(PRESS RELEASE)
Katerina's Composers Studio Hosted by Jeannie Tanner Opening Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
On Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010, Katerina's Composers Studio, hosted by Jeannie Tanner, will be opening: 9pm-12midnight ($5.00 cover). This new monthly showcase will feature women singer/songwriters and composers from Chicago at Katerina's, 1920 W. Irving Park Road, 773-348-7592, a club where the hippest jazz, funk, Latin, blues, Greek and international music can be heard.
On June 2nd, Katerina's Composers Studio will celebrate the music of gifted composers June Shellene (http://www.reverbnation.com/juneshellene) and Jane Baxter Miller (www.janebaxtermiller.com); along with host Jeannie Tanner (www.jeannietanner.com).
Pianist/singer/songwriter June Shellene's first c.d., The Lost Art of Love, won two achievement awards from Billboard Magazine. Her songs have been covered by an array of artists, from jazz pianist Judy Roberts, to Broadway powerhouse Patti Lupone. Fans of Sons of The Never Wrong know June as the popular trio's pianist, while theatre fans may remember her as a performer/musician, a writer (Dealing at Northlight Theatre) or musical director/producer (Steppenwolf's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, in Chicago and on Broadway).
June Shellene celebrates the release of her second CD, Wait 'Til Midnight Ends, a self-produced (with bassist Jim Cox) collection of original songs. Her voice is featured in David Mamet's classic film, House of Games, and her teaching schedule has included piano and voice at the Old Town School and music theory for Ravinia's Education Outreach.
Born of her Eastern Kentucky roots and filtered through the sidewalks of Chicago, Jane Baxter Miller's voice and songwriting haunts and uplifts as it laments the heart broken and celebrates the heart released. Her solo debut Harm Among The Willows is an album of journeys and longings, both musical and emotional. "This is Saturday night music for Sunday morning – it growls and saunters, but remains mindful of the repercussions of such flirtations." Donald Teplyske-Country Standard Time.
Jane Baxter Miller first made waves in the Chicago scene in the mid 1990's with her folk/country duo Texas Rubies. They released one album, Working Girl Blues, and contributed a track, written by Miller, "That Truck," to the inaugural Bloodshot Records compilation For A Life Of Sin. As a solo artist, she's contributed tracks to the compilations The Bottle Let Me Down, Poor Little Knitter on the Road and Hard Headed Woman, and sung on albums by Jon Langford, the Pine Valley Cosmonauts and Sally Timms. Her songs could be understandably mistaken for nuggets culled from the rich tapestry of America's roots canon. Hers is a voice that captures the timeless ache that seeps up through the dirt and hills of her native Kentucky and evokes the hope and wonder and joy of the forests and the moon.
Host, JeannieTanner, is an award winning singer/songwriter/composer who plays trumpet and performs with her group, the Jeannie Tanner Quartet. Tanner's c.d., PROMISE ME THE MOON, was on the 2009 Grammy list for ballot consideration in 4 categories. She has opened for Kurt Elling (at the Park West) and Tony Orlando (Pheasant Run Resort); shared the stage with Joan Cusack, Studs Terkel and a host of other beloved Chicagoans; and headlined the Best Buy Stage at the Taste of Chicago (2009).
Ms. Tanner's new release, YOU CAN KISS ME INTO ANYTHING, is her fourth CD in three years and includes all original tracks with her signature j-pop (jazz-pop) style. Tanner blends jazz, blues, R and B, pop and Latin rhythms into her unique sound. Her music has already been featured in many TV/Film projects, including Culinary Travels with Dave Eckert (PBS), Days of Our Lives and several indie feature films.
Ms. Tanner has also performed and recorded her original music with drummer Matt Walker (Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan and Garbage); bassist Brett Simons (Mighty Blue Kings & Jennifer Love Hewitt); pianist Ryan Cohan (composer/arranger for the Chicago Symphony Jazz Ensemble and Ramsey Lewis); multi-instrumentalist and composer Scott Bennett (Brian Wilson's Band) bassist Jim Cammack (Ahmad Jamal and Nancy Wilson); and bassist Clark Sommers (Mighty Blue Kings and Dan Cray Trio). Don't miss the opening of Katerina's Composers Studio on Wednesday, June 2. It will be an evening filled with original music and engaging conversations with the featured composers.
For more info, visit www.katerinas.com or call 773-348-7592.
