Hannah Bretz
—–VOCALIST—–
Be sure to check out the Des Moines Register photos of my Jazz in July performance with The Hot Club of Des Moines. It was a fantastic turnout!
(Photos by Dan Hodges for the Des Moines Register.)
I owe a big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to my Jazz in July performance last night. What a perfect evening! It means a lot to me that you were there to share my passion for music. The Hot Club of Des Moines is a treat to perform with and I am looking forward to my next opportunity to collaborate with them (hint: next weekend).
After the concert I went to The Continental and heard some great “fusion” jazz by Seth Hedquist, Brooke Peters and Joel Gettys. Following that I heard the incredible talents of Dave Rezek’s Alpha Agents at the Des Moines Social Club. My mind was officially blown. The group’s continuity of sound and individual improvisational ability were something you’d expect to hear in New York City. Wake up Des Moines, you have amazing musicians and artists right here in the heartland!
This Saturday, July 31, is my Italian day! I will be cantor for the mass at the Festa Italiana downtown on the Court Avenue bridge at 4:00pm. Then I have the pleasure of playing with The Hot Club of Des Moines yet again at the renowned Cafe di Scala restaurant. We’ll be playing gypsy jazz from 7:00 – 9:30pm. I hope to see you there!
Ah, la dolce vita…
I’m happy to report two new upcoming performances, one of which is a Jazz in July event. This will be my first collaboration with the talented musicians of The Hot Club of Des Moines, and I am thrilled to be singing a variety of tunes in the style of Django Reinhardt.
Hannah Bretz with the Hot Club of Des Moines
Jazz in July
Saturday, July 24th at 7:00pm
East 6th and East Locust in the East Village
Hannah Bretz with the Charlson Trio
Chuck’s Italian-American Restaurant
Friday, August 20, 2010
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Come hear Des Moines’ own Hannah Bretz, singing a variety of your favorite jazz standards and more. Come for the music, stay for the food!
The Charlson Trio is “New York good” acoustic bassist Steve Charlson, pianist Nick Rieser, and saxophonist Julius Brooks.
3610 6th Avenue (just north of Euclid)
Des Moines, IA 50313-4155
515-244-4104
www.chucksdesmoines.com
* family-friendly
* reservations recommended
Hannah Bretz with the Charlson Trio
Chuck’s Italian-American Restaurant
Friday, July 9, 2010
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Come hear Des Moines’ own Hannah Bretz, singing a variety of your favorite jazz standards and more. Come for the music, stay for the food!
The Charlson Trio is “New York good” acoustic bassist Steve Charlson, pianist Nick Rieser, and saxophonist Julius Brooks.
3610 6th Avenue (just north of Euclid)
Des Moines, IA 50313-4155
515-244-4104
www.chucksdesmoines.com
* family-friendly
* reservations recommended
I want to personally thank everyone who came out to the performance at Chuck’s on May 14th. We packed the place and it was standing room only! If you enjoyed yourselves or didn’t have a chance to come hear us play we have another opportunity for you on June 11th!
Please make a reservation and don’t be shy. Show up early if you want a table (and you do, the food is out-of-this-world)!
Hannah Bretz with the Charlson Trio
Chuck’s Italian-American Restaurant
Friday, June 11, 2010
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Come hear Des Moines’ own Hannah Bretz, singing a variety of your favorite jazz standards and more. Come for the music, stay for the food!
The Charlson Trio is “New York good” acoustic bassist Steve Charlson, pianist Nick Rieser, and saxophonist Julius Brooks.
3610 6th Avenue (just north of Euclid)
Des Moines, IA 50313-4155
515-244-4104
www.chucksdesmoines.com
* family-friendly
* reservations recommended
Be sure to check out my latest vocal project with the Charleson Trio at Chuck’s Italian Restaurant in Des Moines on May 14th!
Hannah Bretz with the Charlson Trio
Chuck’s Italian-American Restaurant
Friday, May 14th, 2010
8:00pm – 11:00pm
Come hear Des Moines’ own Hannah Bretz, singing a variety of your favorite jazz standards and more. Come for the music, stay for the food!
The Charlson Trio is “New York good” acoustic bassist Steve Charlson, pianist Nick Rieser, and saxophonist Julius Brooks.
3610 6th Avenue (just north of Euclid)
Des Moines, IA 50313-4155
515-244-4104
www.chucksdesmoines.com
* family-friendly
* reservations recommended
I recently had the privilege of singing at Entrefest! 2010 with Stan Dudley (keyboard) and Bob Schiller (bass). The event was a huge success and we had a lot of fun entertaining at the reception. Thank you, Entrefest!, for the opportunity!
Do yourself a favor and buy this album, it is being released today!
Having studied jazz in Chicago, my musical character is heavily influenced by Kurt Elling and other exceptional Chicago vocalists. Elling is a methodical and intense musician, always delving further into the viscera of a tune than would many modern-day vocalists, myself included. Yet he also possesses a whimsical sense of humor that balances out the intensity of his musical genius.
I love Elling’s description of jazz singers’ various aesthetic approaches toward singing tunes:
“There’s a wide spectrum of possibilities in how to deliver a song,” notes Elling. “And with Johnny Hartman, who wasn’t a real improviser, it was a matter of finding the emotional content with his phrasing and his sound. All jazz singers deal with matters of greater complexity and greater simplification over the course of their careers. For me, I tend to want to shake things up, but sometimes – like Hartman – you have to have respect for the moment, and just sing the song.”
I must also enthusiastically recommend that you listen to Elling’s other incredible recordings, especially my favorites “Man in the Air” and “Nightmoves.”
I had the pleasure of performing on the Jon Anderson White Riverboat this past Saturday. Owner Michael Lavelle invited me and talented keyboardist Stan Dudley to perform jazz standards for the Des Moines Breakfast Club on what was the second voyage of the J.A. White Riverboat since it’s restoration.
Des Moines natives may recall the tragedy that befell the riverboat, formerly known as the Spirit of Des Moines, thirteen years ago when the boat was untethered and went over the falls. Mr. Lavelle purchased the wreckage from the insurance company for a whopping $1,000 and has since invested a great deal more, both financially and personally.
I am honored to have had the opportunity to sing on the J.A. White Riverboat, especially on its second trip back on the Des Moines River! For more information on the J.A. White Riverboat please visit www.port-of-desmoines.com. Public tours will soon become available!
I must also thank Stan Dudley for being such a talented and fun musician to work with, as well as the members of the Breakfast Club who were exceptionally accommodating and made a very enthusiastic audience.
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