Tia Brazda

Swingin' Toronto jazz chanteuse Tia Brazda pulls out all the stops on her highly appealing new album Bandshell. Her style is described as "saucy sophisticated swing", and it sounds both retro and fresh. An A-list of Toronto players deliver sounds to complement her supple and versatile vocals. Those musicians include co-producers Marc Rogers and Chris Graham, horn players Williams Sperandei and Carn and Chris Gale, and fiddle star Miranda Mulholland. Brazda made a splash with her 2012 debut EP Cabin Fever, hitting No.1 on the iTunes Canada Jazz Chart and notching airplay on BBC and CBC Radio. She has charmed audiences at major European and Canadian festivals. Look for this disc to elicit plenty more offers for her to perform on the bandshell.

Brazda launched the disc at Toronto's Lula Lounge last week, followed by club and fest dates in New York. Check her website for more upcoming Canadian gigs.

- Kerry Doole - New Canadian Music

As music lovers, we continue to fall all over ourselves when classic sounds are re-upped with a modern feel. Think Amy Winehouse, Claire McGuire and, lately, Leon Bridges. Well, here's another artist to get your vintage groove on: Vancouver's Tia Brazda. Her new single, "Shine," has a tight band and her smooth vocals invoke neat glasses of bourbon and smoky Parisian speakeasies.

— Judith Lynch (@CBCJudith) - CBC Radio

Tia Brazda: On stage, Brazda is colorful, sassy, and energetic, diverting attention from the fact that she’s also extremely vocally skilled. She’s a throwback to the Andrews Sisters and Peggy Lee, but with a little more rock n’ roll threatening to emerge at any time. At the launch of her Cabin Fever EP, Tia actually handed out cupcakes that she had baked herself. Much like her album, they were colourful, tasty, and home-made (in both chocolate AND vanilla). CBC listeners know her well and would all recommend seeing her live, but for those who don’t get out much, this is Cabin Fever.

On you mark, get set, start googling. - Metro News

Despite her early appreciation of artists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone, Toronto's Tia Brazda says she doesn't intentionally write for swing and jazz fans.

In fact, she barely considers the genre at all while composing.

"I do work closely with some jazz composers," she told SooToday.com. "But I don't see myself as fitting into that box which is why I guess the music sounds the way it does."

"What I do isn't for regular jazz listeners. It's a bit more palatable," she continued. "There's a lot of people that think jazz is elevator music and think of it as boring, or complicated and artsy. There's people that think they don't like jazz, but then they'll hear something that's a more modern take on it and enjoy it."

Brazda's modern take on classic swing, jazz and blues has garnered critical acclaim from CBC and the Globe and Mail, and has seen heavy rotation on independent and college radio stations across Canada.

In spite of her throwback style, she embraces the past decade's online music sharing trend that she feels has heavily influenced the popularity of independent artists and potentially lost genres.

Had it not been for the current flood of online music, she said she never would have discovered some of her favourite artists.

"A lot of music before the internet was being hidden from us and you could only find it by hitting up your local bar," Brazda said. "There are fewer superstars now and more working bands and musicians. The support is more spread out amongst many artists as opposed to consumers being force-fed one."

This competition for fans and notoriety just means artists must work harder, resulting in more innovative options for listeners, she told us.

"Online downloading has brought us back to the live show where artists have to play," she said. "You can't just sit in a big studio now and pump out million dollar albums, make $10 million and no one else gets a crack at it. Now everyone has a chance, but you have to go work and get on the road and play shows tirelessly."

Brazda hopes to schedule a full Canadian tour in the very near future to promote her upcoming release, Hard Luck, which will be available to the public in a few weeks.

