Lila Ammons might be one of the new voices on the Twin Cities jazz scene, but her roots in jazz are legendary. Granddaughter of charismatic boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons and niece of tenor titan Gene (Jug) Ammons, Lila has been singing since age three, when she also started to teach herself piano. She moved on to formal piano and later violin studies, and performed in school plays and musicals. Studying classical voice in New York, Ammons spent twelve years singing in opera, recitals and oratorios in the US and Europe, as well as doing commercial and film work. But the genetic pull of jazz eventually was too strong to ignore, and over the past five years, Ammons has been moving steadily into jazz, as well as relocating to the Twin Cities.

With a wide vocal and interpretive range, Lila Ammons has appeared at the Minneapolis Hot Summer Jazz Festival, Rossi's Blue Star, Blues Alley, Jazzmines, Sophia's, and as a featured performer in the KBEM "Jazz at the G" series. At the 2004 Minnesota State Fair she was awarded first place in the Open Division of the Amateur Talent Contest for her rendition of “Love for Sale.” In addition to performance, Ammons also teaches private voice lessons and is working on her first recording. Now you can catch the Lila Ammons Trio in downtown Minneapolis at the beautiful and popular new venue, Bellanotte, this Wednesday (February 23) and during the Jazz 88 Twin Cities Winter Jazz Festival at the Millennium Hotel on March 13^th. Her compatriots on the bandstand will include pianist Tom West and drummer Chaz Draper.

Bellanotte is located at 600 Hennepin Ave S in downtown Minneapolis; call (612)339-7200 or visit www.bellanottempls.com. Information about the KBEM Winter Jazz Festival is available at www.jazz88fm.com