Amanda King

http://cdbaby.com/cd/amandaking
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Amanda King is a classic chanteuse of straight-ahead jazz who relishes performing little known gems of the 30’s and 40’s as well as Great American Songbook standards. With a smoothness of voice and surety of style plus rousing cheers from her fans and wonderful reviews from the critics, it’s clear that she is a woman who has found her purpose and is destined to shine ever brighter with passing time.
Most recently, Amanda performed with the prestigious San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. She sang Gershwin tunes arranged for the orchestra by Bay Area jazz icon Jeff Neighbor (who also happens to be her regular bassist). A sterling series where the critics loved the arrangements - and Amanda!
Throughout 2008 Amanda appeared at clubs around San Francisco and the Bay Area including a packed house at the late, great jazz club Jazz at Pearl’s. A vibrant and lively performer, Amanda’s appearances are met with infectious enthusiasm at every venue. In July, Amanda made her debut at the Fillmore Jazz Festival a legendary music vehicle for San Francisco’s thriving jazz scene. She was an instant hit! In May, she was featured as the lead in Duke Ellington’s rarely performed jazz opera (his only one) “Queenie Pie”, produced by the Oakland Opera Theatre. Her performance combined her theatrical and musical smarts, and she garnered wonderful reviews.
“Amanda King performs Queenie in a blond wig, exuding lots of stage presence and powerful vocal skills. In the middle of her range she sounds a bit like Ella. She also has a light, full high voice which she uses in her shipboard lament about missing New York, and a low, low voice set way deep in the chest and solid gold in placement. My only complaint was that most of the songs she sang were very short, almost conversational in tone. I longed to hear her sing on, to tell us the story, verse and refrain.” Jaime Robles, Berkeley Daily Planet
She comes from a solid theater background having performed in scores of productions, musical and dramatic. After several appearances in showcases throughout San Francisco, she developed a devoted following. That group quickly grew when she performed her acclaimed one-woman show "It's About Damn Time!" in the fall of 2007 at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco.
“This singer was a suberb (sic) performer. I expected a louder, brassier voice, and I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Her choice of material was delightful, and her delivery was pitch-perfect. I was SO glad I had taken a chance on this unknown (to me) singer.” p.g. cabaret appreciator (Goldstar.com online review)
After the success of that show, Amanda leapt feet first into singing and was invited to perform in the Castro Street Fair, an annual San Francisco festival started by Harvey Milk. With a last minute opportunity to perform at an historic cabaret venue, she mounted a show that was to become the basis of her first CD. That show, “Chanteuse”, at the famous Empire Plush Room in January 2008 met with great acclaim and since that performance her voice, her following, and her musical expression have grown enormously.
“King at the Empire Plush Room was in her perfect element. The singer is a true throwback to the golden days of nightclubs… The audience was watching a more seasoned performer on the Plush Room stage. King has found new confidence and her voice has taken on many new horizons…and the thrilling “Black Moonlight” was so masterful that I never wanted it to end. The arrangement had enough power to send a rocket to the moon.” Lee Hartgrave, BeyondChron.org
This CD, her first, celebrates the music she loves. Working with her regular trio of outstanding jazz artists Shota Osabe, Jeff Neighbor, and Micha Nur Patri, this labor of love came into being over several sessions at the famous Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Her trio played masterfully, especially Shota who performed his magic on Bill Evans’ personal Yamaha C9, a deeply sonorous instrument. Voice, piano, bass and drums all perform as one, and it is so evident when you experience their magic.
With this new talent, most definitely the best is yet to come!
Amanda's performance clothing provided by: ;”