Gwen Hughes

 _______________________
       
LOCAL  
Trg celjskih knezov 10
3000 CELJE
  ____________________

Gwen Hughes izvira z juga Amerike ( Atlanta , zvezna država Georgia ). Je pevka, ki prebija žanrsko glasbo. Jazz? Pop? Postmoderno melodično izražanje? Blues? Rock'n'roll? Funkijevski nizko-kalorični styling? Takoimenovana “Otrok ljubezni med Muddyjem Watersom in Peggy Lee”, a še najbolje jo opiše izraz fusion artist – fuzija bluesa, rocka in jazza. “Temu pravimo ‘rustic jazz,'” pravi Gwen. Večkratno okronana z nazivom najbolj priljubljene izvajalke jazza v Atlanti, spodbuja in izziva z vsakim nastopom.
  
Gwen je pravkar dokončala svojo četrto zgoščenko Instead of Light , ki je bila posneta v New Yorku s priznanim glasbenim producentom založbe Blue Note, Dannyjem Kopelsonom. Svojo novo glasbo bo predstavljala na evropski turneji 2006. Gwenini prvi zgoščenki sta bili deležni velikega priznanja z nominacijo za Grammyja, prejela pa je tudi dve Merit Grammy nagradi. Njene pesmi lahko trenutno slišite tudi na spletu, na naslovu www.gwenhughes.com in preko virtualnih založb, kot sta iTunes in Rhapsody.
 
Poleg Tomija band sestavljajo še basist Giovanni Toffoloni (Italija – Steff Burns, Ocho Rios, Tony Scott; www.giovannitoffoloni.com ), pianist Maasej Kovačevič (Hrvaška), kitarist Teo Collori (Slovenija) in gostje na saksofonu (za Slovenijo Klemen Kotar – glej www.klemenkotar.com, za Italijo Angelo Chiocca, itd.).

Njene glasbene stvaritve so poleg tega uporabili še v filmih We three Kings, Blood Ties in A Stolen Melody . Gwenina ameriška zasedba The Retro Jazz Kats nastopa dvestokrat letno s širokim repertoarjem, ki se razteza od Franka Sinatre do Led Zeppelinov. Gwen je jeseni 2004 prvič nastopila s člani zasedbe, ki jo vodi bobnar Tomi Puric. Skupaj so zablesteli na Jazz festivalu v Cakovcu in v svetovno znanem varaždinskem teatru Rogoz. Odličen odziv publike na teh nastopih je Gwenina značilna bosa stopala privabil tudi na slovenske odre poleti 2005. Uvodna turneja jih je ponesla na nastope po celi državi. Z izjemno izvedbo so se izkazali na dvorišču ptujskega gradu, na peščeni plaži v Portorožu in na velikem finalu Rumene noči v Kopru, kjer je tritisočglava množica z Gwen v en glas prepevala “What a Wonderful World”.
Poletna turneja julija 2006 je bila še uspešnejša in daljša, obsegala pa je tudi nastope po Italiji. Gwen je uspešno nastopila na največjih slovenskih festivalih (Lent v Mariboru, Carniola v Kranju, Festival Krka v Krki pri Ljubljani) in odkrila tudi Italijo (Muggia/Trst), kjer jo že vabijo nazaj za naslednje leto.
O vseh turnejah so tako v tisku kot po televiziji in v radijskih intervjujih obširno poročali domači, italijanski ter hrvaški mediji.

Spremljevalno skupino vodi bobnar Tomi Puric, ki nastopa in snema s številnimi slovenskimi in mednarodnimi pop, jazzovskimi in Latino zasedbami – pop zvezdnikom Janom Plestenjakom, jazzovskim mojstrom Dejanom Pečenkom, Big bandom slovenske vojske – sodeloval pa je tudi z bluesovsko legendo Lesom Getrexom (New Orleans, ZDA) ter z avantgardnim jazzovskim pevcem Milesom Griffithom (New York, ZDA). Je stalni član zabavne skupine H-band v oddaji nacionalne televizije »HriBar,« ki poteka v živo vsako soboto od oktobra do junija. Tomi je z Gwen sodeloval na dveh njenih turnejah, leta 2004 na Hrvaškem in 2005 v Sloveniji.
 
Poleg Tomija band sestavljajo še basist Giovanni Toffoloni (Italija – Steff Burns, Ocho Rios, Tony Scott; www.giovannitoffoloni.com ), pianist Maasej Kovačevič (Hrvaška), kitarist Teo Collori (Slovenija) in gostje na saksofonu (za Slovenijo Klemen Kotar – glej www.klemenkotar.com, za Italijo Angelo Chiocca, itd.).

