Phoebe Legere

Artist Information

Biography

Phoebe Legere is a a songwriter of French Canadian and Native American descent. She graduated from Vassar College, was the resident composer for the Wooster Group, studied with John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet, was signed to Sony Records, opened for David Bowie on his National Tour, received a New York State Council of the Arts grant, collaborated with Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Larry Rivers, Allen Ginsberg, Hunter Thompson, Don Cherry, Brian Eno, Bo Bo Shaw, Ikue Morie, Nana Vascolenos, Jack Smith, Joakim Lartey, Jim Staley, Morgan Powell, Eric Mandat and Leo Abrahams, has appeared on National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, PBS's City Arts and Charlie Rose, is in the popular children's show on Nickelodeon,”The Naked Brothers Band,” and is head writer and host for Roulette TV, a show about experimental art and music. She records for Einstein Records and Mercury Records.

"Legere is an expressive and versatile singer whose voice ranges from a dark and earthy alto to a gorgeous dazzling high soprano.... she combines intelligent lyrics and a fusion of French musette, Cajun, pop, rock and jazz into a stew she calls, "roots alternative."-John Pitcher, Washington Post

"A charismatic showman who works the audience with the razor edged skill of a veteran comic poking, teasing, and caressing it with clever turns of phrase both musical and verbal...She plays the piano with enormous authority in a style that encompasses Chopin, blues, ragtime, bebop and beyond, and she brings to her vocal delivery a four and a half octave range, and an extraordinary palette of tonal color and meticulous phrasing. "
New York Times

"Phoebe Legere's brand of articulate genius will have it's day - the time is ripe for a legitimate, American original who has it all - beauty, brains, talent, sex appeal, and a giving heart... A brilliant songwriter.." - Where Magazine

"An evocative blend of sexpot glamour, French insouciance, Bourbon St. bawdiness, and East Village hipness - she's got both body and soul. " Harper's Bazaar

"Gorgeous, blonde bombshell with a dynamite body, a magnificent voice, a wild sense of humor...(She is) an extremely intelligent Vassar graduate who can play four or five instruments and challenge every premise you might have about her as she zips through her set - her song selections are impeccably chosen. (She has) a dazzling voice - a superb singer miles above most of the rock stars of today ...a comic mind...She turns excess and extravagance into an art form and anchors it with stunning simplicity. " New York Post

"Phoebe Legere is the female Frank Zappa…" Roman Kozack, Billboard Magazine

"Phoebe Legere is one of the most, inspired and talented creative-supernovas on the planet...One of those rare luminous souls... beautiful, wickedly funny, anointed with wisdom, and her music possesses Native American mystical and healing qualities. like Billie Holiday or Jimi Hendrix or Miles Davis or Sun Ra..." Dimitri Monroe, Hits Magazine

"Phoebe Legere, a name to conjure with.... She is an American original, she's fun, she's funny, she's smart, She's a beauty, almost like a Carole Lombard, but the main thing about her is SHE"S GOOD" - Studs Terkel, National Public Radio

"Like Marylou Williams, she can maintain a rollicking left hand that segues easily from stride to boogie - woogie while tickling the piano's upper register into sublime submission. Similarities to Jerry Lee Lewis are probably not impertinent either..." New York TImes

"Phoebe Legere's latest recording is an incisive critique of the role of contemporary culture in America in the form of a post modern, urban opera. A dazzling, dizzying sound collage of sampled soundtracks, spoken word, composed melodies, sound effects, raps, electrobeats, and vocal and keyboard improvisations, it's a shimmering soundscape of a night spent downtown with Legere as tour guide...A tribute as much to the composer/vocalist/keyboardist's virtuosic talent as to her keen wit and intelligence, "Blue Curtain" surprises, shocks and entertains at every jagged turn. Simply put, it's as important a piece of music as you're likely to hear all year, or any year- Seth Rogovoy, The Berkshire Eagle

BIOGRAPHY - by Hartley Pleshaw

PHOEBE LEGERE

The sound of francais coming from Phoebe is that of North America. It’s coming from a place close to her heart and soul—to say nothing of her DNA. The Acadian/Cajun sound—Franco-American soul music—is the sound of Phoebe Legere.

