Angela Verbrugge "possesses a winsome, brightly-burnished, pliable voice, with ample emotional intelligence, and conspicuously good taste.
- JazzTimes Magazine
"Angela has good humour, good sense, and good taste, a rare combination. She is a hilariously pungent comedian / social critic / swing psychologist and a born storyteller. Angela has a remarkably winning voice. She is a pleasure to listen to, sometimes lemony, sometimes warm and embracing. She is a... masterful interpreter of standards... an exceptional composer, and a funny, playful lyricist. Her recordings are head and shoulders above the usual flood of vocal jazz albums."...
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Angela Verbrugge "possesses a winsome, brightly-burnished, pliable voice, with ample emotional intelligence, and conspicuously good taste.
- JazzTimes Magazine
"Angela has good humour, good sense, and good taste, a rare combination. She is a hilariously pungent comedian / social critic / swing psychologist and a born storyteller. Angela has a remarkably winning voice. She is a pleasure to listen to, sometimes lemony, sometimes warm and embracing. She is a... masterful interpreter of standards... an exceptional composer, and a funny, playful lyricist. Her recordings are head and shoulders above the usual flood of vocal jazz albums."
— JazzLives
Angela Verbrugge won the 2020 JazzTimes Readers' Poll for Best Female Vocalist. She released her debut album, The Night We Couldn't Say Good Night, through Gut String Records (NYC). Toronto Music Report described, "Verbrugge addresses each song with the breathtakingly, absolutely natural purity of her voice. A rare perfect album." National Canadian Broadcasting CBC Radio host Laila Biali described, "There's so much joy in delivery." WSJ-writer Will Friedwald describes, "a vocal sound that's full of depth and nuance - welcoming the light without denying the darkness". Angela was one of the youngest graduates from Toronto's George Brown School of Performing Arts after a youth spent in Ontario. She relocated to Vancouver (1997) and after having kids and three brushes with death, she decided to follow her passion to jazz. She relocated to Victoria, BC in 2019. Angela is primarily influenced by the swing era, vintage musicals, and bebop. This March, she toured to Japan, performing at the Oscar Peterson Theatre at the Embassy of Canada and in seven cities. She has performed internationally in Turkey, Germany, England, and at leading clubs and festivals in Canada.
Ray Gallon
A NYC-native, pianist Ray Gallon has been a mainstay on the jazz scene for over thirty years. Rooted in bebop and blues, his expressive, swingin' playing melds old and new into a fresh, original style. As a young player, Ray was taken under the wing of piano giants John Lewis, Hank Jones, and Jaki Byard. He has performed at major jazz festivals and venues around the world with such luminaries as Ron Carter, Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, George Adams, Les Paul, and Wycliffe Gordon. Ray has appeared at the White House and the Kennedy Center, sharing the stage with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Sweets Edison, and Joe Williams. An in-demand accompanist, he has worked with many vocal greats, including Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, Dakota Staton, Gloria Lynne, Jane Monheit and Chaka Khan. Ray's inventive compositions have been recorded by acclaimed artists T.S. Monk and George Adams. His latest trio album, "Make Your Move", features the stellar rhythm section of David Wong and Kenny Washington. Ray is a full-time faculty member of the jazz program at The City College of NY in Harlem and the Vermont Jazz Center's summer workshops and has taught at Juilliard and The New School.
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