Christine Spero - Pianist/Singer/Composer
Biography
Christine and her group performed live on NPR WAMC 90.3 FM, Albany on Performance Place "Music of Our Time" to promote their new CD, "My Spanish Dream", a rich Brazilian/Latin/World fusion offering that dances blithely between jazz and pop. Diverse and daring, it highlights Spero's love for lush vocal harmonies, something she's been enthralled with her entire career. (See press reviews)
The Christine Spero Group was one of the headliners at The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz in July 2006. They performed with Blood, Sweat and Tears and The Charlie Daniels Band at Harborfest in Oswego, New York in July 2007. They have opened for such notables as:
Kim Waters, Walter Beasley, Ray Vega, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Bobby Matos, Clark Terry, Mike Phillips (from Prince), pop icon of the 60's and 70's-Melanie, and Andrea Brachfield. Christine has performed on Time Warner Cable's "Poughkeepsie LIVE!" and has been written about in USA Today, Billboard, Jazz Times, Keyboard and Recording Magazines, ASCAP Playback.
The December issue of Recording Magazine featured Christine in their Artist Profile. This can be viewed at: www.taxi.com/transmitter/0611/headlineB0611.html She is the Winner of the 2004 USA Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category for her song, "He Wasn't Always That Way" and Finalist with "Caribbean Nights" in 2002. Her piece "Therapy" has been published by Wild Whirled Music for use in film and television. The group was a semi-finalist in the Discmakers Northeast 2006 Independent Music World Series.
A recording of new songs for peace on the Woodlark Rising label, will feature the choral ensemble Voices for Peace and many well-known musicians and song writers. The collection will include music and/or performances by The Christine Spero Group, Pete Seeger, Tom Pacheco, David Alpher, Ras T. Asheber, Leslie Ritter and Scott Petito, Peter Schickele, Jon Stein, Danielle Woerner, Dennis Yerry and others.
Each one of Christine's pieces is a unique vehicle for creative improvisation. Add to that her evocative, soulful singing and you've got a smooth runway for the piano, saxophone, bass, drums and percussion to take off!
Christine is the Swedish/American granddaughter of classical pianists. She recorded her first songs on RCA as a teen, then moved from New York to San Francisco to further study music and botany. She was a member of Bob Braye's Peace and Rhythm Unit. Her eclectic and personal style of composing was influenced by many classical and jazz musicians. She has performed with her own quartets and sextets over the years and now lives in the Catskill Mountains of New York, where she continues to write, record, and perform with her band.
Saxophonist, percussionist and producer Elliot Spero founded his own ensembles in San Francisco and opened for Bobby McFarrin in the Bay Area. He engineered and produced Christine's CD's, "We Call It Music" and "My Spanish Dream" and owns a recording studio in New York.