Musicians: Mark Little (piano), Jon Evans (bass), Mimi Fox (guitar), Alan Hall (drums), Celia Malheiros(percussion), Ken Cohea (sax), Buca Necak (bass)
Tracks: Summer Wind, Something Happened to Me, Moon River, Blue Skies, I Could Write a Book, September in the Rain, Nice & Easy, Beautiful Love, Time After Time, Fly Me to the Moon, Just Squeeze Me, The Very Thought of You, I'll Be Seeing You
Biography: Beata was originally educated as a classical violinist in Warsaw's prestigious music academy. The first to note Beata's talent for singing was her violin professor's wife. Being an opera singer, she sensed the eight year old's strong voice and presence, and helped Beata get her start in Warsaw's world-reknown opera house. To the chagrin of her professor, singing became Beata's passion. At the age of 16, Beata toured Europe for the first time, soon headlining shows with over 5,000 fans in attendance. At the age of 18, Beata signed with CBS/Sony Records and later moved to London to continue her education.
London lead to Japan, where Beata's unique style began to take shape. During this 10 year period, the jazz community began to take notice of the beautiful Polish girl performing around Asia. Playing with the likes of Walter Bishop Jr and the drummer Jimmy Smith, Beata began to break new ground. Her style developed as she reconstructed the old jazz with a new feeling, her voice another instrument in the mix. More than a vocalist, she brought the soul of long-gone singers back to life.
While in Japan, besides performing nightly, Beata taught violin at the the Yamaha School of Music and continued her recording work with CBS/Sony. She recorded and performed with many of Japan's musicians. It was perhaps highlighted by being chosen as the final act at Tokyo's Fireworks Festival in 1994, playing with Walter Bishop Jr and Oda Yuichiro in front of an audience estimated by the media as 6 million people.
In 1995, Beata moved to the US. Landing in San Francisco with nothing more than her voice and soul, she soon became part of the scene, playing throughout the San Francisco bay area. During this time she was quite often accompanied by bassist Buca (Bootza) Necak, having played together in Japan. The two recorded an album in 1992 in Yokohama with pianist Donny Schwekendiek entitiled “Session” and once again in 1997 with “Once in a Blue Moon”. Beata and Oda Yuichiro reunited to record “Blackout” in his New Jersey studio during the east coast blackout of 2003.
Most recently, Beata has recorded a new work with Mark Little entitled “Black”. On this album they produce a new set of arrangements on classic works with a talented group of musicians. Beata and Mark have just returned from a 10 day tour in Japan promoting the “Black” album.
JazzReview.com
