London born singer-songwriter Joanna Wallfisch has emerged as an important voice, with a classical and jazz background, her music combines post-folk and art-song with a poetic lyricism which The New York Times described as "sensitive and deep”.
She is a master in the art of live vocal looping and creates beguiling vocal soundscapes to accompany her songs. The Telegraph called her virtuosic performance as "sublime and unique".
Since 2011 Joanna has released four critically acclaimed albums, and is constantly touring her own music around the globe in venues and festivals such as: The Woodford Folk Festival, Australia, London Jazz Festival, UK, Women in (e)Motion Festival, Germany; The Blue Whale, LA, National Sawdust, NYC, The Sunflower Theatre, CO, to name a few.
In 2013 Joanna had the opportunity to tour with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as part of a 70 piece choir directed by Grammy-nominated Damien Sneed, for Mr. Marsalis’s piece “The Abyssinian Mass”. She has also appeared with other such luminaries as Lee Konitz and Kenny Werner.
Her debut, “Wild Swan” (2011) featured some of New York’s best musicians, including saxophonist Sam Newsome, and bassist Joe Martin. All About Jazz described Joanna as, “a vocalist taking risks and crossing musical chasms without a net.”
In 2015, Joanna released her first recording on Sunnyside Records: an intimate duo project with Tepfer entitled "The Origin of Adjustable Things", which received wide critical acclaim. In a 4.5 star review, Jon Garelick wrote in Downbeat: “Her focused, crystalline delivery will melt any purist’s heart.” It was voted best vocal album and best jazz album of 2015 in multiple critics polls, and was in the Grammy Ballot for best vocal jazz album 2015.
Her 2016 release 'Gardens In My Mind', (Sunnyside, 2016), features pianist Dan Tepfer and the award-winning Sacconi Quartet, showcasing Joanna’s lush string quartet writing. Downbeat gave this album four stars, calling it "an exquisite singer-songwriter album”, while PopMatters called it “a truly beautiful listen from start to finish”. It was in the Grammy Ballot for Best Folk Album 2016.
In February 2018 Joanna releases her most adventurous record to date, 'Blood and Bone'. An album of entirely Joanna's own compositions it is a display of Joanna's multi-instrumental abilities as she performs not only exsquisite vocals, but also flute, keyboard, and baritone ukulele. Joining her is her New York band Jesse Elder (p), Pablo Menares (b), Kenneth Salters (d), Elias Meister(g), Jared Engel (banjo), plus The Solar String Quartet. It has been described by The World Music Report as “Quintessential heart-music by a vocalist who seems to have connected with the deepest recesses of her being emerging into brightness again with songs of haunting beauty.”
An adventurer at heart, in August 2016, Joanna embarked on a solo concert tour of West Coast of the USA... by bicycle. She performed 16 shows between Portland and Los Angeles, carrying her musical instruments, camping gear, and more all upon her bike. She called this 1200-mile musical adventure “The Great Song Cycle”. In her inimitable fashion Joanna has since composed a full length musical memoir entitled “The Great Song Cycle Song Cycle”, which Joanna debuted at New York’s prestigious venue National Sawdust in July 2017, and will perform again at Boston Court, Pasadena, in February 2018. She hopes to record the music later in 2018, and follow this with her next "Great Song Cycle - Australia".
Born in London to a family of renowned classical musicians, Joanna earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Central Saint Martins College, London and École Superior des Beaux Arts, Paris. In 2011 she went on to complete a Masters in Jazz Performance from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, during which time she released her debut album Wild Swan, featuring New York City jazz talents Rob Garcia, Joe Martin, Art Hirahara and Sam Newsome.
www.joannawallfisch.com
Jay Johnson
Jay Johnson is an award-winning musician and songwriter who moved to London before his teenage years and began making music from a young age. Jay’s naturally curious mind led him to start learning the cello. He then taught himself how to play the guitar a few years after. Jay started listening to artists such as Bob Dylan, Paolo Nutini, and Ben Howard from his early teens, and as a result, their influences can often be seen in his original works.
Jay eventually began writing his own original songs, then a year later, he started busking on the streets of London, and another a year later, he began performing at pubs and venues. A few months after Jay started playing to live crowds in various venues, he decided to leave his previous career plans of becoming a doctor behind and decided to become a full-time musician. Jay’s most recent music features the styles of the early hiphop artists whom he was exposed to at an even younger age.
Jay’s debut EP The Dark Matters is out now.
jayjohnson.co.uk
