“A cappella singing shines on its own with three gem-like voices such as these. … This amazing recording epitomizes the idiom ‘You could have knocked me over with a feather.’ ★★★★★”
"Lush and ethereal harmonies layered over earthy instrumentation will take you to other times, other places"
ASARAN
So a Brazilian, a Hungarian and an Italian walk into a bar…
A collective of vocalists from different corners of the globe (as well as the set up to a great punchline), Asaran Earth Trio is a group dedicated to singing beautiful music from around the world. With New York City as their figurative ‘bar’, Asaran came together out of the desire to take different traditions in new directions, combining folk elements together with the adventure of group improvisation and each member’s musical ‘history’. Together they sing, clap, play percussion and are known to cause groups of strangers to laugh, cry, sing, dance and shake some groovy shakers. Asaran features Anne Boccato from Brazil, Artemisz Polonyi from Hungary and Chiara Izzi from Italy. They love to share their music and stories all around the Earth – in living rooms, theaters, houses of worship, festivals, on the street and even in actual bars.
Anne Boccato is a vocalist, composer, pianist and percussionist born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. She studied jazz piano at the State University of New York – Purchase College, and began pursuing voice when an injury kept her from playing piano for some time. Through a long rehabilitation process, Anne discovered her passion for “musical wellness”, bringing it to bear on all aspects of her playing and singing. She loves creating strong, energetic grooves while maintaining a feeling of ease and gentle strength, no matter how complex the music may seem on paper.
Anne has been living in the United States for over 10 years – immersed in the arts scene in New York City, teaching piano lessons and performing her own music, as well as collaborating with some wonderful musicians. She founded Asaran Earth Trio out of a desire to reach into our collective history found in tradition, while bringing different influences together to continue writing our stories into the future.
Her aim is to connect people to themselves and to each other through her compositions, be they instrumental or songs sung in Portuguese, English or Spanish. Her love of languages is matched only by her love of watching her students go “aha!” and smile with satisfaction.
Artemisz Polonyi is a singer and composer deeply immersed in jazz, folk, and choral music.
She fell in love with singing harmonies (her favorite being the middle voice) during her childhood in Hungary, when she was surrounded by the Kodaly tradition, singing folk songs and choral music.
Currently living in New York City, she gets a kick out of bringing various styles and musical traditions together in her performing and teaching.
These days she mostly sings the highest notes with the professional chorus of Brick Presbyterian Church of NYC, and the Composers/Conductors Choral Collective. She can also be seen singing and playing percussion with her beloved world music group: Asaran Earth Trio.
Artemisz has been pursuing her passion for teaching by leading her voice studio for more than a decade. In her voice and musicianship classes she enjoys helping students find their own unique, beautifully fearless voices.
She considers herself very lucky to be able to bring music and the joy of singing to the public schools of New York City through the Musical Introduction program of the 92Y, and the Students Compose Opera program of the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
Award winning Italian singer and songwriter Chiara Izzi has been described by Jazz Times as “a talent to be heard, admired and anticipated” after the release of her debut album, Motifs. She started her musical path in Italy by learning to play the piano and performing from an early age. Thanks to a string of performance opportunities in Italy and abroad (Belgium, Switzerland, France, United States, Finland, Germany), Chiara has acquired a vocal mastery of not only the jazz tradition, but also a wide variety of contemporary styles. Thus, she has developed a unique sound that allows her to interpret pieces by taking the musical content from different genres (jazz, pop, Mediterranean sounds), blending them, and exploring it all through a strong personality that unifies the songs in a nuanced and sophisticated manner.
Chiara is currently based in New York and performs regularly around the city in prominent jazz venues including the Iridium, the Apollo Theater, Smalls, and the Bar Next Door, with musicians such as Kevin Hays, Eliot Zigmund, Warren Wolf, Anthony Wonsey, Pat Bianchi, and Yotam Silberstein, to name a few. She has also caught the attention of and received praise from Quincy Jones, Bobby Watson, Benny Golson, Joel Frahm, Aaron Goldberg, David Kikosky, Greg Hutchinson, Jonathan Kreisberg, Dado Moroni and many others.
http://asaranearthtrio.com
RUN THE WILLOW
While spending their first 3 years crafting their recent debut, Run the Willow has developed a unique blend of earthy instrumentation and angelic harmonies that hinge around a profound, yet simple lyric. Composed as a 6-piece, the band’s singer-songwriter style songs carry the dynamic qualities of classical chamber music, the textures and tones of indie rock, the impactful lyrics of traditional folk, and soulful melodies/harmonies delivered by Vince Bruinsma and Rebekah Foster. Their album, ‘A Living Dichotomy’ ranges from full and powerful songs to careful and sudden arrangements dealing with a duality in most of us—a desire to settle and invest in a community versus satiating a wanderlust and desire to roam.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/runthewillow/