Martha Burks has been in the entertainment business for over 20 years. She has been described as a poised vocalist and performer with a wide range of vocal versatility, class and charm. Martha, like most musicians, began her career in her hometown in Arkansas serving in the church. Along with her late brother, trumpet player Harry Burks, would often perform for neighbors and relatives. Little did they know of the fruit their efforts would bear. Martha has sung everything from gospel to pop to jazz and back again! She captivates her audience with a sparking personality to match her indisputable vocal skills. She can scat with the best of them invoking imagery of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Carmen McCrae. Not to mention the Anita Bakers and Diane Reeves of the world as well. True to form she is always Martha, a truly sophisticated lady. During the eighties Martha was introduced to Bill Craig, an avid jazz lover. He took a chance on her and made an investment into her future. He introduced her to jazz drummer, the late Paul Guerrero during her first recording in Little Rock with the legendary jazz pianist and vocalist Jay McShann. This as some of you would say, "was the beginning" and it's still going strong.
Melani Skybell is a vocalist and classically trained pianist, who began her musical journey at age 5. Her formal education includes classical piano and vocal performance at Boston University, and a jazz studies degree from University of Texas/Arlington. Her on stage experience blossomed when she joined an alternative pop/rock group, Innocent Bystander, who frequently backed up headliners, and became a regular act in Austin’s Sixth Street Clubs. Either solo or with an ensemble, Melani has performed at all of the top venues in Dallas, and has a performance almost every night of the week. Some evenings there is a line to get into clubs to hear her play – not an easy task in a city dominated by country and pop.
In order to refine her jazz style, Melani’s piano studies led her to the University of North Texas, UTA and prominent North Texas piano professors. She quickly built a reputation with her voice and style. Her solid performances and warm, inviting vocal delivery set her apart immediately. Melani rapidly became a first call vocalist amongst many of the area’s jazz orchestras.
Melani’s repertoire includes traditional jazz standards, sultry ballads, Latin rhythms, and her original jazz-pop compositions. She regularly entertained at Dallas’ most popular nightspots, including years at the Four Seasons Resort, the Warwick-Melrose, The Mansion, the Dallas Petroleum Club and Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille. In her early jazz years, Melani was the featured artist at a sold out performance at the Sammons Center program “Women in Jazz,” and also appeared on several local television spots. Melani Skybell is in demand outside of Dallas, and has performed at events in Atlanta, Georgia, Kingston, Jamaica, and the Chautauqua Institute of New York, to name a few.
Led by vocalist Michael Manzoni and musical director Eymard Furtado, this outstanding group of incredible musicians will keep your guests on the dance floor until their feet are screamin' or until the lights come up – whichever comes first! Interpreting the great jazz and swing songs of the 40's, 50's, and 60's, while mixing in today's popular songs with a hip jazz twist, Michael and the band will create the perfect atmosphere for your special event.
Nina was born in Texas, but grew up in Brazil and Panama. She began performing in the Austin, Texas area and spent the next ten years traveling. While on tour she performed extensively in the San Francisco Bay area, Europe, and St. Croix. Nina speaks and sings in many languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Hebrew, and Italian.
Nina recorded with The Austin Lounge Lizards featuring Jerry Jeff Walker and has opened for a variety of international musicians including Brazilian recording artists Milton Nascimento, Djavan, Airto Moreira & Flora Purim,and Tito Puente, and South African recording artists Johnny Clegg and Savuka. Her CD "Sea Level Sessions" features an eclectic mix of treasured songs by friends Walter Hyatt, Emily Kaitz, and Dana Harding, as well as gems in Portuguese, French, and Spanish.
Nina's many years of experience as a recording and performing artist in diverse venues allows her to tailor her performance to the unique needs of the client, from a solo format to a full orchestra. In addition to her talents as a vocalist, Nina plays guitar and percussion. Her voice over credits include being the voice of Nortel Networks® for South America.
Peggy Lauren Lohr has enjoyed an impressive vocal career including film, theater, television commercials, cruise lines, and Dallas and L.A.'s hottest clubs. Peggy has worked with noted lyricists and composers including Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Dave Grusin, Johnny Mandel, John Barry, Michel LeGrand and Lalo Schiffrin. She has performed at the La Costa Weekend starring Barbara Walters and Howard Keel and with the great Les Brown and The Band of Renown. Peggy's vocal film credits include "American Flyer", "For the Boys", "Best Friends", and "Out of Africa".
Peggy is accompanied by her husband Bill Lohr, an accomplished pianist who has traveled the world as an accompanist for noted singers such as Al Jarreau, Carmen MacRae and most notably as the pianist for Lou Rawls for six years. Bill has performed at the London Palladium, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, as well as numerous television appearances, including The Tonight Show. In 1994, Bill moved to Branson, Missouri and became the conductor and pianist for Andy Williams at the Moon River Theater. In 1995, Bill became pianist for the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.
Peggy and Bill have both performed at prestigious parties and charity events including the appearances at the Academy Awards® Governors' Ball, the Directors' Guild Awards Presentation and in Branson, Missouri with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra starring the Lennon Sisters.
Robin Hackett is a singer and songwriter. She is a transplant from New York City. Her song "Hard Left" appeared on the CBS Hit Comedy "How I Met Your Mother". She is a 1st round Grammy nominee with her song "More" which was the title track on jazz singer Bregette Rideau's Album. Ms. Hackett has recorded 6 cds. She has opened up for Woodstock Legend Richie Havens. She appeared in the Mondavi Wine Concert series in Napa Valley as the opening act for John Ondrasik and his band Five for Fighting. Ms. Hackett also appeared in the world renowned JVC Jazz Festival while living in New York City. She now resides here in Dallas, Texas where she performs locally as well as worldwide.
With an international presence as a masterful vocalist, deep improviser, versatile songwriter, and a tasteful arranger, Rosana Eckert has often been called a musical force. Her shows are an effortless blend of tradition and originality, sincerity and virtuosity, humor and heart. Her jazz roots are strong and ever-present as she bounces from genre to genre, creating special featured moments for her band mates and taking listeners on a musical adventure such that they feel included, entertained, and inspired. A regular performer throughout the U.S. and abroad, she has sung with such jazz greats as Lyle Mays, Christian McBride, Bobby McFerrin, Kenny Wheeler, George Duke, Jon Faddis, Tamir Hendelman, Marvin Stamm, and the New York Voices. She has also been recorded as a featured improviser with renowned vocal group Groove for Thought. Her highly anticipated third solo album titled Sailing Home, produced by renowned singer/pianist/arranger Peter Eldridge, features all original music and was released on June 21, 2019 on Origin OA2 Records.
Formerly an accomplished French horn player, Rosana began singing jazz while studying music theory and French horn performance in college. After switching course and pursuing a Master's degree in jazz studies as a vocalist, she kicked off her jazz career as a member of the IAJE 1999 Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Sextet which performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. She was also selected to participate in the 2000 Thelonious Monk Aspen Jazz Colony led by musical director Christian McBride, with several of her performances appearing on the BET Jazz channel. Her debut solo CD, At the End of the Day, was praised as a “superior debut” by Cadence Magazine and was a finalist for Best New Jazz Album in the 2006 Independent Music Awards. Since then, she has recorded two more solo albums, two duo projects, and recorded debut albums of original music with two new bands: the Mike Steinel Quintet featuring Rosana Eckert (Origin OA2 Records June 2018), and Brasuka, a percussion-heavy Brazilian-inspired jazz ensemble co-founded by Rosana. Brasuka's album will release in spring 2021 on the Origin World label.
