SONGBIRD: Eva Cassidy Tribute Project

-Amikaeyla and Trelawny
Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston and Trelawny Rose are solo artists and close friends who share the love of Eva Cassidy's music and legacy.
Amikaeyla and Trelawny are also Associate Producers of Jam Camp West - a new hip music camp for kids. Amikaeyla teaches percussion and voice in Berkeley, Ca. Trelawny is a vocal coach on faculty at THE JAZZSCHOOL, Berkeley, Ca.
AMIKAEYLA PROUDFOOT GASTON:
“…emerging as one of the most dynamic and original vocalists in jazz, she is insistently blazing her own trail…” -JazzTimes Proclaimed one of the “purest contemporary voices in the jazz, world and folk industry since Eva Cassidy” by National Public Radio, powerhouse performer and master percussionist Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston embraces the best of many types of music. With her soulful style, sultry ballads, and enchanting, passionate sincerity, she is a dynamic performer and is in the midst of an amazing musical journey.
While the dazzling vocalist from the Washington, D.C. area draws on a dizzying array of influences, from Bel Canto, Funk and Bossa Nova to traditional Irish music, sacred chanting and soul, her sensibility is pure jazz. “I view myself as a roots jazz artist, because jazz feels so all encompassing,” says the newly transplanted Oakland-based singer. Captivating audiences since the age of 4 She began her musical training with classic piano, and went on to study flute, viola, congas, and djembe. Since then, she has been performing and recording with numerous noted Grammy Award winning artists, including Wyclef, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Take 6, Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen, Glen Velez, Baba Olatunji, Mickey Hart, Pete Seeger, Gil Scott Heron, Ron Holloway, Jonatha Brooke, Kenny Garrett, Chris Williamson, Ferron, Ubaka Hill, and the National Symphony. She has a strong academic interest in sacred chanting which has led her around the world culminating in her performance at the Inaugural Festival of Sacred Chanting and Singing in India for the commemoration of the Golden Buddha at the request and invitation of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
Her 2004 release Mosaic received national acclaim, winning a staggering 12 Washington Area Music Awards, including Best Jazz Vocalist, Best Urban Contemporary Vocalist, Best World Music Vocalist, and Best Debut Artist. Her newest album “Midnight Sun,” captures Amikaeyla’s vast improvisational resources, and her penchant for artfully weaving together a myriad of international elements. Featuring grammy award-winning artists Howard Levy, the harmonica master best known for his work with Bela Fleck, Eugene Friesen of the Paul Winter Consort, and the brilliant world percussionist Glen Velez, the album is due out in the fall of 2008.
TRELAWNY ROSE:
Powerful singer and inspiring vocal coach. Sliding effortlessly between soothing jazz, soulful R&B, and stirring Gospel, Trelawny's talent cannot be confined to a particular genre. Refusing to be limited by labels and stereotypes, she blends Jazz, R&B, Soul, Blues, Alternative, and Gospel in her compelling performances, and her audience is left captivated.
Trelawny's music career began at Jazz Camp West, where she performed for the first time at age 12, and received a standing ovation. Although she studied classically, earning her BA in Vocal Performance, Trelawny continued to study regularly with world-class jazz singers such as Madeline Eastman, Faye Carol, Rebecca Parris and Raz Kennedy.
Trelawny was a frequent soloist for the Grammy Award winning Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC) at community events benefiting organizations such as Alzheimers Association, Bread and Roses and San Quentin Prison. She is featured on OIGCs 3 CDs, Great Day: A Cappella Negro Spirituals, Rejoice! (featuring guest keyboardist, Tony Toni Tone's Carl Wheeler), and We've Come a Mighty Long Way, as well as a special recording with Carlos Santana, in June 2001. Over the years, Trelawny's solos with OIGC brought crowds to their feet at world-renowned music festivals, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, The 1997 International Music Festival in Sydney Australia, and New Orleans By The Bay. As a member of OIGC, Trelawny was honored to have performed with such legends as Pete Escovedo, Sheila E., Tramaine Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, Pharaoh Sanders, Marlena Shaw, Jeffrey Osborne and Sweet Honey in the Rock.
After singing background vocals for Grammy nominated Ledisi, Trelawny moved to Los Angeles to further develop her music career as a performer and a vocal coach. Now back home in San Francisco Bay Area, Trelawny is working on her solo debut album of original songs as well as her current project, Songbird: A Tribute to Eva Cassidy - LIVE!

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