CINZIA SPATA singer, composer, arranger, voice teacher.
***
Ms. Spata has been called "an extraordinary improviser" (Cronache del Mezzogiorno), "one of the most beautiful voices on the Italian jazz scene" (Musica Jazz), "one of the most interesting Italian jazz vocalists" (La Sicilia), and "the best Italian jazz singer of our days" (La Repubblica). She formed the Cinzia Spata Unit in 1985 and has since performed regularly as a leader at major European clubs and festivals, as well as on radio and Italian State Television. A music columnist for Strumenti Musicali, and the author of six jazz/vocal technique books, she is also an in-demand teacher and longtime dean of the voice department at the Università della Musica in Rome. Her last publication Jazz Vocal Basics has been awarded among the greatest 20 jazz books in 2010 from JazzIt magazine.
***
Didactic Activity: Voice Teacher (Jazz Dep) at the Conservatories "Piccinni" (Bari), "Recife" (Frosinone/Rome), "Giordano" (Foggia) and Jazz Ensemble Teacher at the Conservatory "Martini" (Bologna). Teacher for Advanced Jazz Courses at "Saint Louis College of Music" (Rome).
PUBLICATIONS
JAZZ VOCAL BASICS Volontè & Co.;
Voice Technique Method in 3 levels;
Jazz harmony 1/2 levels;
Jazz Vocal Repertoire and Vocal Improvisation 1/2 levels;
Ear Training and Sight Singing;
PUBLICATIONS 14 articles on National Magazine STRUMENTI MUSICALI
***
cd 93_03 was in "Bob Parlochas International TOP 40 Jazz New Releases" for two months.
***
REVIEWS***
.Spata possesses a strong range and the confidence to avoid the obvious. Capable of rich lyrical invention, she lays claim to the philosophy that the voice is indeed an instrument. Her use of space and ability to let long notes breathe when they should, or use subtle dynamic inflections to lend them subtle power, gives the entire set an emotional resonance that's missing with so many of her peers, who often feel compelled to show off, rather than pay respect to the essence of the song.
She's a mature singer who possesses the same key characteristics that make an instrumentalist worth investigating.
(All About Jazz John Kelman)
***
.Spata has a fine sense of style and articulation which come across potently and make this an accomplished recording.
(All About Jazz Jerry D'Souza)
***
.Spata,who has also worked with Kenny Wheeler, has developed a striking style which often incorporates scatting near the top of her range (while staying right on pitch and frequently joining McCaslin in unison), while she is equally enjoyable as a ballad interpreter. Her most striking composition is the driving post-bop vehicle "Anek" in which she scats as a storm.
(Coda Ken Dryden)
***
It's refreshing to note too that she doesn't try to copy anyone vocally. rather she prefers to take on the ethos of solid and srtong instrumentalists to make her artful statements. I must assert that this is a sudden materialization of a vocal artist that we must all reckon with now and in the future. She's here to stay!!
(George W Carroll)
***
The subtle phrasing, dynamic range, technical prowess and deep sense of artistry is abundant
in this work by Spata.
Then she takes on her solo and I am drawn to listen
intently to see just how far she is going to take this. I find out that the sky is the limit. She trills, and shrieks her notes with a control I have never heard come from a vocalist in any genre.
Tight runs, with blinding speed and surgical control. It is
mesmerizing and fun! If I were seeing this for the first time live, I still wouldn't believe my ears.
(www.jazzreview.com Chuck Vecoli)
***
"Carlos" is a spiky, funky, tune with a stunning wordless vocal. Clark and Israel are the key figures, laying down a solid groove over which Spata swoops and flies, her voice telling a story even without a lyric. At the midway point she moves from a light-hearted scat to an extraordinarily tense and piercing wail and then a jagged staccato phrase—close, perhaps, to
the territory usually inhabited by Norma Winstone or Julie Tippetts. It's an imaginative, bravura, performance.
Spata is a vocalist who can swing, scat or sing a ballad with style and enthusiasm. What gives her a fascinating edge is her willingness to explore a type of jazz tune that doesn't usually come into the vision of jazz singers, and to do so with great success.
(All About Jazz Bruce Lindsay)
***
TO KNOW MORE WWW.CINZIASPATAVOICE.COM
***
Italian Music Library: visit this site www.birdlandjazz.it