That sound is literally in her blood. Part Native American, part French Canadian, Phoebe is steeped in the Acadian musical traditions of her grandparents, as well as the tribal and cultural traditions of the Penobscot/Abenaki tribes of Maine. Those traditions were a joyful and vital part of her upbringing.

“On a Sunday, the Legeres always got together with the Robichauds and the LeBlancs, and we’d make music. The air would be full of the mouth watering smells of tourtiere, salmon pie, ployes, cretons and baked beans.”

“A typical gathering would feature my Grandpa Jean Phillipe on accordion, Auntie Rosalie on spoons, Daddy on fiddle and a bunch of the boys pounding out a rhythm with their feet. We often played music written by folks in the family, including ‘Father Legere’s March,’ which I still play in my shows.”

Thus, Phoebe’s fantastic musical journey began. It would take her to Vassar and the New England Conservatory, to the legendary East Village performance art scene (her friends would include Allen Ginsberg, Spaulding Gray and Hunter Thompson, all of whom knew a creative genius when they saw one), to the top of the cabaret world (piano bars from New York to Nairobi to Singapore to Hong Kong would have their ivories tinkled by Phoebe) to the swing revival of the 1990’s. To put it in plain French, Phoebe was in the avant-garde of it all.

But, Phoebe’s love for the music which graced her childhood never faltered, even when it was challenged. At age 18 she was signed to a contract by Epic Sony Records. On the day of her signing she brought along her accordion—to the consternation of the label president. “Don’t let anyone see you carrying THAT thing!” he admonished her. Who knew that the accordion, an instrument then regarded as musically (as well as literally) “square,” would soon become a chief instrument (in all senses of the word) of the great Acadian/Cajun/Zydeco movement? Obviously, Phoebe did. It can honestly be said that Phoebe was Acadian/Cajun before Acadian/Cajun was cool.

Phoebe Legere appreciates and respects where the music comes from as much as she does the music itself. An accomplished and entertaining storyteller, she regales her audiences with stories of her own Franco-American family and its heritage. (One member of her family, her Great Uncle Benjamin Legere, was an organizer—as well as an actor and musician—for the IWW, the “Wobblies.” Ben was present at the great Lawrence, Massachusetts textile workers’ strike of 1912, the “Bread & Roses Strike.” It was therefore very appropriate that Phoebe should appear at the 2006 Bread & Roses Labor Day Heritage Festival in Lawrence—her own way of bringing it all back home.)

Phoebe is long past the days when her accordion—and her ethnic identity—were considered unhip. Today she is an exciting presence at folk festivals, from Bread & Roses in Lawrence to the Blueberry Festival in Wilton, Maine to the River to River Festival in New York City. And, her musical bloodlines are as strong—and as ubiquitous—as ever. The name Legere is ever-present in Canada, New England and Louisiana, and it should surprise no one that many of those Legeres are accomplished and acclaimed musicians. (Her cousin Jess is a famous accordionist; another relative, Ray, is a famous fiddler.)

Phoebe has never forgotten where she came from, in either a personal or ancestral sense. Her concerts feature both stories and songs of the Native American and Franco-American experiences, including the heartbreak of the first great North American pogrom, the expulsion of the Acadians from Acadia to Louisiana in 1755. But even here, the message is one of inspiration, passion and hope. “I show how the music stayed alive and kept us together during the long years of our struggle. French culture is coming back in America.”

Leading the way is Phoebe Legere, entertaining and enlightening all who are blessed to see and hear her. You don’t need to know French to love Phoebe; just keep in mind that in French, “legere” means “grace.”

