Kavita Shah

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For the Indian environmental biotechnologist, see Kavita Shah (scientist).

Kavita Shah
Kavita Shah
Background information
OriginNew York, NY, USA
GenresJazz, Brazilian, World music, morna
Occupation(s)Singer, composer, producer, arranger
Instrument(s)Voice, piano, ukulele
LabelsFolkalist Records, Naïve, Inner Circle Music
Websitekavitashahmusic.com

Kavita Shah is a vocalist and composer from New York, NY. She has been hailed by NPR for possessing an “amazing dexterity with musical languages”.[1]

Early years[edit]

Shah's family is of Gujarati origin, and her parents are originally from Mumbai, India.[2]

Raised in Manhattan, Shah began her musical training in classical piano at age 5. She spent her formative years performing regularly at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as a member of the prestigious Young People's Chorus of New York City, with whom she trained in styles ranging from opera to gospel to folk music in more than 20 languages.[3] She traces her commitment to jazz to the childhood influence of uptown saxophonist Patience Higgins, a former neighbor whose band she would later join at Harlem venues including like Minton's and the Lenox Lounge.[4]

Shah attended New York City public schools, and became fluent in Spanish at the age of 16 after living with a host family in Ecuador. She went on to major in Latin American Studies at Harvard College, where she also studied Yorùbá and became fluent in Portuguese and French. During her undergraduate years, Shah lived abroad in Perú, China, and Brazil, where she conducted fieldwork on Afro-Brazilian music and politics; her honors thesis "Experiments with Transnationalism: Constructing Diaspora in the bloco-afro Malê Debalê” was awarded the Kenneth D. Maxwell Thesis Prize in Brazilian Studies and the Cultural Agents Thesis Prize.[5] While at Harvard, she also received the Cecília Meireles Prize and the David McCord Prize.[6][7]

After college, Shah briefly worked at The Nation magazine and Human Rights Watch,[8] before a chance meeting with NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan on the New York City Subway would steer her toward a career in music.[9] She earned a Master's in Jazz Voice from Manhattan School of Music.[10]

Music[edit]

Shah has performed her music at leading festivals, concert halls and venues on six continents, including the Kennedy Center,[11] Art Basel: Miami,[8] Rochester Jazz Festival,[12] San Jose Jazz Festival,[13] Melbourne Jazz Festival,[14] Park Avenue Armory,[15] Blue Note,[16] Joe's Pub,[17] Blue Whale,[18] Vermont Jazz Center,[19] Philadelphia Museum of Art,[20] the Rubin Museum of Art,[21] and Copenhagen Jazz Festival.[22]

She has worked with Lionel Loueke, Sheila Jordan, Martial Solal, François Moutin, Greg Osby, Steve Wilson, Alune Wade (Senegal),[23] and Mulatu Astatke.[12][24][25][26]

She was named “Best Graduate Jazz Vocalist” by Downbeat in 2012 and won the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award in 2013.[27]

Shah's 2014 debut album, Visions, was produced by Benin-born jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke, and released on saxophonist Greg Osby's record label Inner Circle Music. "Visions" integrates a jazz quintet with the West African kora and Indian tabla, and includes special guests Loueke (guitar, vocals), Steve Wilson (saxophone, flute), and Rogerio Boccato (percussion).[28]

In 2017, Shah premiered the contemporary work "Folk Songs of Naboréa: a song-cycle for seven voices” at the Park Avenue Armory. The concert was named by NPR critic Nate Chinen as one of the Top 10 Performances of the year.[29]

In 2018, Shah released Interplay, a bass-and-voice duo album co-led by François Moutin, on Dot Time Records. The album features standards and originals, and includes improvisation; Moutin and Shah are joined on two tracks by pianist Martial Solal and vocalist Sheila Jordan.[30] The DownBeat review of the release commented on "Moutin's dark, reedy bass acting like a dance partner to Shah's pliant, flickering vocals, which retain a tonal richness even through passages of extreme agility."[31] Jazz Times also described the album as "a stellar rapport" between the duo who "are fearless in their interpretations".[32]

Discography[edit]

As leader[edit]

  • Kavita Shah, Cape Verdean Blues (Folkalist Records, 2023), with Bau & Miroca Paris.[33]
  • Kavita Shah, Visions (Inner Circle Music, 2014), co-produced by Lionel Loueke.[34][35]

