Michaele

From the time she was eleven years old growing up in a New Jersey suburb and singing Supremes’ songs into a hand-held brush in front of a mirror, Michaele knew she wanted to be a recording artist. Her father had started the tradition as a singer and upright bassist crooning standards at metropolitan venues, and bringing artists, musicians and theater performers into the family home where Michaele was introduced to the sounds of Sinatra, Jobim, Nina Simone and Tony Bennett. As a child, Michaele took
every opportunity to travel with her father into Manhattan to Manny’s Music, or to sit in on his Upper West Side vocal sessions. She moved to Manhattan after high school, and spent most of her free time at local cafes and jazz clubs, where she was introduced to great performers on the New York Jazz-Fusion scene. There she met her current Executive Producer, Hoshea Estrada, and the two began writing together. They spent the next few years in the studio recording original songs in the fusion rock genre, but always with jazz underpinnings. In order to fully develop her formidable vocal talents, Michaele began working with renowned vocal coach Don Lawrence, who remains her coach today. Her recently recorded album, “Incantation” is slated to be released on May 3rd. Scheduled to host her CD release party is Rafe Gomez, whose nationally syndicated show The Groove Boutique airs weekly in the NY area on CD101.9. The pre-releases of “Incantation” have generated a significant amount of industry attention, and featured on her lead single “Slow Dance” is the sax work of Smooth Jazz great Marion Meadows. Last week, Michaele was invited to perform in the world-famous wine country of Northern California by Jazzy 93.7, KJZY. She'll be appearing with Marion Meadows on Wednesday, May 16th to open the 2007 Downtown Market in Santa Rosa, an hour north of San Francisco. Notable on “Incantation” are the exquisite arrangements and slick production of Mark Minchello. The album is a sensual mix of Brazilian, R&B and electro-dance trends, and seamlessly blends programmed tracks and live musicians. Included in “Incantation” are beautifully crafted original songs as well as some distinctive twists on familiar covers such as “Walk On By” and “I Hear A Symphony.” “Autumn,” an original by Michaele & co-writer, Hoshea Estrada, is an
intimate journey through a fluid, textural soundscape.
Michaele’s recent appearances in places like the internationally-known Trumpets in Montclair, NJ are smooth and elegant like the jazz-infused pop she sings, and the eloquence of her persona is thoroughly expressed in her music. This new “Incantation” she has coproduced with Mark Minchello is a spellbinding foray into melodic jazz with a pop veneer. The mix of Brazilian-influenced music with folky overtones and intimate sultry vocals creates an intoxicating combination of textures. Says Michaele, “Incantation means to create or conjure a mood, image or state of mind. For me, music at its very best is an internal journey that is both healing and transforming.” With the layered and lush background vocals, lyrical story-lines, and most notably Michaele’s unique voice and writing style, “Incantation” truly does succeed in casting a spell on its listeners.