Instrumentation

Voxxy on bass and tribal drummer Joakim of FUTU fame this is a band that can move from blues, to cajun to Native American tribal rhythms in the blink of an eye.

Discography

Ultra Romantic Parallel Universe, on Mercury Records is playing on AAA right now
www.myspace.com/sexbrain for experimental and electronica

Amazing Love went number one in Shreveport, Louisiana, Owensboro Kentucky and Birmingham, Alabama.

Marilyn Monroe, on Island Records, was a bonafide college hit.

CD's on ITUNES right now...

1000 Kisses
Last Tango in Bubbleland
4 Nurses of the Apocalypse
Blue Curtain

Midnight Legere. the new CD produced by Tony Bennett's son Dae will be on ITUNES in the next few weeks.

Audio

• Amazing
  Listen   Download
• Live Toot toot and Jambalya
  Listen   Download
• Live NPR with Studs Terkel
  Listen   Download
• TGIF
  Listen   Download
• Crazy White Trash
  Listen   Download
• New York Nightmare
  Listen   Download
• Boa Constrictor Tango(French)
  Listen   Download
• Evolution Blues
  Listen   Download
• Nancy
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Beautiful Nightmare

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• What the critics say... [+ Show ]
  

  "Phoebe Legere's brand of articulate genius will have it's day - the time is ripe for a legiti...
  "Phoebe Legere's brand
  
  of articulate genius will have it's day - the time is ripe for a legitimate, American original who has it all - beauty, brains, talent, sex appeal, and a giving heart... A brilliant songwriter.." - Where Magazine
  
  "An evocative blend of sexpot glamour, French insouciance, Bourbon St. bawdiness, and East Village hipness - she's got both body and soul. " Harper's Bazaar
  
  "Gorgeous, blonde bombshell with a dynamite body, a magnificent voice, a wild sense of humor...(She is) an extremely intelligent Vassar graduate who can play four or five instruments and challenge every premise you might have about her as she zips through her set - her song selections are impeccably chosen. (She has) a dazzling voice - a superb singer miles above most of the rock stars of today ...a comic mind...She turns excess and extravagance into an art form and anchors it with stunning simplicity. " New York Post
  
  “Phoebe Legere is the female Frank Zappa…” Roman Kozack, Billboard Magazine
  
  "Phoebe Legere is one of the most, inspired and talented creative-supernovas on the planet...One of those rare luminous souls... beautiful, wickedly funny, anointed with wisdom, and her music possesses Native American mystical and healing qualities. like Billie Holiday or Jimi Hendrix or Miles Davis or Sun Ra..." Dimitri Monroe, Hits Magazine
  
  “Phoebe Legere is the female Bobby Short…” Liz Smith, Daily News, November 2007
  
  "Musically Phoebe is as tremendous at the grand piano as she is on guitar and accordion...Her voice is rich and warm, she draws her audience in...We feel as if we get to know her quickly, ending the evening as firm fans if not friends..." Sydney Morning Herald
  
  "Perfection's name is Phoebe. She is beautiful, talented and sexy. A great singer whose voice knows few limits...her band is excellent..." Dan Aquilante, New York Post
  
  “Phoebe Legere is the female Beethoven…” Joey Arias, Paper Magazine
  
  " Legere is clearly ready for mainstream success. Legere's fine, four-octave voice easily goes from horn like contralto to crystal soprano. There's a winsome sweetness...and an aching, longing...rare originality and vitality..." Variety
  
  "A charismatic showman who works the audience with the razor edged skill of a veteran comic poking, teasing, and caressing it with clever turns of phrase both musical and verbal...She plays the piano with enormous authority in a style that encompasses Chopin, blues, ragtime, bebop and beyond, and she brings to her vocal delivery a four and a half octave range, and an extraordinary palette of tonal color and meticulous phrasing. "
  New York Times
  
  " Phoebe Legere has the entire package. She's funny, smart and sexy. Her music is a flamboyant, original assortment of American pop, Cajun, jazz and rock.." Daily Trail, Vail, Colorado
  
