About Me
With his sophomore CD "Happy, Sad and Satisfied", a tribute to the American Standard, critically acclaimed Jazz Vocalist Beat Kaestli captures the mood of classic songs in a contemporary setting. In a time where aged Rock stars are recording Jazz Standards and record labels recycle the era of Big Band singers like Sinatra and Bennett, Beat Kaestli stands out as a unique and true Jazz Vocalist. His versatility as a singer only adds to his charm, lending him a contemporary yet never overly commercial touch. Beat has the ability to take a song from Baroque Aria into Jazz and then turn around and mold a popular Jazz Standard into a groovy R&B tune. This ability to create something new and fresh out of the old and established stems form his universal sense of music and his understanding of Jazz, truly the music of invention and change.When faced with the choice of a promising singing career in his homeland
or broadening his musical horizon in the US, he decided to make New York
City his new home. A Scholarship Recipient at the prestigious Manhattan
School of Music, he enjoyed special attention from lauded Jazz vocalists Nancy
Marano and Luciana Souza. While honing his craft alongside noteworthy Jazz
performers like Jane Monheit, Stefon Harris and Jason Moran, he immersed
himself in Manhattan’s fiercely competitive music scene, emerging as a
seasoned performer. He now appears at renowned clubs such as Birdland,
The Jazz Standard, B.B. King’s, 55 Bar and The BlueNote and in 2005, Beat
was the chosen vocalist for the Glenn Miller Orchestra, thrilling audiences in
concert halls across the USA. In 2006 he embarked on a promotional tour for
his CD “Happy, Sad and Satisfied†to Europe, performing in notable clubs like
the B-Flat in Berlin, Die Unterfahrt in Munich and Moods in Zuerich.
Besides Jazz, Beat’s versatility as a vocalist has led him to excel in many
other styles of music. He sang on Dario G.’s club-smash Sunchyme and with his
solo projects Beat performed at festivals in the USA, such as the CMJ Festival,
NYC, toured Europe and he appeared at award shows like the Swiss Oscars
(Prix Walo), with Nubya. Additionally, he traveled the world, producing and
starring in the Orange Gospel Tour 99.
Beat is part of the original cast of various musicals, like Neil Goldberg’s
Christmas Dreams, Job and the Snake (Lambs Theater, NYC) and the Off-
Broadway hit Pure Gospel Christmas directed by David Tobin.
As a songwriter Beat’s collaborative works boast a roster that includes
Grammy Winners James Lloyd (Pieces of a Dream) and Peter Eldridge (New
York Voices), as well as Grammy Nominated Songwriter Schon J. Crawford
(Love like this, Faith Evans). His music is getting Radio Play on CD 101.9
Smooth Jazz and WBAI in New York and on over 100 stations in the US,
Canada, Europe, Australia, Argentina and Brazil and his songs can be heard in
clubs such as The Culture Club and China Club in New York City and Feathers
in New Jersey.
Beat is featured on numerous recordings in the US and Europe and he
released two solo CDs, his critically acclaimed debut CD Reasons (Billboard
10/05/2002), a collection of original songs, and the 2005 release Happy, Sad
and Satisfied, his tribute to the American Standard.
