Nelda Swiggett Trio Bio

Nelda Swiggett Trio Bio
The melodic originals of Seattle pianist/vocalist Nelda Swiggett draw from
her long list of influences, from jazz to Afro­Cuban, to gospel, classical and
more. Nelda first came onto Seattle’s jazz scene in the early 90′s, leading
the popular Room to Move sextet, and performing at many of Seattle’s top
jazz venues. Her trio with bassist Chris Symer and drummer Byron
Vannoy has worked steadily since 2006. JazzTimes called their 2010 CD
release, This Time (OA2 Records), a “stunning project,” and the trio was
selected to perform in 2010’s Earshot Jazz Festival, and again in 2011 with
her larger ensemble, Stringtet. Jim Wilke (KPLU, Jazz After Hours
PRI/NPR) selected This Time for his “Best Northwest Jazz CDs of
2010,” and the CD continues to receive regular airplay on Seattle’s
popular jazz station KPLU. Nelda’s fourth CD, Blue­Eyed Painted Lady,
will be released nationally by OA2 Records in March 2014.
Drummer Byron Vannoy has
worked steadily as a performer and educator on both the east and
west coasts playing, recording and composing a wide variety of music.
He has performed and recorded with many internationally known
musicians, including Julian Priester, Herbie Hancock, Randy Brecker,
and Ernestine Anderson, to name a few. Byron’s CD of original
compositions, Meridian, was voted Earshot’s 2008 “Record of the
Year.” "Vannoy is as impressive for his soft use of brushes as for the
solo creativity he displays in a sizzling
performance" (JazzTimes).
Bassist Chris Symer was well established in the LA jazz scene before moving to
the northwest ten years ago. He’s since become one of Seattle’s top tier bass
players, highly regarded for his versatile and sensitive musicianship. Chris has
recorded, performed and toured with many of the world’s leading jazz musicians
including Tierney Sutton, Ramsey Lewis, Roger Kellaway, Robben Ford and
Bennie Maupin.
www.neldaswiggett.com nswiggett@gmail.com (206) 323­1361