"Blues
for Guppy" is the debut jazz album from talented, local pianist, Charmaine
Ford.
Charmaine Ford has been playing jazz piano since age 13yrs, then
started gigging professionally in Auckland at age 16yrs.
She has won
several National Jazz Awards, including 'Best Pianist', 'Best Combo' at the
Annual National Tauranga Jazz Festival Competitions.
Charmaine was selected
for the NZ Youth Jazz Orchestra on 4 occasions, and was awarded the 'Jazz
Musician of the Year' award, by the Auckland Jazz Workshop in 1998 and
1999.
Charmaine has toured to Australia and performed at the “Manly Jazz
Festival”, Sydney. She has performed at all the major Jazz Festivals around NZ,
including the Waiheke International Jazz Festival, Wellington International Jazz
Festival.
At age 19yrs, Charmaine was awarded a Travel Grant Scholarship
from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in 2000, studied
in London for just over 3 months, with 2 of England’s top Jazz tutors, Nikki
Iles and Pete Churchill, plus studied with one of the world's top classical
tutors, Professor Yonty Soloman. Charmaine is currently performing, composing
and teaching jazz, in Wellington.
Now Charmaine has released her debut
jazz album, "Blues for Guppy", featuring all original compositions. The CD highlights Charmaine's beautiful playing in the context of a standard piano trio lineup, of piano, double bass and drums.
- Liner notes by Phil
Broadhurst |
