Quiana Lynell at Bird's Basement Jazz Club

Bird's Basement is excited to present the Australian debut season of Quiana Lynell, who is regarded by those in the know as one of the outstanding young jazz vocalists on the US scene.

Quiana was born in Tyler Texas, and attended university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (which she still calls home). She started out studying classical singing, and also heard and sang gospel music from an early age. During her college years, she branched out a little further, and began performing in other genres, like blues, zydeco, R&B and jazz. It is only since 2013 or so that Quiana has chosen to focus on developing her skills as a jazz singer, but her passion for other genres is never completely absent from her jazz performances....

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Bird's Basement is excited to present the Australian debut season of Quiana Lynell, who is regarded by those in the know as one of the outstanding young jazz vocalists on the US scene.

Quiana was born in Tyler Texas, and attended university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (which she still calls home). She started out studying classical singing, and also heard and sang gospel music from an early age. During her college years, she branched out a little further, and began performing in other genres, like blues, zydeco, R&B and jazz. It is only since 2013 or so that Quiana has chosen to focus on developing her skills as a jazz singer, but her passion for other genres is never completely absent from her jazz performances.

Quiana has been an increasingly popular performer around New Orleans for several years now, and a regular at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Her career took a leap forward in 2017, when she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Part of the first prize was a recording contract with Concord Records, which has just released Quiana's debut album, A Little Love. Already, the album is gathering rave reviews. Songs covered on the album include classics associated with vocal stars like Nina Simone, Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway and Irma Thomas.

Apart from leading her own band, Quiana has been featured with a variety of other bands, including the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, Bernard Purdie, Nona Hendryx and Patti Austin.

One of the senior figures on the New Orleans jazz scene today, Terence Blanchard says, Quiana is that rare talent that is mature well beyond her years. Her soulful, perfect-pitched tone has its own character, alongside a sophisticated bluesy approach to jazz that will set her apart from the pack.

At Bird's Basement, Quiana will be accompanied by guitarist Matt Sewell, pianist Daniel Meinecke, bassist Grayson Brockamp and drummer Nate Winn.

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