Amanda King, a music historian and natural chanteuse who performs standards and jazz, has been hailed by Stephen Holden of the New York Times as one of nightclub world’s “exceptional rising talents”! A vivacious and captivating performer, Amanda brings to mind the great golden age of jazz as she skillfully weaves together the essence of words, music, and swing, with a rich voice and sophistication of a bygone era, infused with the vibrant energy of today.
A love of classic musicals and early 1900s American music fostered the creation of ELLA The Early Years, a joy filled musical celebration of ‘First Lady of Song’ Ella Fitzgerald’s beginnings and early career with the Chick Webb Orchestra through great music and superb storytelling. An entertaining and informative cultural retrospective coupled with a fantastic jazz concert on a popular American icon, ELLA the Early Years garners rave reviews from critics and audiences everywhere. Scalable from trio to big band, workshops, residencies or master classes are available.
Other great programs and workshops include:
- An Evening of Standards & Jazz – connoisseurs of the classics will swoon as Amanda King & her Trio share the magic and complexity of American Standards.
- Lost Women Forgotten Songs – uncover pioneering Native American and African American women, along with others from the 1920s/Depression/WWII eras through their songs and stories. An edutainment powerhouse of music and history!
- Ladies Who Swing – highlighting music from the legendary female performers of 1930 to 1950 that you know and love (Peggy Lee, Pearl Bailey, Doris Day) who left a treasure trove of musical gold!
- Amanda King Swings the Standards – a fresh take on the Great American Songbook from a chanteuse who focuses on the words and the swing! Filled with tried and true songs along with worthy works by little known composers from the 1930s and 1940s.
- Movie Musical Magic – pay homage to the songs that made movies, and the movies that made songs, from the 1940s to today’s modern tunes!