Dena derose biography template
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Without piano, Dena could not play the jazz music she so loved—until she sang at a local club on a dare. All her practicing and playing took an unexpected toll when Dena developed severe carpal tunnel syndrome, which made it impossible to play the piano. This hardship turned into a new opportunity when, on a friend’s dare, Dena took the stage and sang at a local club.
Dena’s talents were widely recognized a decade later. She’s has been featured on many radio stations in Europe, and has garnered many excellent reviews All of DeRose’s recordings from Sharp Nine, Maxjazz, Vega, GoFour, and now HighNote, have all received no less than 4 stars from Downbeat, and have continued to gain listeners in the U.S.
and abroad.
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Dena DeRose is often called “The most creative, compelling singer-pianist ever since Shirley Horn”. This recording features Akira Tana, Ray Drummond, Dave Ellis, and Dave Ellis as a drummer, composer, arranger and vocalist.
She brings that same energy and innovation to performances alongside Ray Brown, Clark Terry and Marian McPartland. Two recordings were released in 2007 entitled “The Nearness of Two”, a concert in Ancona, Italy, with trumpeter Marvin Stamm and a group effort recording called Vega “A Night in Claremont”. Fortunately for SJW students and audiences, she has returned every year since then, even as her ever-increasing popularity as a performing and recording artist has taken her to the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals and venues, including the Blue Note, the Kennedy Center, and the North Sea and Monterey Jazz Festivals.
Dena began playing piano as a child in suburban New York, and became fascinated by jazz after discovering the music of Count Basie as a teenager.
(Philip Elwood – San Francisco Examiner). Dena is known for her “…vivid, often thrilling demonstrations of her innovative musical concepts …”. Born in Binghamton, NY, she began learning piano at age three. Christopher Louden, Jazz Times, says that MaxJazz “… makes a big step forward with “A Walk In The Park”.
She enjoyed the experience so much that she began booking gigs as a singer, often working with Doug Beardsley's trio. By the time Dena was able to play piano again, singing was an integral part of her musical identity. Cadence Magazine awarded her the Album of The Year and Best Vocal Jazz Album Awards for her Sharp Nine albums “Another World” (with Cadence Magazine’s approval) and “I Can See Clearly now”.
She's currently head of the Jazz Vocal department at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria. She moved to New York City in 1991 at the age of 25 and gradually gained recognition for her unique vocal style and inventive piano playing.
Her first album, "Introducing Dena DeRose," was initially self-produced and released in 1996, although it was later re-released under Sharp Nine Records.
Dena has an impressive number of performances credits. These conditions required multiple surgeries and forced her to abandon piano for two years. There are many legendary clubs worldwide, including the Blue Note, Smoke and the Jazz Standard, New York, the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., the Pitt Inn and Body and Soul, The Jazz Showcase and Alexander Platz in Rome, and The San Francisco Jazz Festival.
You should get there early if you want to see her perform in your city.