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Haitian Jazz Vocalist Pauline Jean will perform at the United Nations May 22. The world organization is proud to announce this global event featuring an array of special guests including Jean, whose music has inspired millions of people. Jean's repertoire consists of original compositions, unique arrangements of the standards, blues and traditional Afro-Haitian music fused with jazz. Her musical renditions are performed both in English and in kreyòl. Jean's velvet husky contralto instantly garners comparisons to legendary vocalists such as Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Toto Bissainthe, to name a few.
- Haitian Times
Shimmery, sensuous Pauline Jean paid a very personal tribute at the Metropolitan Room to the jazz/soul icon, Nina Simone. Backed by a fine-edged foursome of instrumentalists, Jean opened with one of Simone's very first recordings, “Plain Gold Ring.” And with it, pianist Sharp Radway, bassist Corcoran Holt, drummer McClenty Hunter and percussionist Leopold Fleming, made their musical statement and adhered to it faithfully through the entire program: Jean's arrangements would surround her with a strong, relentless and almost hypnotic beat, highlighted by Radway's keyboarding and Fleming, who was Simone's original percussionist, working musical fantasies on his pair of Conga Drums.
Jean's outfit and hair-do accentuated her resemblance to a young Simone. And notwithstanding Jean's more animated singing style and somewhat deeper voice than her venerated song goddess, it was clear from the outset that she would lovingly present both Simone's music and her oft-declared-in-song emotional response to being a woman and being black.
The omnipresent, infectious rhythm proved well matched to the predominantly-blues numbers on the group's song list, which included “Tell Me More and Then Some” and “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.” Simone's “Four Women,” a protest song utilizing the differing shades of skin colors among blacks, evoked the evening's biggest cheers.
Simone, we were told, insisted she wasn't “a jazz singer,” but “a black classical singer.” Call her what you will, her songs—some of which she wrote, some of which she didn't—provided strong material for Jean and her instrumentalists. And while Jean didn't make the same disclaimer, like many jazz singers she would often close her eyes and surrender her contact with the audience, as they became witnesses to their vocalist losing herself in the music of Nina Simone.
Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
February 22, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org - Cabaret Scences
"But the night also belonged to Pauline Jean. I had the pleasure of seeing this phenomenal vocalist perform various times, but never had I seen her hotter than on Saturday, February 14th. She commanded the audience attention, and quite frankly, we loved every minute of it. With a voice and stage presence made for jazz, Pauline indeed is a force to look out for." ~Nadege Fleurimond
- HaitianBeatz.com
Discography
A Musical Offering - New Release
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Bio
Jazz vocalist Pauline Jean is a native New Yorker of Haitian descent. In 2007 Pauline graduated cum laude from the Berklee College of Music with a BM degree in Vocal Performance. After graduating from Berklee, Pauline returned to New York and immediately became actively involved in the music community. Pauline has been building on the classic art form of jazz by adding her own fresh approach. Her repertoire includes original compositions, unique arrangements of the standards, blues and traditional Afro-Haitian music fused with jazz. Her musical renditions are performed both in English and in her parents' native tongue kreyol. Pauline's velvet husky contralto inevitably draws comparisons to legendary vocalists such as Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Toto Bissainthe, Phyllis Hyman and Cassandra Wilson.
Pauline's extraordinary performances have led her to share the stage with a variety of musicians such as Nina Simone's percussionist Leopoldo Fleming, Randy Weston, Dave Valentin, Ted Curson, Terri Lyne Carrington, Luis Perdomo, Miriam Sullivan, Jean Caze, Jean Chardavoine, Buyu Ambroise and Emeline Michel.
Pauline has been featured in many venues such as: United Nations, Scullers Jazz Club, St. Peter's Church, Metropolitan Room, Kitano, Chelsea Art Museum, Zinc Bar, Cachaca, SOB's, Sage Theater, Enzo's Jazz Room and the Berklee Performance Center. She has also performed at the 2nd Annual Women in Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival-New York, the Haitian Jazz Festival and the St. Kitts-Nevis SAS Jazz Reggae Vibes Festival. Her upcoming schedule includes performing at the 44th International Pori Jazz Festival in Finland and a Tribute to Nina Simone at The Cabaret at the Connoisseur Room in Indianapolis.
Pauline's self-produced debut CD "A Musical Offering" will be released on June 21, 2009. The recording is earthy yet stirring and best described as swingin', bluesy, soulful and world. Musicians on this project include: Sharp Radway (piano), Corcoran Holt (bass), Alvin Atkinson, Jr. (drums), McClenty Hunter (drums), Markus Schwartz (percussion), Marcelo Woloski (percussion), Jean Caze (trumpet) and Thaddeus Hogarth (harmonica).
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