MUSIC

Dena DeRose’s vocal style is inimitable and her piano playing bursts with creativity and infectious energy. It’s no surprise that she’s become a perennial Stanford Jazz Festival favorite. Her multifaceted talent shines whether she’s drawing out the subtleties of a classic lyric or swinging her way through a bebop piano solo. But it’s the way her voice and piano interact and complement one another that truly sets her apart. Her singer’s instinct for strong melodies and expressive phrasing informs her piano playing, and her keyboard skills give her the freedom and confidence as a vocalist to take exciting improvisational risks. Her current CD, Live at Jazz Standard Volume 2, is garnering effusive praise from reviewers, who have dubbed it “sublime” and “highly recommended,” amongst other kudos. Trombonist Steve Davis, an alumnus of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Chick Corea’s Origin and a bandleader in his own right, will join Dena for this much-anticipated performance. Davis’s upcoming recording Eloquence (to be released this Fall) is a collaboration with piano innovator Hank Jones.