Alana

This incredibly talented young vocalist, songwriter, and pianist from New York started singing and performing at the tender age of three, and her innate talent quickly progressed. A rare artist among her own generation, Alana exhibits a unique relation to jazz music resulting from her exposure to musical influences such as gospel, soul, latin, calypso and classical. Alana earned her music degree at the renowned Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and in her senior year taught music at a high school in Englewood, New Jersey.

And with her debut album, “I Feel Misty”, she has introduced her talents to a much wider audience, capturing the hearts of many in the United States and Canada, Panama, Spain, France, Japan, and the Caribbean, and clearly taken the first steps in a career that has already demonstrated enormous potential. Since her debut at three, Alana has had a number of unforgettable performances around her native New York City. With appearances at landmarks like Carnegie Hall, the historic Cathedral of St. John the Divine for Duke Ellington’s Centennial celebration backed by the Manhattan School of Music’s Big Band, appearances at the International Association for Jazz Educators Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, appearances on the International Video Teleconferencing Sessions sponsored by former Vice President Al Gore, appearances on the national 1-800-Mattress commercial, and a variety of gigs at several New York City clubs and fine dining restaurants.

She possesses a natural gift for lyrical interpretation along with the ability to make even often covered songs and classic jazz ballads new and distinctive. Further evidence of Alana’s promise as a brilliant new talent came with an invitation to perform in Japan in July-August, 2005, which garnered numerous accolades from the Japanese Media and solidified her reputation as a crowd-pleasing performer. In the words of one writer “her music and emotive jazz styling’s tell a story and leaves it open to the individual’s interpretation”. Alana is poised to conquer new territory with her incredible instrument and artistic evolution. This rising young star of jazz music is a complete artist with well-developed interpretive skills, excellent musical instincts and versatility far beyond her age, and clearly possesses the goods that will keep her around for a long time.