FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MEDIA RELEASE
With a distinctly mellifluous alto voice, Melbourne vocalist Diana Clark brings her new originals project Diana May Clark & The Sunny Set to Melbourne Fringe. Launching beautiful new Brazilian Pop inspired songs at the piano, the shows will feature sophisticated harmonies, bittersweet lyrics and a kick ass rhythm section. These sure-to-be unforgettable gigs at the Paris Cat will open up your musical senses.
Diana Clark’s music has always been adventurous, and with a launch into a new style and sound, she is bringing all her influences together. “Thanks to both my grandmothers being altos I was blessed with the gift of a low, rich vocal range – I’m lucky to be in that rare place with k.d. lang & Nina Simone, sitting between alto & tenor,” she says. “It’s something you can’t manufacture. This is my new solo project and reflects where I’m at: an established vocalist who's emerging as a singer-songwriter.”
The songs speak of willing the sun into the darkest places, slowing down, family, unity, even an ode to our ever suffering, but powerful Mother Africa. “For those who do know my work, they’ll know Diana Clark as a jazz/world/folk vocalist,” she says. “Diana May Clark and The Sunny Set signifies a change in direction. I’ll be singing originals, playing piano in a louder band with kick ass rhythm section including ‘Doc de Vries’ as I’ve re-named him, this time on electric guitar.”
As an acclaimed singer, Diana has always had an interest in Rio rhythms and her previous three CDs (released with Doug de Vries) have specialised in lending her alto vocals to Bossa nova and Samba styles, sung in Brazilian Portuguese. These offerings have seen her perform around the country and earn a strong following in jazz circles as a polished singer who gives audiences an insight into another world.
Bringing this new band ‘The Sunny Set’ together to showcase her new songs, Diana has been working solidly on expanding her music to fit into another genre, stepping slightly away from the jazz origins and weaving in Brazilian Pop. She’s been mentored by some of Australia’s most revered songwriters such as Greg Arnold (Things of Stone & Wood), Charles Jenkins (Ice-Cream Hands), Mick Thomas (Weddings, Parties, Anything) and Lisa Miller. This song-writing mentorship program, achieved through PUSH SONGS (The Push) has enabled Diana to take a huge step forward as a songwriter.
The new material, will make up future releases from this talented songstress.” My new songs were written mainly from the piano [in Melbourne] and via journal and iPod recording while on honeymoon in Brazil,” Diana says. “I’ve been refining and buffing the songs over an extended amount of time while working on my piano playing skills and pondering how to present them to the world; whether to make another hard copy album or simply release songs one at a time online. I have decided with Greg Arnold’s encouragement to record the single ‘Sunny Daze’ first which is an uplifting 60s style song with him in the producing seat. As a jazz artist I’ve only ever spent a few takes on a song – usually recording whole albums in two or three days, so one song at a time pop style is a wonderfully luxurious new experience. My new direction is also about fun, fun, fun. It will probably evolve to a whole ‘album’ release in 2012, but we're still enjoying a development stage for now…”
As a semi-finalist in the 1998 national jazz competition at Wangaratta when straight out of the VCA, Diana is also a recipient of three Australian Arts Council grants. A Melbourne resident, performing in her hometown is something special to look forward to. “I love Melbourne as it’s brimming over with culture and creativity, and I’m constantly meeting & bouncing off new people; where it’s cool to know I can offer up whatever music I’ve been working on and have an open audience coming to experience it,” she says. “My residency at Paris Cat Jazz Club has been going for about four years now. It’s a cocooned bar in a city basement where you can drop the worries of your week and immerse yourself in brilliant sounds.”
This is her premier appearance in Melbourne Fringe with three shows at the Paris Cat Jazz Club. Diana May Clark and The Sunny Set will delight as she traverses through her back catalogue and endears audiences with her new material.
Thursday 22nd September | 8.30pm
Melbourne Fringe, Paris Cat Jazz Club
6 Goldie Place, Melbourne VIC
Tickets: $20 | www.melbournefringe.com.au
Friday 23rd September | 7.30pm
Melbourne Fringe, Paris Cat Jazz Club
6 Goldie Place, Melbourne VIC
Tickets: $20 | www.melbournefringe.com.au
Saturday 24th September | 7.30pm
Melbourne Fringe, Paris Cat Jazz Club
6 Goldie Place, Melbourne VIC
Tickets: $20 | www.melbournefringe.com.au
 "When you can sing in Portuguese, count Nina Simone and KD Lang as influences, and are backed by Doug de Vries on guitar it’s hard to go wrong. It also helps that Diana Clark has an amazing voice." - The AGE, [Melbourne].
"De Vries and Clark feel the music of Brazil down to their bones. His guitar is full of romance and her voice is so intimate it could make you blush. Australia may be halfway around the world from Brazil but you'd never know it from listening to their CDs" - Cadence Magazine [USA].
"Diana's mellifluous voice perfectly complements de Vries' virtuosity on the 7 string guitar. Marrying old and new sounds, they manage to remain faithful to the 'musica brasileira' genre while retaining a strong Australian sensibility." - Lily Bragg, The AGE [Melbourne].
http://www.dianaclark.com.au | http://www.youtube.com/dianamayclark | http://www.facebook.com/dianamayclark | http://www.myspace.com/dianamayclark |
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