Latest Release
Ode to the Road
Dena DeRose’s music is like a cool breeze; she’s wry, wise, impeccably musical, no-nonsense, and fun. After her three decades as a pianist-singer, DeRose’s voice and her fingers are on the most harmonious of terms. She’s not afraid of simplicity; DeRose has no time for hollow sentiment, nor does she feel a compulsion to outsmart the makers of the Great American Songbook. Her approach to jazz resides mainly in her swinging rhythm and pianistic phrasing. Her eleventh album as a leader takes its name from a breezy tune, full of hip changes, that was composed by Alan Broadbent. The lyrics, provided by the legendary Mark Murphy, resonated deeply with DeRose since when she’s not teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria, she’s frequently on tour. Appropriately enough she is joined by three other HighNote artists — singer Sheila Jordan (“All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm / Little Willie Leaps” and “Small Day Tomorrow”), saxophonist Houston Person (“The Way We Were” and “The Days of Wine and Roses”) and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt (“Nothing Like You” and “Cross Me Off Your List”) also accompanied by her long-time rhythm section of Martin Wind and Matt Wilson.
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About Dena
It’s no small accomplishment to be thought of as “The most creative and compelling singer- pianist since Shirley Horn”, but that’s exactly how Joel Siegel of the Washington City Paper described Dena DeRose. If she comes to your city and you want to catch the show, go early, because the room is going to be packed. She not only awes her audiences and music critics with her facility on the piano and her swinging, soothing vocal style but, as Richard Scheinin of the San Jose Mercury aptly put it, “… she exudes joy … what soul!” DeRose always delivers “…vivid and often exciting demonstrations of how innovative her musical concepts are…” (Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner).
As a recording artist, DeRose has 14 CDs to her credit, all of which have received superior accolades. Her newest, and third HighNote release ‘Ode To The Road’ features the incomparable rhythm section of Martin Wind and Matt Wilson with guests jazz vocal icon Sheila Jordan, the incomparable saxophonist Houston Person, and the lyrically swinging Jeremy Pelt on trumpet. This CD will be released on May 29th, 2020.
DeRose has also honed her skills as a Jazz educator for the past 25+ years and is currently tenured as the Professor of Jazz Voice at the Jazz Institute of The University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria. She frequently leads clinics and workshops at such prestigious summer schools and jazz festivals such as the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Centrum-Port Townsend Jazz, the Dave Brubeck Institute in Oakland, CA, The Jazz School in Berkeley, CA, Taller de Musics in Barcelona-Spain, the JEN, The Litchfield Summer Jazz Camp, Jazz Camp West, and The Royal Conservatory of Music in Den Haag, among others.