Sultry songstress set to sizzle

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WITH influences from six different countries, Jessica Medina is not only well travelled but also a captivating performer who is dedicated to the art of jazz.  

Being able to speak Spanish, English, Italian, French, Portuguese, and German, Medina learnt the roots of music of the different cultures and includes them in her compositions.  

Soulful singer: Medina and her band will play in KL at SevenAteNine and Mezza Notte tomorrow and Thursday.

“I have a close connection with all these countries and I’ve also learnt a lot about the indigenous music in these places. I incorporate these different elements into my music,” Medina said. 

Among her favourites is the samba which she studied while she was in Brazil. 

“I took dance and samba classes and discovered all the different types of samba that come from the various regions. It’s definitely something I feature heavily in my album,” she said.  

The sultry singer fell in love with jazz by coincidence and has pursued the genre ever since. 

“My parents were musicians so I grew up listening to a lot of music. One day, a good friend from New Orleans passed me a jazz compilation CD and invited me to a jazz festival. I saw the performers and I decided this is what I needed to do,”  

Medina has been working with different musicians for the past few years before she actually had the opportunity to sit down and work on her album last year. 

“I finally found the time to sit down and write my songs. We kicked off the project in Oct 2006 and we released the album this month. I’m quite surprised we completed the album in such a short time.”  

The new album, which is Medina’s first full-length production, is entitled Azul which means blue in various languages. “Azul is one of the tracks and the name transcends the different languages that I speak so it’s very representative of me,” she said. 

Another interesting note to the album are the musicians involved. All are from different backgrounds and this helps add to the fusion. 

“Saxophonist Greg More is African-American, drummer Vince McCoy is from Antigua and brings in a reggae and Caribbean influence, while pianist Glafkos Kontemeniotis is Greek. The bassist who performs with me, Saadi Zain is half Indian and half Irish so all the musicians really make my music colourful.” 

Medina and her band will be playing in Kuala Lumpur as part of the Hennessy X.O Jazz Tour 2007 at SevenAteNine and Mezza Notte on May 16 and 17, respectively.  

“I’m really excited to be part of this tour and look forward to the show because I’ve never been to Malaysia before.” 

She will be performing a repertoire of her originals including French, Spanish and Brazilian standards.  

The Hennessy X.O Smooth and Mellow Jazz Tour is an annual musical journey across Asia showcasing the brand’s association with jazz.  

To experience the tour, contact SevenAteNine at 03-2161 7789 or Mezza Notte at 03-2691 5668.