Leslie Beukelman

LATEST RELEASE!!!
Leslie Beukelman: Here I Am
"She totally blew me away--gave me chills. This woman has such a natural way about her singing. Her pitch, her range, her sound, her interpretation is extraordinary."
-Maria Schneider (Grammy Award Winning Artist)
“This concert is made all the more enjoyable by the quartet of live musicians accompanying each work, especially songstress Leslie Beukelman, mastering everything from pop to scat.”
-Sid Smith (Chicago Tribune Arts Critic)
"The showstopper is an improvised surprise that joins exquisite vocalist Leslie Beukelman (who has mastered genres as vast as soul, melodic jazz, scat, rock and atonal experimentation), with innovative vocal percussionist/dancer Phil Brooks and Yonally, a whirling dervish of pyrotechnic tap, all to a complex version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.""
-Lucia Mauro (Chicago Tribune)
Originally from Sandwich, IL, Leslie started her musical endeavors at a young age, singing, playing piano, and playing trumpet. Gaining performance experience in music and theatre through school, the community theatre, and the Yorkville Big Band, Leslie graduated from Sandwich High School in 2000 and moved to Chicago to attend the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University. Graduating in 2005, Leslie earned a Bachelor’s of Music degree with honors, focusing in jazz voice performance. She has taken improvisation/voice lessons from both instrumentalists and voice teachers, including Blue Note recording artists Jackie Allen and Patricia Barber, Tito Carrillo, Tom Garling, Mike Smith, Mike Molloy, and Andrew Distel. Accomplishments from her time at Roosevelt include performing as the vocalist for the CCPA Jazz Orchestra, earning two outstanding soloist awards at the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival, performing as a member of the CCPA’s two-time Downbeat award-winning vocal jazz group, The New Deal, who performed at the 2003 IAJE Conference in Toronto, Canada, and earning the top combo award in 2005 at the IAJE Regional Conference in Chicago with the Savoy Combo. She is also a three-time Union League Club/Civic and Arts Foundation Jazz Improvisation Scholarship winner.
Now a freelance musician, Leslie is establishing her voice and exploring music. She is the vocalist in the Chicago-based quartet, Information Superhighway, who released their first full-length album, “First Morning” in 2006 and is currently working on their next project. Combining elements of jazz, rock, and folk, this progressive jazz-indie rock band performs their original music in rock venues around the city. Leslie also sings alto in Chicago’s award-winning 5 voice a cappella group Stripped, focusing on improvisation and using the voice in music with no boundaries. Playing with tap dancer and Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) artistic director, Mark Yonally, the Rhythm 4 features Leslie’s vocals backed up by the trio playing a variety of styles while Mark provides percussive steps alongside the band. This group has been featured for the last two years in CTT’s production of Mixology, a blend of music and dance. Leslie is also active in the free jazz scene singing in the trio Carplet (alto saxophone, vibes, and voice) and with Tomorrow Music Orchestra, a large ensemble mixed with jazz and classical instrumentalists. In many different configurations, Leslie has been seen performing at the Green Mill, The Signature Room on the 95th, Catch 35, Cyrano’s, Stetsons, Vintage Wine Bar, and Broadway Cellars. She can also be heard performing in the Chicago-land area and on WDCB 90.9 FM with Bill O’Connell’s Chicago Skyliner’s Big Band.
Leslie is excited to be releasing her debut solo album, “Here I Am”. It features two different quintets (saxophone, guitar, bass, drums), playing her lively, dynamic arrangements of standard jazz tunes, along with two original compositions played in a duo setting.
Created with mySpace Profile Editor
Information Superhighway: First Morning
Stripped: Breaking Boundaries