ESTER ANDUJAR / Singer & Composer She was born in Valencia in 1976. December 1995 she starts singing at the clubs in and around Valencia; that same year she receives the award for 'best vocalist' at a contest organized by the Valencian jazz club Black Note. She has taken clinics and master-classes with Benny Golson, Bob Stoloff, Mike Mossman, Astrid Krone, Carme Canela, Mario Rossi, Kurt Rosenwinkel, etc… In 1996 she decides to work as a professional musician and tours 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, etc… In 1998 she starts working with Ximo Tebar's band, singing at the best jazz clubs and festivals aruond 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, etc… In 1999 she goes on tour through 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. In the year 2000 she is elected President of the Valencian Association of Jazz Musicians (Promusics). In 2001 she returns to Buenos Aires to play a series of concerts and to teach clinics in creative singing at the EMU of la Plata. She receives the award for 'Best Voice 2001' from the Valencian Association of Jazz and Creative Music (Promusics). In November of 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 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 2003 she teaches at a number of schools in and around Valencia and does a recording with the band Dona'm Jazz. 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 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 ). 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 ""El Junco"" in Madrid. 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. Ester Andujar´s 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. 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). Actually she´s recording her new album with musicians like Donald Edwards on drums, Cesar Giner on bass, Ximo Tébar on guitars, Rubem Dantas on percussion and Stephan Braun on violoncello. It will be avalaible on January 2008. CONTACT: Email: esterandujar@jazzspain.net Tlf: (+34) 677 389 414 www.esterandujar.com www.myspace.com/esterandujar SOME PRESS RELEASES: A voice for Cole Porter The quartet of jazz “Ester Andújar Group” did its presentation Wednesday in Oviedo within the programming of the cycle ' Music of the century XX' . From Valencia Spain, Ester Andújar, as leader of the group, is one of the most promising figures of the national and international jazz scene. In spite of her youth,she has enough confidence singing difficult songs that, while being a challenge for the majority, they sound simple when she sings them. Ester arrived in Asturias for a concert to interpret the some new material of her CD 'Celebrating Cole Porter'. Besides the classic Brazilian and jazz standards the public hoped to hear, she added some of her beautiful originals. Really, a repertoire of great interpreterpritations with the soul of Ella Fitzgerald, the depth of Sarah Vaughan and the languid touch of Billie Holiday. Also, Ester leaned towards the Nordic jazzists and puts forward the minimalist purity and forced exhibicionism through song. Classic academic for jazz for some without being adulterating for others. Somthing for everyone. Ester Andújar gratified the responsive public with a recital in which bebop, swing, soul and bossa were allied to make scats shine with agility - the night was prodigal in them ; a clean phrasing; a perfect pronuntiation, direct without overstating or oversweet pose. Ester showed her best in the pieces of Porter -'Night day', ' Easy To Love´, ' My Heart Belongs to Daddy' and ' Just One of Those Things ' - and in the Brazilian songs of Joao Bosco and Milton Nascimento - mainly in ' Cançao do Sal ' .She drained herself in the important ballads “E Eu Preciso Aprender A ser Sò”, written in Portuguese; “Unes Mans Com Les Teues”, in Valencian, and ' “Páginas Preciosas”, in Spanish. She was masterfully conservative in “Autumn Leaves”, of Legrand, and ' Straight No Chaser', of Monk. With cleverness, she suggested with persuassion a perfect performance. MARIAN PIDAL.

Páginas Preciosas

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