Award winning Italian singer & songwriter arrives in the Rubber City via Brooklyn for an intimate duo performance in a not-to-miss BLU debut!
Described by Jazz Times as “a talent to be heard, admired and anticipated” after the release of her debut album “Motifs”, Chiara Izzi started her musical path in Italy by learning to play the piano and performing very early. She developed a versatility thanks to a multitude of performances in Italy and abroad in Belgium, Switzerland, France, the United States, Finland and Germany, which led to her vocal mastery of traditional jazz alongside contemporary styles. Chiara’s sound is based on her own unique interpretation of a fusion of different genres, including jazz, pop and Mediterranean sounds.
Chiara’s International debut took place at the Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition in 2011, where she was awarded first prize by the living musical legend Quincy Jones. Following this award the vocalist was invited to open for Paco de Lucìa’s concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2012. Thanks to this award she had also the chance to record her debut album “Motifs” released by the New York based label Dot Time Records. The record has been presented in some well-known radio programs in Belgium, Holland, Italy and received notable reviews in the US on Jazz Times, All About Jazz, AXS, Midwest Record, to name of few.
She is currently living in New York and performs regularly around the city. Some of her notable performances occurred in prominent venues such as Montreux Jazz Festival, The Iridium, Apollo Theater, Aspen Jazz Festival, Jazzahead, Italian Embassy in Washington DC, Smalls. She’s also graced the stage with some of the finest musicians, including Kevin Hays, Leon Parker, Bruce Barth, Eliot Zigmund, Warren Wolf, Anthony Wonsey, among many others. Chiara graduated with honors with a Masterʼs Degree in Jazz Music in Italy and she has caught the attention of and received remarkable appraisals from Quincy Jones, Bobby Watson, Benny Golson, Kevin Hays, Eliot Zigmund, Joel Frahm, Aaron Goldberg, David Kikosky, Greg Hutchinson, Jonathan Kreisberg, Dado Moroni and many others.
“Sister, you are very very talented!”
– QUINCY JONES
Guitarist Perry Smith combines the tradition of Jazz with broad influences from contemporary music to create his signature style. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Smith is now based in Brooklyn where he leads his own groups and is a sideman for local and touring artists.
Smith is a founding member of the critically acclaimed New West Guitar Group. Based in Los Angeles featuring guitarists John Storie and Will Brahm, NWGG has been performing internationally for over 10 years. In 2019, Smith released his 4th album as a leader “Live in Brooklyn” on his own label Smith Tone Records.