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biography
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page 2 /german
biography
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Silvia Droste
– A true jazz singer indeed!
As a 14 year-old
girl, completely self-taught,
Silvia started her musical career both
as a singer and saxophone player in
a school jazzband, making her first
recordings at the age of 17. In her
teens she was introduced to traditional
jazz, she learnt quickly and was soon
performing with such greats as Acker
Bilk, Papa Bue, Chris Barber and the
Dutch Swing College Band.
She studied English and Romanic languages
and their respective literatures (1978
-’84) , which has helped her considerably
to comprehend and present lyrics.
It’s not only
the fact that Silvia knows how to interpret
a song, but she also swings!
Her imaginative improvisations, characterized
by an instrumental approach, demonstrate
her extensive knowledge of jazz. At
the very beginning of her career, she
learned the significance of ‘tradition’
- although her adventurous nature has
always led her to explore new musical
horizons.
Gifted with a rich and nimble voice
of remarkable range and timbre, she
also possesses a perfect sense of phrasing
– plus a charismatic stage presence.
This combined with the fact that she
knows totally what she is doing, makes
her, according to the press, “Germany’s
First Lady of Jazz”…
“A Real Live Treat”.
When this lady sings, one is treated
to a jazz highlight that satisfies both
mind and soul.
In the 1980s, Silvia
founded her successful quartet Voicings
and began to develop a taste for mainstream,
bebop and big band jazz. As a soloist
she worked with the majority of German
radio big bands, the (Dutch) Skymasters
and Metropole Orchestra, Charly Antolini,
Ack and Jerry van Rooyen, Jiggs Whigham,
Peter Herbolzheimer, Scott Hamilton,
Art Farmer, Daniel Humair, Jean-François
Jenny-Clarke, Dado Moroni, Alvin Queen
and many others. She performed at German
and international jazz festivals,
such as Stockholm (S), Prague (CS),
Warsaw, Krakow (P); Paris, Cannes, Marciac
(F); and the North Sea Jazz Festival
(NL).
At the same time, she made tours in
the Benelux countries, Slovenia, East
Africa, the Soviet Union, India, Australia,
South America and Sri Lanka, either
as a member of the “Youth Jazz
Orchestra NRW”, as a guest soloist
or with projects of her own. Meanwhile
she recorded for televison and radio
productions all over Europe. Silvia
was granted various awards, among which
the German Record Critics’
Award for her debut CD “Audiophile
Voicings” in 1987. And
in 1988 she was the first jazz artist
ever to receive the ‘Prize
To Encourage Young Artists’
of the State of Nordrhein Westfalen.
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CD-Cover, Seize the Day (reissue)
HR Big Band feat.Silvia
Droste / Jeff Cascaro: The American
Songs of Kurt Weill, 2001
Cees
Slinger and Silvia
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Dear
Silvia,
...you sound wonderful…the arrangements
are superb and the choice of material
is exquisite…
This album is most enjoyable in this
age of so-called jazz singers who “shoo-be-doo” and think it is jazz. Your attention
to detail and phrasing are a joy.
With love and great respect for your
talent I remain,
Your friend,
Phil Woods, 03/94 /
CD-review "Seize the Day"
Having
worked with Silvia for more than a decade
now I can truly say that still, time
and again she strikes me by her professionalism,
which shows for instance in the way
she meticulously prepares a program
for a performance or how she treats
a song, both musically and textually,
and of course in the way she handles
her business.
What strikes me most, however, is that
she never loses her great spontaneity,
her daring to take musical risks on
the bandstand and as a result thereof,
her ability to react immediately and
adequately to sudden unexpected situations.
That‘s what keeps her audience
– and her musicians as well! – poised on the edge of their chairs throughout
the end of every show we play.
And that’s what makes a great
artist. That and her warm collegiality
makes one want to work with her forever.
Thank you, Silvia!
Cees
Slinger, Pianist
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