In the mean time, she'll be bringing her 'new old fashioned tunes' to the Hilton Beach Community Centre on St. Joseph Island as she opens the 19th annual Old Town Hall Concert Series on Wednesday, August 6. - Soo Today

HILTON BEACH - Tia Brazda faithful who prefer the more jazzy take on her 2012 hit Cabin Fever need not get hot under the collar at future performances. - Sault Star

Toronto's Tia Brazda kicked off the 2014 Old Town Hall Concert Series on St. Joseph Island on Wednesday, August 6. Local2 was there to capture this young talent and talk to the event organizer about upcoming performances. - Local 2

Each week we ask an artist to respond to five standard and five new questions. The five new questions are asked by the previous week’s artist.

This week’s artist is Tia Brazda.

5 STANDARD QUESTIONS

Man Ray's Le Violon D'Ingres
Man Ray’s Le Violon D’Ingres

1. This image inspires me because …it’s elegant, bold and sassy.

2. The kind of work I’m excited to create when writing songs, is I approach songwriting from a performance perspective. I imagine the specific emotion I want to feel when I’m on stage and then I freestyle lyrics until the story emerges. Right now I am feeling assertive, playful and experimental so we’ll see what happens!

3. Right now I’m working on pre-production for a new song that I will be releasing in the spring, writing daily for a new album, overseeing a few remixes that are underway and booking an Ontario tour while prepping for some upcoming festival gigs. It’s overwhelming at moments yet very satisfying. Visit: www.tiabrazda.com

4. My connection with InspiraTO … A few years ago, I was in the play “Turtle Beach” written by Aoise Stratford. I’m focusing all of my energy on music at the moment but I will definitely be in the audience to cheer on the show!

5. Mythical Me: Dancing, singing, honey-badger.

5 NEW QUESTIONS (posed by Yehuda Fisher)

1. If I could move to any city tomorrow where would it be … New Orleans for the music, alligator sausage and the warmth (I despise the cold).

2. My fave comfort food is… chocolate pudding.

3. My most humbling moment in theatre is … no matter how well rehearsed and prepared I feel, my heart always flutters in the millisecond before my first line – it’s that irrational fear that I have actually forgotten all the words!

4. My greatest artistic desire is … to inspire creativity and joy in others.

5. Everything is better with…red wine.

Nat Eccentric Photography
Nat Eccentric Photography

Tia Brazda’s debut EP, “Cabin Fever” burst onto the scene in February 2012, hitting #1 on iTunes Canada Jazz chart as well as charting on college radio stations across the nation. Having honed her cutting edge sound in the clubs of Toronto, Tia Brazda’s sassy songs and pin-up girl style have made a startling impression. Globe and Mail declares her music “a technicolour swing that’s just the thing” while Metro New’s states, “her talent, style and attitude are all befitting of stardom. Tia Brazda’s music pays homage to the golden era while still remaining daringly modern. - Dominik Loncar

Cool tunes will hit the city later this month as a popular event marks its 25th year.

Orillia Jazz Festival committee member Susan Willsey said organizers have a great lineup set that should be a hit both with jazz aficionados and those just getting into the music.

The festival will take place Oct. 16 to 18 and feature some 20 Canadian performers and groups — among them many world-class musicians — with the majority of weekend performances being free.

“It’s way better and way bigger this year,” Willsey said when comparing this year’s offering that includes popular jazz-fusion group the Shuffle Demons to the more low-key 2014 edition.

“Last year, we didn’t have a marquee show and this year, we do. We have pulled out all the stops to put together an amazing, full to overflowing weekend of jazz performances at multiple venues.”

Willsey said the festival is enjoying great support from a number of merchants and sponsors, including the City of Orillia and Casino Rama, which is offering festival ticket holders the chance to win tickets to see Norah Jones at its entertainment centre next month.

For their part, the Shuffle Demons will take centre stage Oct. 17 at the 200-seat Orillia Community Church.

“They’re good showmen and great performers, but they also have the musical chops,” Willsey said of the quintet, which had a big hit with Spadina Bus in 1986.