From a region where new country and hip-hop own the large live music venues, Gwen Hughes is probably the busiest genre-busting singer on the scene. With her US bands' undeniable talent (The Rustic Jazz and Retro Jazz Kats), 4 CDs to her credit, and voted Atlanta's favorite jazz/swing singer three times in the past 4 years, Hughes prods and provokes in every performance.  On stage, the petite, shimmering chanteuse with the long mane of red curls seems to personify feminine. Then she opens her mouth.

Jazz? Pop? Post-modern melodic posturing? Bluegrass ? Funkified low-carb song styling? Well, you won't find her in the sale bin with Perry Como , that's for sure. And a girl who won't stick to the melody isn't going to last long at the front of a pop band either. The self-monikered “love child of Muddy Waters and Peggy Lee” is, in the end, best described as a fusion artist – a fusion of blues, rock and jazz..."what we cryptically call ' rustic jazz ,"  says the singer.

Gwen's trademark bare feet are planted squarely in the tradition of cabaret, revealing her early days in musical theatre and straight drama. After paying her dues in cities with a single Holiday Inn and a piano, then losing her regular gig at an Atlanta hotel shortly before the Centennial Olympics, her future as a lounge lizard seemed, well...uncertain.

She responded with her first CD, Torch Life , which birthed her wildly successful “Kool Kat Lounge A-Go-Go” show – replete with cigarette girls, jugglers, comedians and a 14-piece band. Next came two more CDs in a single year: the introspective studio recording Lost and Found and a spontaneous, live release, The Misplaced Martini . Both of her original offerings have had Grammy entry, and individual tracks have been recognized by National Public Radio, Just Plain Folks and CDBaby.  She's a member of the  "Jazz Outreach" Committee for the Atlanta Chapter of NARAS; a board member of The Atlanta Coalition of the Performing Arts; a multiple winner of Creative Loafing's  BEST JAZZ ARTIST - a popular ambassador of the genre.  Along the way, she has crooned in Paris and Prague , collaborated on a film about Elvis impersonators, and appeared as a character in a detective novel. Her latest quirky spin is jazz covers of Led Zeppelin songs.

Gwen has just wrapped New York production of INSTEAD OF LIGHT , working with Drew Young (formerly of Atlanta's "Ruben Kincaid") and Danny Kopelson (Blue Note mix producer of Cassandra Wilson, Amos Lee, Holly Cole, et al), due out in 2005.

National & International Performances

FESTIVALS INCLUDE:

LMNOP Festival (New Orleans)    
Ateliers d'Artistes de Belleville (Paris: France)
Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art--opening for Chuck Mangione
City Stages (Birmingham, AL)
Dogwood Festival (Atlanta)
Atlantis Music Conference
One City, Many Voices (Atlanta)--producer & performer
Georgia Music Week – Georgia Music Hall of Fame (Macon, GA)
Atlanta Jazz Festival
Montreaux-Atlanta Music Festival
Jazz Jamboree (Stone Mountain, GA)                                                                    Jazz Festival (Cakovec, Croatia)                                                                         The Lake Oconee Jazz & Balloon Festival (Greensboro, GA)
Yellow Daisy Festival (Stone Mountain, GA)
Inman Park Festival (Atlanta)
OysterFest (Atlanta)
Pleasure Island Seafood & Jazz Festival (NC)
Red Wine Festival (Seaside, FL)
Sunset Serenade (Seaside, FL)
Yellow Night (Koper, Slovenia)

CONCERT SERIES:

Allied Arts Series (Milledgeville, GA)
Centennial Olympic Park Concert Series
Black Mountain Concert Series (NC)
University of West Georgia Concert Series
Friday Jazz – The High Museum (Atlanta)
Martinis & IMAX – Fernbank Museum of
Natural History (Atlanta)
Marietta Concerts on the Square (GA)
Conyers Olde Towne Concerts (GA)

SPECIAL APPEARANCES:

The Rialto Theatre 
The Fox Theatre (Atlanta)
The Kodak Theatre (Los Angeles)                                                              Symphony Hall (Atlanta)
ALMAs – Atlanta Local Music Awards
Operation Starting Line -- federal penitentiary performance concert
Atlanta Thrashers                                                                                          Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Braves
NASCAR (Jonesboro, GA)
The Mayflower Hotel (Washington, DC)
The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs,WV)
Atlanta Pops – Peachtree City & Galleria Amphitheatres

CLUB APPEARANCES INCLUDE: