For those unaware, on her ZOHO debut, and second studio recording, New York based singer, Vanessa Racci revisits songs by Italians and Italian-Americans who left their mark on jazz, from Nick LaRocca to Frank Sinatra to Louis Prima, Chick Corea and John Pizzarelli.

The gifted pianists/arrangers Steven Feifke and Glafkos Kontemeniotis provide creative horn writing and harmonic and metric alterations to bring even century-old songs into the present.

Vanessa’s sultry vocal style combines a tart, brassy, catch-in-the-throat sound with Italianate ardor, dramatic flair, and swing here on Jazzy Italian (out October 21st, 2022) - James Gavin.

1. Betcha I Getcha
2. Volare
3. At The Jazz Band Ball
4. Moon River
5. Coquette
6. Make Love To Me
7. I’m A Fool To Want You
8. A Lifetime Or Two
9. A Sunday Kind of Love
10. Come Back Home With Me
11. September In The Rain
12. You’re Everything
13. At Last

This vibrantly cultivated, wholly heartfelt, and genuinely delicious to the ears new album opens on the gently swinging inflections within Betcha I Getcha and the Latin-imbued hipsway of the quietly frenetic Volare and then brings us the vibrant At The Jazz Band Ball, the sultry, dulcet Moon River and then both the mid-tempo Coquette and the Latin-imbued shuffle Make Love To Me.

Next up on this exciting album (originally entitled Italiana Fresca) is the low slung I’m A Fool To Want You and the finger-snapping balladry of A Lifetime Or Two and they are in turn backed by the ornately cultured within A Sunday Kind of Love, the infectiously swaying rhythms within Come Back Home With Me, the effortlessly impassioned September In The Rain, the album coming to an all too soon close on the measured melodies within You’re Everything and a euphorically embracing At Last.

Growing up with her Southern Italian grandfather in New York, Vanessa learned Italian American classics and jazz at an early age, hearing Dean Martin, Connie Francis, Frank Sinatra and the like played throughout the house. She developed as a singer in musical theater (starring in professional theater at age 12), discovered her love for jazz in her 20’s and started touring with a trio.

After her grandfather passed away, Vanessa was inspired to reinvent the Italian classics that he taught her with modern jazz arrangements to keep the music alive for future generations.

She teamed up with Gianni Valenti of Birdland Jazz Club, producer, David Finck, and Manhattan Transfer arranger, Yaron Gershovsky, to realize her vision.

The result was a sold-out album release show at Birdland in June, 2017 and a unique album entitled, Italiana Fresca, that reached #65 on the jazz charts.

Since then, she has performed at over 70 festivals, events and jazz clubs across the country and has been played on over 20 Italian radio stations across the US and Italy.

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