Girl Most Likely

Lisa Yves

Adult contemporary with jazz and blues influences

Lisa Yves began playing piano at age seven. She was ten years old when she first discovered she could play and sing at the same time. From then on she spent hours at the piano daily trying out new songs and learning as much as she could about chord progressions and standards. By age twelve, Lisa

Adult contemporary with jazz and blues influences

Lisa Yves began playing piano at age seven. She was ten years old when she first discovered she could play and sing at the same time. From then on she spent hours at the piano daily trying out new songs and learning as much as she could about chord progressions and standards. By age twelve, Lisa had decided that she wanted to be a musician. Lisa grew up in Queens, New York. She devoured the trade papers every week and dragged her willing dad to every audition in the city that fit her description. At age fifteen, Lisa landed her first paying gig at the New York Improvisation in mid-town. Meanwhile she starred in every camp and high school play that she could. Always a natural at teaching, Lisa would help her fellow singers by accompanying them on the piano and instructing them on their technique. In high school Lisa won honorable mention in the vocal category by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts foundation and performed for New York's mayor Edward Koch who commended her vocal abilities. At New York University, Lisa became the first woman to major in vocal jazz and was instrumental in the hiring of more jazz vocal professors. Lisa studied jazz improvisation with saxophonist, Joe Lovano. It was at an NYU vocal workshop that Lisa first met rising star Harry Connick, Jr., who invited Lisa to perform with him at a Greenwich village nightclub. Lisa also performed at many clubs with her own trio, The Yvesdroppers, and was well received. In 1993, Lisa was a featured vocalist on the Robert Miller album Child's Play, also featuring vocalist Jon Lucien and drummer Anton Fig. Lisa was also a featured songwriter, along with Jeff Franzel on the Kathy Kosins release, All in a Dream's Work. Lisa also sang on the Honey Nut Cheerios national jingle.

Lisa moved to Massachusetts in 1995 and started to work with young vocalists. In 1998, Lisa produced an album called, Jazz For Kids, Everybody's Boppin'. She hired Boston's best jazz musicians and recorded with her young students at a Westwood recording studio. Jazz for kids has since won the Parent's Guide to children's media Award, has been featured in the Boston Globe, Jazziz Magazine, Parenting magazine and has been played all over the world. In 2000, Lisa released her second Jazz for Kids release, Vocalese which has received the same enthusiastic response from jazz musicians and educators.

Lisa also released a solo album called Sweet Symphony, a collection of love songs and spirituals, which Lisa produced with Brad Hatfield and a single, Icarus, in remembrance of John F. Kennedy Jr.

Lisa is a member of the New England Jazz Alliance and has performed with her students at the Roxbury Jazz Festival and the Winthrop Jazz Festival. She has also conducted a series of presentations and performances in April 2002 for NEJA on exposing kids to jazz standards, blues, rhythms and harmonies. Lisa has also worked with high school vocalists at the Best Friends Foundation Diamond Girls Jazz Choir in Washington DC in July 2002.

In July 2002, Lisa released her third Jazz for Kids cd, entitled JAZZ FOR KIDS, ON THE ROAD which features her Young Beboppers and also includes a bonus cd - LISA YVES, SOLO ON THE ROAD which features Lisa performing her own compositions.

The Bose Company has licensed two songs from Jazz for Kids, Everybody's Boppin' (Colors of the Blues and Straighten Up and Fly Right) for use on their childrens' compilation cd Whirligigs which is sold in the Bose stores.

In September 2003, Lisa performed with her trio and young beboppers at the Equinox Jazz festival in Boston, Massachusetts. Currently, Lisa is about to release her next album entitled, Girl Most Likely. It is a collection of Lisa's original songs recorded and performed by Lisa.

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