Songwriter and vocalist Melissa Stott learned from a few of the best, such as Porter, Gershwin, Ellington, Strayhorn, Berlin, and more, but she has a more modern appeal to her music. She learned to play the piano at age six and was ear trained by her father. Melissa also took part in various choral activities. She decided to do acting in Italy and slipped into the jazz scene. Her first jazz record was of Ella Fitzgerald with Ellis Larkin at the piano. Melissa has studied with Barry Harris, Stjepko Gut, Dennis Jeter, LaVerne Jackson, Andy Farber and Vince Benedetti. She participated in festivals and coached many students in classical piano and harmony, jazz singing, choral singing and ballet.
Melissa is very talented and has written catchy tunes with interesting harmonies and witty, touching lyrics in this album The Picture. From the up-tempo dismissal of a lover in “Romance Addio,” to the haunting Evans-esque “The Picture,” or the aching, melancholic “Wish It Wasn’t True,” each and every one of Stott’s original songs casts a spell which is hard to forget. As a vocalist, her style is natural and understated, yet “an almost conversational intimacy combines with subtle power” to produce feelings that it’s hard to put your finger on.
Tracks: Wish it Wasn't True, You, A Little Contented Place, Beware of Your Heart, I Just Can't Stop the Tear, That'll Be Us, The Picture, I'm Looking at You with New Eyes, Romance Addio, Cara, Mexico Blue, Hindsight
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