There will be a dessert reception an hour prior to the Shuffle Demons’ 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets to the reception and concert cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door. They are available at Alleycats Music and Art and at orilliajazzfestival.com.

“I thought that it would be appropriate to have a reception to celebrate,” she said, noting the concert will start relatively early to ensure people have time after to check out the other acts playing throughout the city.

“We have quite a few late-night venues. The idea is that people can move around. Except for one venue, they’re all located downtown, so it’s walking distance to each one.”

Brewery Bay Food Company, which Willsey described as “jazz central,” will help kick off the festival Oct. 16 with Juno Award-winning guitarist Lorne Lofsky. He will be backed the Joe Huron Trio and joined by Juno-nominated vocalist Carol McCartney.

“In fact, we have snagged three of the best female jazz vocalists in Canada for this year’s festival — Carol, Tia Brazda and Sophia Perlman,” Willsey said in a release. “Sophia will perform with the marvellous pianist, Adrean Farrugia, who appeared at last year’s festival with Jane Bunnett.”

Other festival highlights Willsey pointed out are performances by Pat LaBarbera, who the Canadian Jazz Archive describes as “one of the world’s most exciting saxophonists,” along with pianist/multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson, a multiple Juno Award winner and Order of Canada recipient.

Over the weekend, other artists performing include the Kim Ratcliffe Quartet, Mark Hathaway, Mike Lewis, the Ronnie Douglas Band, the Lisa Hutchinson Band, the Orillia Silver Band, Ad Lib, Orillia’s Little Big Band and the Cole Mendez Trio.

Besides Brewery Bay, confirmed venues include Alleycats, Apple Annie’s Café, Bird House Nature Company, Carousel Collectables, Era 67, Marcel’s, Mariposa Market, Orillia Public Library, St. Paul’s Centre, The Grape and Olive, The Study Hall gastropub and The Brownstone.

“We had so much luck partnering with other groups this year,” Willsey said, adding organizers were happy to add the rebranded St. Paul’s Centre to the mix.

“As well, the library and farmers’ market approached us. You could literally go from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. There are all kinds of ways of experiencing it.” - Orillia Packet

Tia Brazda is a Technicolor dream machine. Or perhaps it just seems that way since when looking at her and her backing band, assuming you hear the music before you see them, it seems they should coming be a projection coming from a black and white film reel. Now I am going to make two assumptions, one, that you have never been to a speakeasy in the 1930’s and two, that you want to have been at one. Well if you want the experience listen to Tia Brazda’s E.P. Cabin Fever, or better yet come see her play in southern Ontario.

Where does the line between nostalgia and rebirth lie? Surely modern swing music is the latter, if only because there aren’t many people left who remember that era. Certainly we can still appreciate this music today, but only because it came just at the cusp of the age of decent recording technology, we have, however, not been able to experience swing music for some time. Perhaps this is part of why we live in an age of cyclical sensibilities, where nostalgia can rejuvenate something once gone. This is not to say Tia does not have a modern sound, in fact many of her upbeat songs are heavily influenced by a blossoming genre called electro swing or swing-hop. Her slower songs have clear blues and soul connections.

Tia Brazda’s music is the equivalent of black coffee for the soul, that is, her music perks you right up and makes you feel good. Tia’s voice is as smooth as silk and as sweet as honey, with a touch of sass. A Horn section that sounds like if a traffic jam could be poetry accompanies her at all times. There are also beautiful emphatic or walking double bass lines accompanying these pulsing deep horns that are only cut by the pitter-patter of jazzy guitar and piano licks. Needless to say this band functions on old school level. Swing jazz is at the core of this group however the energy & fun projected from this music is easily absorbed by anyone. Songs like 'Wild Jack' and 'Cabin Fever' simply move your body for you. If you don’t believe me, check out the EP right here! - Round Table Radio

Last night I had the pleasure of catching a jazz-pop set by Tia Brazda (supported by some wonderfully talented musicians) at The Emmett Ray on College. I’ve seen a couple of her shows as lead singer of Eve and The Ocean and was always blown away by her unique voice. I’m not typically a huge fan of female singers (don’t ask, I don’t know why) but she won me over. With Eve and the Ocean, her song “Sammy Decter” This is Your Life” was featured on a 2010 episode of the hugely popular teen drama Degrassi: the Next Generation. As if Tia wasn’t busy enough, she’s also backing jazz piano player Michael Kaeshammer on vocals.

