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).

Jazz vocalist and pianist Dena DeRose has 25+ recordings to her credit in her 30+ year career and all have received superior accolades from many well-known Jazz publications. Through the years, each of her recordings received 4 stars in Downbeat Magazine. ‘Ode To The Road’, her previous release on HighNote, was in the HOT BOX of Downbeat Magazine with tremendous reviews (4+)!

Her newest, long awaited fourth release for HighNote Records- ‘Mellow Tones’ -features the incomparable rhythm section with Dena for over 20 years, Martin Wind and Matt Wilson, with special guest trombonist, Ed Neumeister.

DeRose has also honed her skills as a Jazz educator for the past 27+ years and has resided in Graz, Austria for the past 19 years as the Professor of Jazz Voice at the Jazz Institute of the University of Music and Performing Arts.

Dena frequently leads clinics and workshops around the world at such prestigious schools and jazz festivals/workshops such as the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Centrum-Port Townsend, the Dave Brubeck Institute, The Frost School of Music, Monterey Jazz Festival, The Red Sea Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz, City College NYC, (Berkeley, CA) The Jazz School, The Litchfield Summer Jazz Camp, Jazz Camp West, and in Holland at The Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen and The Royal Conservatory of Music in Den Haag, among many others.