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ESTER ANDUJAR / Singer & Composer / "Celebrating Cole Porter"
Ester Andujar´s last concert, at IAJE (SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, -2006), introduced her last album, "Celebrating Cole Porter" and also some songs of her next album, based in her own compositions, where she sings in spanish and valencian and she reflects her musical backround wich includes brazilian and mediterranean music, jazz, soul, be-bop or funk. She has a demo of these songs avalaible.
Ester Andújar has been awarded this year being finalist at "Shure Montreux Voice Jazz Competition" and receiving the "Jury´s President Prize" (Jury hosted by Barbara Hendricks), and also at the "7th International Jazz Soloist Competition" in Monaco, where she received the second prize in a instrumental competition where she was the first singer of the competition´s history, being the other finalists piano (1rst prize) and guitar (3rd prize ).
"Celebrating Cole Porter" (Omix Records), was recorded in NY with musicians like Helen Sung, Adam Cruz, Peter Bernstein, Rob Bargad, Ximo Tébar or Ben Street.
"Her greatest contribution is not reminding us of the good tunes this great composer wrote - for this matter we only need to choose some familiar taste from our record collection - but showing us new perspectives on an excellent songbook in a precise and seductive way (...).Ester sings with laid-back expression and her phrasing flows easily. It seems clear that she appropriately relies on the legato and the soft attack. Her singing style is light, in the sense that she avoids dramatic density unless she deems it absolutely necessary. She can be virtuosic, like in "From This Moment" which has the best scat of the recording, or intimate; but never does she overact nor try to show off her talents beyond the scope of the tune.(...) Ester sagaciously shows us that we can continue to sing Cole Porter without being retro"
Sergio A. Pujol. Writer and musical critic. He is author, among other books, of "Jazz al sur. La música negra en la Argentina" (Emecé-Planeta).
Ester Andujar doctor her jazz in New York.
“Ester Andujar begins the year as she finished: adding points in the international scene of the jazz. Her polished technique and her expressive capacity resist with a rigorous knowledge of the jazz language and a surprising dominion of the scene.”
Pablo Sanz, El Mundo, January 14th, 2006.
Tribute.
“Ester Andujar remembers in this work the best creations of the Cole Porter. With a great voice, jazzy and with some modern arrangements (that do not end with the original swing), (...) the singer interprets the songs with a sometimes tender voice, other seducer.”
Interviú, January 28th, 2006.
Ester Andujar comes from a Spanish tour in Spain where she´s been in festivals like "Getxo Jazz Festival", "Ibiza Jazz Festival", "Festival de Jazz de la provincia de Sevilla" ( 8 concerts), "Lugo Jazz Festival" and also at important jazz clubs like "Café España" in Valladolid or "El Junco" in Madrid, and also she introduced her new CD at the las IAJE convention in NY city, January 2006.
THE BAND:
Ester Andujar: voice, Cesar Giner: electric bass, Ricardo Belda: piano, Nathaniel Townsley: drums and percussion, Ramon Cardo: saxophone and flute, Maite Gonzalez: violonchelo.
LISTEN ESTER ANDUJAR AT : www.esterandujar.com
CONTACT:
Booking Agency: Tebar Asociados (+34) 96 168 73 41
Ester Andujar : (+34 677 389 414 / +34 96 327 7140) / esterandujar@jazzspain.net
C/ Hermanos Villalonga 33,1
C.P.:46020, Valencia
Spain
- Miscelanneus
Discography
Records as a leader:
-Tristeza de Amar (Omix Records 2002)
-Celebrating Cole Porter (Omix Records 2005)
-Paginas Preciosas (Omix Records 2009)
Collaborations:
-Ximo Tebar , Embrujado : vocals & lyrics
-Jerez-Texas, Patchwork: vocals & lyrics
-Ricardo Belda, El Principio: vocals
-Amadeu Adell, Liles: vocals & lyrics
-Dona´m Jazz, Dona´m Jazz: vocals
Photos
Bio
ESTER ANDUJAR / Singer & Composer- Mediterraneo soul
Born in 1976 in the mediterrany city of Valencia,Spain in 1976 Ester grows up in a melting pot of Spanish, flameco, jazz and Arab trandition of life and music.In December 1995 she opens one of the major venues Valencia; that same year she receives the award for 'best vocalist' at a contest organized by the Valencian jazz club Black Note.
