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Rosana Eckert
With smooth sounds, dynamic spontaneity, exciting rhythms, and a selfless musical sincerity, Rosana Eckert embraces and captivates her listeners, taking them on a musical journey that is often described as joyous, breathtaking, and inspiring. Her acclaimed debut CD, At the End of the Day, introduced her to the jazz world not only as a vocalist, but also as a creative composer and arranger. The CD was praised as “an occasion for celebration” by AllAboutJazz.com and “a superior debut.” by Cadence Magazine, and it was a finalist for Best New Jazz Album in the 2006 Independent Music Awards. Her newest CD, Small Hotel, once again showcases her knack for storytelling and her ability to breathe new life into beloved standards with her contemporary style. Small Hotel includes liner notes and a guest appearance by legendary trumpeter Marvin Stamm as well as contributions from renowned arranger Michele Weir and the incomparable Christian McBride on bass.
Formerly an accomplished French horn player, Rosana was schooled in music at the University of North Texas, earning a degree in Music Theory with a minor in French horn performance. Somewhere along the way, she became immersed in the school’s incredible jazz program and transitioned into a solo vocalist. Rosana quickly found her place in the jazz program as an arranger and featured soloist in the UNT Jazz Singers, the vocalist with the world renowned One O’Clock Lab Band, and the recipient of the Vocal Jazz Teaching Fellowship. In 1999, Rosana won a spot in the IAJE "Sisters in Jazz" Collegiate Sextet, which performed several concerts around the country including at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival. In the summer of 2000, Rosana was honored to be one of only 16 musicians in the country selected to join the Thelonious Monk Institute Quintet for the TM Aspen Jazz Colony where she was mentored by many world renowned jazz recording artists including Christian McBride, Brian Blade, Joshua Redman, John Clayton, Russell Malone, and Dianne Reeves. The two-week jazz retreat was documented by the BET Jazz Channel.
Rosana currently teaches vocal jazz at the University of North Texas, both privately and in the classroom. Her original songs and arrangements have been performed worldwide, and she is a published arranger with the world’s largest music publishing company, Hal Leonard Corp. She is in demand as a jazz choir conductor and festival clinician/adjudicator, and she performs regularly at clubs, concert venues, and jazz festivals around the country. Rosana has performed with such jazz greats as George Duke (pn), Kenny Wheeler (tpt), Dave Friesen (bass), Jon Faddis (tpt), and Terri Lyne Carrington (drms), and she was honored to be the only vocalist ever to sub in the Grammy Award-winning vocal quartet New York Voices, touring Europe with them in the summer of 2008.
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Brasuka: A Vida Com Paixão
by Chris M. Slawecki
Brasuka first came together as a side project, led by keyboardist and vocalist Rosana Eckert and percussionist Ricardo Bozas, from out of a Sergio Mendes tribute band. You can still hear these roots in this full-length debut. But you can also hear where and how Brasuka's sound branches out into different styles and frameworks and yet retain the warm, inviting and bright sound of their original inspiration. Eckert's lead vocal on the title track to A Vida Com ...
read moreLyle Mays: Eberhard
by Mario Calvitti
La prematura scomparsa di Lyle Mays nel febbraio 2020 ha privato il mondo di uno straordinario musicista, troppo poco considerato al di fuori dell'importantissimo contributo da lui dato all'interno del Pat Metheny Group, dove ha rappresentato l'ideale complemento del chitarrista dal 1977 al 2010 prima di decidere di abbandonare definitivamente la scena musicale per dedicarsi professionalmente al mondo del software, un altro dei suoi numerosi interessi. Se i periodi trascorsi a fianco di Pat Metheny ne hanno ...
read moreLyle Mays: Eberhard
by John Kelman
When pianist, keyboardist, synthesist and composer Lyle Mays passed away at the far too young age of 66 following a long battle with a recurring (but, to this day, undisclosed) illness in February 2020, it was a major loss for his fans. It was an especially deep body blow to those who'd followed his decades-long work as performer and compositional collaborator with Pat Metheny in the guitarist's critically and commercially acclaimed Pat Metheny Group. Mays had been largely ...
read moreRosana Eckert: Sailing Home
by C. Michael Bailey
Rosana Eckert has made a name for herself as a jazz vocals composer and arranger with her previous recordings, At The End Of The Day (GEM Records, 2003) and Small Hotel (GEM Records, 2010). Bright and imaginative, Eckert draws from a lifetime of music beginning with her childhood in El Paso, Texas, where the musical melting pot was richly seasoned with American, Hispanic, and European influences. Educated at the notable music school, the University of North Texas, she went on ...
read moreRosana Eckert: At The End Of The Day
by C. Michael Bailey
There has been a trend for the past number of years of jazz vocalists opting for original compositions primarily and simply peppering their recordings and performances with stray standards. El Paso native Rosana Eckert conforms to this trend with a collection of original and standard compositions that are fresh and sophisticated. Backed by a crack team of Dallas musicians, including percussionist/husband Gary Eckert, Ms. Eckert effortlessly swings with her well-shaped alto and intelligent ear for lyrics.
The ...
read moreRosana Eckert Offers Diverse Array Of Song Stylings On "Sailing Home," Set For June 21 Release By OA2/Origin Records
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Vocalist-composer Rosana Eckert channels her eclectic musical influences into a similarly eclectic collection of tunes on her long-awaited fourth album, Sailing Home, set for a June 21 release on OA2/Origin Records. The album is a collaboration with Peter Eldridge, the highly sought-after vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist, who in addition to producing and playing keyboards on the album cowrote three of its 11 tunes. Eckert (and Eldridge) also wrote with her husband Gary Eckert, a poet, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who plays ...
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“a sublime vocalist and songwriter” - Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News
"This young lady is smooth, sincere, and flexible. Not afraid to test the boundries of many styles, Eckert exhibits amazing versatility and confidence." - EOM Entertainment
“... fresh and sophisticated. Backed by a crack team of Dallas musicians, including percussionist/husband Gary Eckert, Ms. Eckert effortlessly swings with her well-shaped alto and intelligent ear for lyrics... Ms. Eckert’s debut is an occasion for celebration. It is a well-conceived and well-performed pleasure.” - AllAboutJazz.com
Primary Instrument
Keyboards
Location
Dallas
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
Vocal Jazz Faculty, University of North Texas has also served on faculty of: UNT Summer Vocal Jazz Workshop Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Camp Texas All Star Jazz Camp Speech Level Singing Summer Vocal Program, Los Angeles
Clinic/Workshop Information
"Finding Your Voice” This clinic focuses on the journey toward individuality and personal expression: Discovery, Imitation, and Creation. Rosana takes students through these steps: Deep and thoughtful listening Successful transcription and imitation (both technical and stylistic) Personal application, delivering a song’s message honestly and without preconception