A renowned educator, Rosana is Principal Lecturer of jazz voice at the University of North Texas. She has helped build the thriving UNT vocal jazz department since 1999, teaching private jazz voice lessons and performance techniques, and creating new courses in songwriting and vocal pedagogy. Her students have gone on to win Grammy Awards and prestigious competitions, tour the world as solo artists and back-up vocalists, establish music schools and private lesson studios, publish choral arrangements, and work as studio singers on movie soundtracks and commercials. Rosana also serves on the faculty of the UNT Vocal Jazz Summer Workshop and the New York Voices Summer Vocal Jazz Camp, and she is in demand as a clinician, festival adjudicator, guest conductor, and choral composer/arranger. Her many vocal ensemble arrangements, published by Sound Music Publications, Hal Leonard Corp., and Rosana Eckert Music, have been performed worldwide. Passionate about sharing jazz with children, she co-wrote a jazz musical for young voices with author/educator Sharon Burch titled Freddie the Frog and the Jungle Jazz (published by Hal Leonard). The two also collaborated on a recently released elementary music collection called Jazz And Kids: Song and Activities for a Swingin' Classroom. A highly respected improviser, Rosana is a featured artist on the vocal improvisation app Scatability by Michele Weir, and she is the female vocalist on the demo CD for Darmon Meader’s book titled, “Vocal Jazz Improvisation: An Instrumental Approach,” available at DarmonMeader.com. She also co-hosts the monthly Vocal Jazz Improvisation Boot Camp online with Darmon Meader. Rosana's book, Singing with Expression: A Guide to Authentic and Adventurous Song Interpetation has been called ground-breaking, encyclopedic, and an unparalleled resource for contemporary singers. It was released in June 2018, published by Hal Leonard.
In addition to her extensive live performing, writing, and teaching, Rosana works regularly as a studio vocalist, producer, and voice-over actor in Dallas, TX. As a voice-over actor, she is represented by the Kim Dawson Agency, she is the in-house announcer for Dallas' award-winning PBS TV Station, KERA, and has spoken on many commercials and industrial spots for clients such as AT&T, Petsmart, Direct Energy, Comcast, and EA Games. She has served as a producer on a wide array of musical projects, from solo vocal albums to children’s musical theater, and as a studio vocalist, Rosana has sung on hundreds of commercials, album projects, publishing demos, and radio IDs heard around the world.
Sandra Kaye honed her act in a dark, little bar in Dallas called the Hideaway, but she’s not hidden now – her talent us known around the world. Whether performing live, on radio and television, or in the recording studio, Sandra has earned applause for her delivery of jazz, R&B, and other musical styles. She has opened for artists ranging from Monty Alexander and Dionne Warwick to Patti Austin and The Platters. For five years, she was the resident vocalist at the famed Long Bar in the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai. Locally, Sandra has performed at venues ranging from the Dallas Museum of Art to Globe Life Park and with a who’s who of local performers.
A local jazz singer who has performed locally for the past 25 years, Simone is a native Dallasite, and 1991 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In addition, she received both her bachelors and masters degree from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. Simone has performed as a jazz vocalist locally for the past 25 years, and has been afforded the opportunity and pleasure to work with some of the metroplex’s mosty gifted, and nationally renowned musicians including: Arlington Jones, Bobby Sparks, Monya Logan, Gregory Slavin, Kelley Durbin, Shelley Carrol, Quamon Fowler, Keith Loftis, Andrew Griffith, Ephraim Owens, and the late Claude Johnson, Jr., and Marchel Ivery. Some of Simone’s most celebrated jazz vocal icons include: Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, and so many others.
Fort Worth native Tatiana “LadyMay” Mayfield has been singing and playing jazz since she was 13 years old. She credits her mother, a Nancy Wilson fan, for giving her the jazz bug. One of 12 semi-finalists in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, Ms. Mayfield has earned rave reviews and awards for her voice and persona. She has opened for music luminaries such as Kirk Whalum, Bobbi Humphrey, and Randy Brecker. A natural at scatting and an international radio favorite, reaching listeners in Europe, Nigeria, and Brazil, her talent is not limited to refreshing vocals; she also plays piano and trombone, composes, and teaches. .Oh, and why is her stage name LadyMay? Her friend Darwin Martin called her that every time he saw her, and the name stuck.