In 1996 she begins national touring as a professional musician through Spain with her own band called Ester Andujar Group and also sings with outstanding bands and musicians such as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Idris Muhammad, Jorge Pardo, Ximo Tebar, Sam Yahel, Carles Benavent, Dennis Rowland, Ramon Cardo, Sedavi Big Band,.
In 1998 performing with Ximo Tebar's band, she begins touring jazz clubs and festivals around the world such as Havana Jazz Plaza Festival, La Plata Jazz Festival Argentina, Barcelona Jazz Festival, Madrid Jazz Festival, Feria de Julio de Valencia, Sevilla Jazz Festival, Jamboree Jazz Club, Clamores.
With non-stop touring around the globe she returns to Spain with a Quartet that includes Ximo Tebar, Julian Vaughn and the New York organist Sam Yahel. She also contributes to the new recordings of the Nova Dixieland Band and the Sedajazz Latin Jazz Big Band.
Elected President of the Valencian Association of Jazz Musicians (Promusics) in 2000 she brings about need reforms in the music industry and championes local jazz musicians.
Returning to Buenos Aires in 2001 to perform a series of concerts and to teach clinics in creative singing at the EMU of la Plata she receives rave reviews with Argentinean music critics.After her triumphant return to Spain with local/national press covering her performances she again is honored with the award for 'Best Voice 2001' from the Valencian Association of Jazz and Creative Music (Promusics).While on tour in Spain that year Branford Marsalis invites her to sing on his tour through Spain.
November 2002 she releases her first CD as a leader titled "Tristeza de Amar" - Sadness of Loving (Omix Records), produced by Ximo Tebar. Tristeza de Amar has been selected by the national magazine Todas las Novedades among the year's best five works of Spanish jazz. It has also been nominated "Best CD" in the Second Edition of the Valencian Jazz Awards and granted a four star rating in the magazine Cuadernos de Jazz. In this edition of the Promusics Awards she received the 'Best voice 2002" award.
She is featured in the recordings of the Sedajazz Big Band, La Nova Dixieland and in Ximo Tebar's last work Embrujado (Bewitched), in which she collaborates as soloist, background singer and lyricist.
In 2005,she releases her second CD, "Celebrating Cole Porter", recorded in NY with musicians like Ben Street, Helen Sung,Rob Bargad,Peter Bernstein, J.D. Walter, Adam Cruz and Ximo Tébar, this one last producer also of the CD.
Ester Andújar has been awarded in 2005 being finalist at "Shure Montreux Voice JazzCompetition" and receiving the "Jury´s President Prize" (Jury hosted by Barbara Hendricks), and also at the "7th International Jazz Soloist Competition" in Monaco, where she received the second prize in a instrumental competition where she was the first singer of the competition´s history, being the other finalists piano (1st prize) and guitar (3rd prize ).
Ester has been in festivals like "Getxo Jazz Festival", "Ibiza Jazz Festival", "Festival de Jazz de la provincia de Sevilla" ( 8 concerts), "Lugo Jazz Festival" and also at important jazz clubs like "Café España" in Valladolid or “Complujazz” in Madrid.
She has taken clinics and master-classes and performed with Benny Golson, Bob Stoloff, Mike Mossman, Astrid Krone, Carme Canela, Mario Rossi, Kurt Rosenwinkel,
She was also on tour in Argentina ( La Plata, Mar del Plata Jazz Festival, Buenos Aires) introducing "Celebrating Cole Porter", and she´s having great reviews and press releases.
Launching her new album ,Ester Andujar´s concert, at IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) in 2006 introduced her album,"Celebrating Cole Porter" and also some songs of her next album, based in her own compositions, where she sings in spanish and valencian and she reflects her musical backround wich includes brazilian and mediterranean music, jazz, soul, be-bop or funk.
In 2007, she´s been invited to sing in many of the jazz records made in Spain, like “Liles” (by Amadeu Adell), “My Ideal”(by Ricardo Belda) or “Patchwork” (by Jerez-Texaz, jazz-flamenco).
2009 brings about the most compelling album to date from Ester with a wide range of international talent and expressions
It´s called “Paginas Preciosas” and it´s based on her own compositions, singed in spanish and valencian, and mixing all her musical inspirations, jazz, soul, brazilian music, pop and funk music.Actually she´has released her new album with musicians like Donald Edwards on drums, Cesar Giner on bass, Ximo Tébar on guitars, Edmundo C
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