Jessi Teich

Raised in a loving home in small-town New Jersey, Jessi was submerged in the soulful world of jazz and blues music from her very beginnings, having to dodge stacks of records when learning to walk and first dancing to the timeless sounds of Miles Davis and Sarah Vaughn. Some of Jessi’s earliest memories include her father pleading to her and her siblings, “Don’t jump! You’ll skip the record!” Her father’s love of music was passed down, and Jessi started singing original songs at just 6 years old. At age 8, Jessi began taking piano lessons and even though her lessons were based around classical styles, Jessi took what she heard in the songs she had grown up loving and began playing and singing blues-based progressions. The sultry sounds of blues and jazz are still Jessi’s strongest influence. As a young teenager, with the help of her parents, Jessi had the privilege of checking out performances by renowned jazz and blues musicians in New York City. By age fourteen her songwriting began to develop and mature into more complete compositions. Interest in the current music of her generation like Fiona Apple, Ani DiFranco, and Sade, combined with the prominent influence of classic vocalists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Carole King, yielded a unique and powerful presence in Jessi’s vocal style.

While Jessi knew she ultimately wanted to be a performer and recording artist, it was important to her that she hone her craft and get a formal education. Jessi attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she grew to be the impressive instrumentalist and composer that we hear in “Barely There.” In between classes and coursework, Jessi sang with the Afro-Pop Ensemble and also led a five-piece vocal section in the sensational Tower of Power Ensemble. While attending Berklee, Jessi discovered another passion- music education. Jessi graduated from Berklee in May of 2006 with a BA in Music Education and moved to Philadelphia to pursue her teaching career.

Moving to Philadelphia had its challenges for Jessi, and has since proven to be a defining point in her life. Jessi loved her job teaching music to children, but she was suffering from vocal fatigue, and slight hoarseness after her lessons. After seeing an ENT, Jessi discovered she was suffering from a mass on her vocal folds. This is very common among singers, but unfortunately there is a negative stigma associated with the ailment. Jessi resigned from her job as an educator in order to go on to have the mass removed. Jessi’s surgery went smoothly and after several silent weeks, she slowly built her voice back up and she now sounds as sweet and strong as ever. Jessi has now dedicated herself to educating about vocal dysphonias and clearing the stigma for singers and vocal performers.

Once Jessi and her voice were ready, she got serious in the recording studio with Fuzztone Records. All those weeks of silence gave Jessi time to write, re-write and perfect ideas for her first album, which really had been 26 years in the making. “Barely There” was released in December 2010 and Jessi has since been riding the wave of success of her debut album, playing many gigs around the Philadelphia-area. Jessi will soon be touring the east coast. You don’t have to wait to hear the beautiful and timeless “Barely There,” it can be purchased on iTunes, CB Baby and other online music outlets, or you can contact Fuzztone Records directly at www.fuzztonercords.com to buy a hard copy CD. Visit www.jessiteich.com often for upcoming shows and the latest news on Jessi Teich.