Check her out. She’s hot. - Just Say Jenn

My faves;

I was blown away by Tia Brazda; when she played at Manhattans, her stunning vocals literally stopped traffic, I mean that. I saw drivers that simply had to brake and listen to Tia sing, regardless of the stoplight colour. Listeners of CBC Radio 1 and Jazz FM91 will be familiar with her release “Cabin Fever”. I suggest you take note; she is a star that will shine bright. Hard at work in studio on her next release titled “Hard Luck”, Tia Brazda doesn’t need luck, this lady has talent and I suspect it will take her far. - Simcoe Dining

In our continuing effort to bring you new music that we think is cool, we bring you an artist by the name of Tia Brazda.

You may ask, what makes a new record stand out. I explain it this way. Anything that stops me in my tracks and forces the immediate reaction of "WOW!" This doesn't happen often. Recently some of the new release have included Pokey Lafarge, Alex Pangman, Jill Barber, Strawberry Vale, Cam Penner, Nicole Edwards, Rodrigo and Gabriella and Sophie Milman. Today, I'm throwing Tia Brazda onto the list.

The new record, "Cabin Fever" is actually an EP with 5 tracks. Although all five are incredibly produced and performed, "Man Up!" and "Too Crazy" are strikingly powerful. It's interesting to note that "Cabin Fever" topped Canada's iTunes Jazz album chart the day it was released and stayed there for an entire week. I'm not surprised!

Very few artists can successfully take the sounds of the 30's and 40's and combine those with contemporary production and sounds. Tia Brazda has done this. "Cabin fever" was written with longtime collaborators Emma-Lee and Karen Kosowski. In fact, Karen's husband, Mark Rogers, who's worked with Holly Cole and Michael Kaeshammer, co-produced the track "Man Up!" I was referring to earlier. That was early 2011.

Tia has come along way from hanging out with her parents as a little girl, who played in an Evangelical Christian Street Band often seen and heard on Granville Street. Yes, we can say she's a local. She mentioned in a recent email I received from her, that she also has family in Victoria. With the success of "Cabin Fever", Tia Brazda is working on a tour, hopefully this will eventually make its way into your neighborhood. We'll keep you posted.

This CD is getting a full Five Stars from PlayInVictoria.net:
- See more at: http://www.playinvictoria.net/2012/03/tia-brazda-cabin-fever-ep-great-listen.html#sthash.h39P3BGC.dpuf - Play In Victoria

CANADIAN GIRLFRIEND: Tia Brazda is sure to mix up her set at the Jade Leaf Stage with a multigenerational sound.

From classic jazz to the cutting edge, there’s so much to see at San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. Here is a round-up of great performers taking stages all over downtown San Jose this weekend.

Tia Brazda
Sat, 2:30pm
Jade Leaf Stage
A popular fixture on the festival circuit, the Canadian jazz vocalist has a sultry, kittenish voice that floats above the big-band arrangements found on her debut EP (2012’s Cabin Fever) and her thrilling 2015 full-length, Bandshell. That album presents a variety of jazz styles, positioning the Toronto-based singer as a kind of walking musical catalog of 20th century jazz styles. Overall, Brazda’s approach has one foot in the tradition of postwar big-band jazz, with the other planted firmly in a modern sensibility; the result is music that should please fans of old-school jazz as well as those who prefer a less retro-minded musical aesthetic. (BK) - Metroactive