Photo by Andrea Canter

About Lucia Newell

From Los Angeles to Mexico City to Rio de Janeiro, as well as locally at Orchestra Hall, the Artist's Quarter, and the Dakota, Lucia Newell has performed Brazilian samba, French ballads and bop melodies; she has sung with the great Billy Eckstein, the Rio Jazz Orchestra, and Oscar Castro Neves. A native of Minneapolis, Lucia was always involved in school choirs, theater, and garage bands. She moved to New York in the late 60s where she finished high school and joined a classical ensemble, the Albatross Quartet and political theater group that ultimately settled in Minneapolis as At the Foot of the Mountain Theater. Back in the Twin Cities, Lucia began vocal studies with Janis Hardy of the Minnesota Opera. Soon her career moved into voice-over work, radio jingles and singing background vocals for recordings.

Lucia began her jazz career singing with the Kevin Hoidale Sextet and the group Four. She traveled between Minneapolis and LA singing in clubs and concerts, and cut a demo recording at Creation Audio, where she met future husband Steve Wiese. The “gypsy years” were underway as Lucia moved to Europe and then Rio de Janeiro, where she sang with Osmar Milito, Nilson Matta, Everaldo Ferreira and Marcio Lotts at Clube 21, and with Celia Vaz and the Rio Jazz Orchestra; she also studied Brazilian percussion with Café. From Rio she moved to Buenos Aires, and then to Mexico City for six months performing at El Señorial. Back in the US, Lucia landed in Los Angeles to study jazz at the Dick Grove School of Music, finally returning to Minneapolis in 1982. Back home, Lucia married Steve Wiese and worked for Jimmy Jam Harris, Terry Lewis and Monte Moir of Flyte Time singing background vocals.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Over the past two decades she has continued voice-over work as well as live performance and studio singing, teaching, composing, and her life-long study of music. A linguist as well as vocalist, Lucia writes lyrics in both English and Portuguese, and has translated many of her favorite Brazilian songs. She has collaborated with guitarist/bassist Joan Griffith on several songs included on their CD, Enter You, Enter Love, and are working on their second CD. Lucia has set words to Thelonious Monk’s “Ugly Beauty” and to works of local piano virtuoso Laura Caviani; she also has composed and written lyrics for several children’s songs and has composed music for a Hopi poem, “Weep Not at My Grave.”

Lucia Newell is busy performing locally (often at the Dakota and Artists Quarter), at area festivals, and nationally/internationally with bassist Michael Gold at corporate events. Her first recording, Enter You, Enter Love was hailed as a “wonderfully surprising collection of love songs...that brings to mind steamy, moonlit tropical nights” (Sun Current). Her recent collaborations with Pete Whitman’s Departure Point sextet, along with her love of Billy Strayhorn, led to her latest release, Steeped in Strayhorn. Said Alan Bargebuhrin Cadence, “Lucia Newell turns out to be one of those gifted vocalists whose conception and intelligence is transcendent. Add to that some well crafted and conceived arrangements played with snap, crackle, and the requisite pop, and you have over an hour of music that is alive with authentic Jazz affirmation. Strayhorn would be very happy and proud.” Another frequent collaboration, with the trio Soul Café (Laura Caviani, Steve Blons, Brad Holden), will be documented in an upcoming recording (see below).

At the Artists’ Quarter: Tribute to Betty Carter, September 16-17.

Lucia Newell’s strong interest in the music of the late Betty Carter led to the arrangements for this weekend’s tribute gig at the Artists Quarter. Carter had a strong individual style and uncompromising personality that eschewed commercial success despite her incomparable talent as a scat singer and creative interpreter. After touring with Lionel Hampton, she gained popularity with a duet recording with Ray Charles. In the last decade of her life, she was honored with a Grammy and awards from the NEA and President Clinton. Her most enduring legacy, however, is her efforts to nurture the careers of young jazz artists, much in the manner of Art Blakey. Many of today’s stars launched their careers in Carter’s stable, and the Betty Carter Jazz Camp continues as one of the top learning opportunities for young jazz artists. Joining Lucia will be pianist and frequent collaborator Laura Caviani, master bassist Terry Burns, and the king of elegant percussion, Phil Hey. Sets Friday and Saturday begin at 9 pm, first set is non-smoking.

Photo by Andrea Canter

With Soul Café at the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, September 18.

One of the most unique jazz ensembles in the Twin Cities, Soul Café launches their new season this weekend. The imaginative collaboration of three stellar local artists features Steve Blons (guitar), Laura Caviani (piano), and Brad Holden (alto sax). Soul Café presents monthly programs from September – May at the Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church (and an occasional gig at the Dakota), usually combining their jazz chops with readings of poetry. This weekend (Sunday, September 18^th at 7 pm), Soul Café continues their trademark tradition with frequent guest vocalist Lucia Newell reprising a 2004 performance featuring the music of Rogers and Hart with readings from the works of Brazilian poet Pablo Neruda. This gig will also serve as a preview of Soul Café’s upcoming second recording.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Soul Café’s leader, Steve Blons (aka Dr. Jazz), grew up around jazz as the son of Twin Cities’ Dixieland musician Harry Blons. Gigging around town as a teenage guitarist, Blons pursued other career directions, and worked in higher education, adoption, and conference center management before turning to fulltime music about ten years ago. In addition to Soul Café, Blons recently joins forces with Michele (Jansen) MacKenzie for Jazz and the Spirit, airing on KBEM-FM (88.5) and simulcast on their website, www.Jazz88FM.com.

Laura Caviani is one of the area’s busiest jazz performers, composers, and educators. Her formal education included degrees from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI and the University of Michigan; study in Japan at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village; and a grant to study with another highly inventive pianist, Joanne Brackeen. She has toured with Toots Theilemans, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, and (currently) Karrin Allyson, has released four acclaimed recordings as well as appearing on a long list of CDs of local musicians, and teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In addition to her work with her own ensembles, she appears regularly with the Pete Whitman X-Tet and Departure Point.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Alto saxman and Fergus Falls, MN native Brad Holden notes that “for the last twenty-eight years, the alto saxophone has been at times both my best friend and my worst enemy.” After studying at the University of Minnesota where he played in jazz ensembles, Holden played professionally around town and studied with local legend Eddie Berger. His local gigs have ranged from solos on the rooftop of the old Loring Cafe to the Twin Cities Jazz Orchestra Big Band. His current projects include Lineup, which features the music of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, and Warne Marsh, and of course, Soul Café.

A Lucia Newell Weekend

If you have not yet heard the woman described by Minnesota Monthly as “one of the most powerful vocalists on the Twin Cities scene,” this weekend offers two exceptional opportunities over three nights. Find out why drummer Phil Hey calls Lucia Newell “a real jazz singer, one of the very few who’s really dedicated to what I would call jazz music - one of the few singers I would pay to see.” At the same time, you will hear two of the classiest instrumental ensembles around, with Laura Caviani/Terry Burns/Phil Hey backing Lucia at the Artists Quarter (Friday and Saturday), and the ever-soulful Soul Café performing their unique blend of jazz and spoken word at the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church (Sunday).

For more information about Lucia Newell, visit www.lucianewell.com. The Artists Quarter is located in the lower level of the Hamm Building at 7^th Place and St. Peter Street in downtown St. Paul, www.mnjazz.org ; cover $10. More about Soul Café is available on the Jazz Police at www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/4895/53/. Soul Café performs monthly on the third Sunday of the month at 7 pm in the Art Gallery of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Lyndale and Groveland near the I-94 Lyndale exit off Loring Park in Minneapolis; information at 612-871-5303. No cover, donations suggested.

Photo by Don Berryman