorded with the top studio musicians in L.A., including those who have worked with/toured with Chick Corea, Sarah Vaughan, Poncho Sanchez, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Tierney Sutton, Jack Jones, Tom Jones, Melissa Manchester, Jean-Luc Ponty, the Righteous Brothers, and many many more.

In April 2003, Donna’s long-awaited debut jazz CD, “High Wire” was released. It reflects her command of a vast range of styles, from samba to the blues. It showcases some of LA's best musicians: Mark Massey ..boards, Aldo Bentivegna on drums, Anders Swanson on bass, and Eric Marienthal (of Chick Corea’s Elektric Band) on saxophone. “High Wire” features all-original arrangements by Donna and Mark Massey, including a “Weather Report” inspired version of “Nature Boy” and a jazz rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” The CD has been garnering favorable reviews, and is getting airplay on many jazz radio stations, including KKJZ Long Beach, KCLU Thousand Oaks, KBEM Minneapolis, WAER Syracuse, WICN Worchester MA, SkyJazz Internet Radio, CFRC Radio Ontario Canada, CKCU Ottawa Canada, WTJU Charlottesville VA, WPKN Bridgeport CT, Radio Universitaria do Minho Portugal, and Radio LaGuagua Argentina! “High Wire” is available online at www.cdbaby.com/deussen.

In addition, Donna is a much-sought after vocal coach. She was on the faculty at the prestigious Performing Arts Center in Van Nuys, CA, for several years. She has recently relocated to Phoenix, AZ, where she is currently hard at work on her follow-up CD.

For booking or further information, please contact [email protected] or visit her website at www.donnadeussen.com.

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