01/25/17 Jazz Vocalist - Allison Adams Tucker
Born in San Diego, California, multi-lingual jazz vocalist Allison Adams Tucker began singing before she could speak. Allison was raised by classically trained musical parents, and began performing in front of audiences at age 5. She studied piano, flute, violin, dance and voice from elementary school and holds a BA in Linguistics / Music Vocal Performance and an AA in Italian. Allison's vocal palette has been colored by her experience in a variety of musical genres throughout her life, from a cappella Elizabethan madrigals to punk rock to country to commercial jingles. Since 2005 Tucker has found the most natural fit to be jazz. The genre's freedom of expression and intellectual tilt were both appealing, as was its openness to absorb styles and accents from throughout the vocalist's travels.
Growing up on the border with Mexico, Allison was exposed to intermingling cultures and her love for languages and world cultures also began at an early age. She has studied and sings in 6 languages besides her own, lived in Japan and Spain, and has traveled to over 15 countries. This "wanderlust" is present in the music she chooses today— with rhythms, melodies, and lyrics of Brazil, Italy, France, Latin America, Japan, and the US. "Why?", you might ask… For Allison, it's all about the human connection, and music is the universal language.
Allison's debut album "Come With Me" (Allegato Music, July 2008), co-produced by jazz guitarist Peter Sprague (Dianne Reeves, David Benoit, Chick Corea, Sergio Mendes) and arranged by Kamau Kenyatta (Gregory Porter, Hubert Laws, Earl Klugh, Patti Austin), received international acclaim, was nominated for Best Jazz Album 2009 by the San Diego Music Awards, and continues to receive airplay on radio stations in 18 countries.
Allison's sophomore album "April in Paris" (Allegato Music, June 2014) celebrating songs of springtime from around the world, was recorded in Paris on UNESCO's 1st Annual International Jazz Day at the end of a 9-concert tour through Italy & France with international musicians and arrangers from five countries. Arrangers include Kamau Kenyatta, Danny Green, Emmanuel Massarotti, and Jovino Santos Neto.
Allison returned to the studio for her third album "WANDERlust" (Origin Records, August 2016), this time in New York City under the direction of award-winning producer Matt Pierson (Brad Mehldau, Milton Nascimento, Joshua Redman, Jane Monheit). WANDERlust features a stunning all-star ensemble that not o