  "Legere restores, resists, deflects and reflects the caricature of women. With a gorgeous body, and enormous wit, she easily absorbs you into her unique brand of transcendence.... she is royalty in the clubs of Downtown NYC. " Lynne Lynn, Downtown Magazine
  
  "Check out Phoebe Legere ...resembling Daryl Hannah, and with a body of death - she doesn't so much sing a song as inhabit it.... with a pure, remarkable four and a half-octave range..." New York Daily News
  
  "She is arresting... we like Phoebe" - The New Yorker
  
  "Phoebe Legere, a name to conjure with.... She is an American original, she's fun, she's funny, she's smart, She's a beauty, almost like a Carole Lombard, but the main thing about her is SHE"S GOOD" - Studs Terkel, National Public Radio
  
  "Like Marylou Williams, she can maintain a rollicking left hand that segues easily from stride to boogie - woogie while tickling the piano's upper register into sublime submission. Similarities to Jerry Lee Lewis are probably not impertinent either..." New York TImes
  
  Sitting down at the grand piano Legere launched into a hard driving incredible boogie woogie...Phoebe Legere is a talent to be reckoned with...a sharp wit permeates her lyrics...Vocally Legere possess a powerful, precise 4 octave voice that is equally at home in the operatic style as it is singing lowdown blues...In two hours Phoebe Legere not only won a raft of new fans in Saratoga, she also demonstrated that talent, intelligence and sex appeal need not be mutually exclusive. Beyond the obvious attributes, it's Legere's warmth and exuberance that will prompt us to watch for her return." Linda Ellingsworth, Saratoga Chronicle
  
  "Decked out in pink-tipped python-skin shoes and a revealing, low-cut olive dress Legere struts and gyrates about the stage like Mick Jagger, belting out sultry French chansons and avant pop ditties with authority and conviction. Legere is an expressive and versatile singer whose voice ranges from a dark and earthy alto to a gorgeous dazzling high soprano.... she combines intelligent lyrics and a fusion of French musette, Cajun, pop, rock and jazz into a stew she calls, "roots alternative."-John Pitcher, Washington Post
  
  "The Female Beethoven...a musical genius" Joey Arias, Paper Magazine
  
  "Phoebe Legere's latest recording is an incisive critique of the role of contemporary culture in America in the form of a post modern, urban opera. A dazzling, dizzying sound collage of sampled soundtracks, spoken word, composed melodies, sound effects, raps, electrobeats, and vocal and keyboard improvisations, it's a shimmering soundscape of a night spent downtown with Legere as tour guide...A tribute as much to the composer/vocalist/keyboardist's virtuosic talent as to her keen wit and intelligence, "Blue Curtain" surprises, shocks and entertains at every jagged turn. Simply put, it's as important a piece of music as you're likely to hear all year, or any year- Seth Rogovoy, The Berkshire Eagle
  
  "Her beautiful voice, with its dazzling range and rich tones.... can take your breath away... she runs the gamut of music like a Marx brother crossing to stage left...", She's solidly based in her art and is a superb musician. " New York Post
  
  "Genius" Glenn O'Brian, Interview Magazine
  
  "The sexiest accordionist on the planet..." TImeOut
  
  "A serious gifted musician" The Music Paper
  
  "At the heart of Phoebe's performance is a joyous celebration of woman...(She shows) effortless versatility...refreshing...a crystalline empathy. " South China Morning Post
  
  "Fascinating...almost Sandy Dennyish,...spellbinding" Steve Morse, Boston Globe
  
  
  

Setlist

Phoebe does a one hour show of beautiful touching originals interlaced with amazing Cajun, Acadian, French and Native American classics. Phoebe is one of a kind: her crystalline, honey pure alto/soprano, her amazing musical gift, to say nothing of her elegant stage presence, make her a natural star.

Basic Requirements

Calendar