Bio:
Jazz Vocalist, Leah Natale won the 2013 Seattle/Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist of the year. She has freelanced with several bands throughout Chicago and Minneapolis. Leah studied with Richard Davis, bass player for Sarah Vaughn. She has produced three CDs, including My Someday which was recorded with a 10-piece jazz orchestra and was released in 2007 and Swing Easy produced in 2011. Her songs can be heard on several radio stations throughout the country and have been well received throughout Japan.
Leah performs regularly with Ambience a four-piece band from Seattle who specialize in jazz from the golden era of American music as well as Brazilian and other Latin genres.
Competitions & Awards:
- Winner of the 2013 Seattle-Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist competition at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley and guest artist at Kobe Jazz Vocal Queen Contest, in Kobe, Japan, May 11, 2013
- Two time nominee for Earshot Magazine’s Vocalist of the Year
Reviews:
- “Ambience’s defining element is Leah Natale’s singing. Her voice is pure, clear and she holds each of the melody’s words for their full note value that creates a long, full, line that she finishes off with a touch of vibrato. Natale’s delivery is playful, hip, sexy, at times coy, and she seems to sing directly to the individual listener rather than to an audience.” Earshot Jazz, July 2009
- “Leah Natale has been quietly gaining a much deserved reputation around town with her sultry voice and slick vocal styling reminiscent of early Rosemary Clooney.” Earshot Jazz, April 2009
- “En la actualidad surgen muchas cantantes de jazz con diferentes formas y propuestas. Pero muy pocas rescatan aquellas joyas de las decadas de los años 30 y 40, pocas cantan con naturalidad, sin impostar la voz, casi susurrando, creando un clima de gran intimidad. Leah Natale reune todas estas condiciones y marca la diferencia. Bienvenida al mundo de la buena musica.” – Jose Luis Ajzenmesser, Radio Palermo 94.7, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Translation: Nowadays a lot of jazz singers appear, each with their own style. However, very few can recapture the treasures of the 30’s and 40’s, very few sing naturally, without forcing their voice, almost whispering, creating a very intimate feeling. Leah Natale brings together all these things and you’ll notice the difference. Welcome to the world of beautiful music.
- “Leah takes the term crooner as more of a metaphysical state than a style, standing aside and surrendering herself to the song, bringing the song and her voice to a place where neither could be without the other. She takes elements of style from the greats of the past to create a style unique to herself. ….With songs like her swinging version of ‘Them There Eyes,’ and a velvety rendition of ‘Don’t Blame Me,’ the arrangements on her new album ‘My Someday’ bring a fresh interpretation of jazz and big band classics in the style of the period.” – CDunion, 2011
Leah Natale 