As co-leader[edit]

As sideperson[edit]

  • Jayme Stone & Yacouba Sissoko, Diyabarana (Folklife, 2023).[37]
  • Steve Newcomb, Pluto and the Sun (2022).[38]
  • Miho Hazama & m-unit, Dancer in Nowhere (Universal Japan, 2018).[39]
  • Fredy Guzmán, Waijazz, produced by Lionel Loueke (2015).[40]
  • Jay Sand, All Around this World: South and Central Asia Vol. 1, produced by Samir Chatterjee (2015).[41]
  • Steve Newcomb Orchestra, Caterpillar Chronicles (Listen Hear, 2012).[42][43]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'Global Village' Presents New Collaborations In Latin Music". NPR. August 9, 2014. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  2. ^ Sharma, Anjali. "Indian Americans win Herb Alpert Jazz award". TheIndianEYE.NET. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Khurana, Suanshu (June 16, 2014). "New York-based jazz singer gives a refreshing twist to classics". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  4. ^ Laskey, Kevin (June 23, 2015). "Community, Diaspora, Song: Kavita Shah Speaks". jazzspeaks.org. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "DRCLAS awards certificates, names thesis prize winners". news.harvard.edu. The Harvard Gazette. June 23, 2007. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  6. ^ "Faculty of Arts and Sciences 2006-2007 Student Prize Recipients" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Siddique, Zubair (January 28, 2014). "Kavita Shah and Lionel Loueke". metro.us. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Kavita Shah". New Music USA. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  9. ^ Milkowski, Bill (January 17, 2018). "Winter Jazzfest Gilded with Guitarists and Vocalists". downbeat.com. Down Beat. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  10. ^ Maldonado, Samantha (May 2015). "Visas and Visions". Harvard Magazine. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Kavita Shah". The Kennedy Center. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Kavita Shah". Inner Circle Music. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Kavita Shah". San Jose Jazz. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  14. ^ "Kavita Shah Quartet". Steve Newcomb. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Artists Studio". Park Avenue Armory Programs. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  16. ^ "Kavita Shah". The Blue Note. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018.
  17. ^ "François Moutin & Kavita Shah Duo: Interplay Album Release". The Public Theater. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018.
  18. ^ "Kavita Shah". Blue Whale Music. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  19. ^ "Emerging Artist Series - Kavita Shah Quintet". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  20. ^ "Friday Nights: Kavita Shah". Open Arts Philly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  21. ^ "Kavita Shah-Jazz at the Rubin". rubinmuseum.org. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  22. ^ "Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2018". Archived from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  23. ^ "ALUNE WADE, KAVITA SHAH TO PERK UP SAFARICOM JAZZ LOUNGE ON NOVEMBER 4TH 2017". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  24. ^ "Kavita Shah Music-About". Kavita Shah Music. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  25. ^ "Kavita Shah — Visions (September 15, 2014) New discovery for Tais Awards team". www.taisawards.com (in Czech). Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  26. ^ "Artists Studio: Dominique Eade and Ran Blake with Kavita Shah". Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  27. ^ "ASCAP Adds Four Music Greats to Jazz Wall of Fame". Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  28. ^ Jazz, All About. "Jazz news: Vocalist/Composer Kavita Shah To Celebrate Release Of Debut Album, "Visions" - Tuesday, May 27 At Joe's Pub". All About Jazz News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  29. ^ "The Year in Gigs: Nate Chinen's Top 10 Jazz Performances Of 2017". npr.org. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  30. ^ "Dot Time Records Announce "Interplay," An Exciting New Album From The François Moutin/Kavita Shah Duo". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  31. ^ Zimmerman, Brian (May 2018). "François Moutin & Kavita Shah Duo: Interplay". DownBeat. p. 60.
  32. ^ "François Moutin & Kavita Shah Duo: Interplay (Dot Time)". jazztimes.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  33. ^ Kalia, Ammar (September 15, 2023). "DJ Znobia: Inventor Vol 1 review – raw minimalist kuduro to shake the dancefloor". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  34. ^ "Vocalist/Composer Kavita Shah To Celebrate Release Of Debut Album, "Visions" - Tuesday, May 27 At Joe's Pub". May 17, 2014. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  35. ^ "Kavita Shah: Visions". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  36. ^ "Dot Time Records Announce "Interplay," An Exciting New Album From The François Moutin/Kavita Shah Duo". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  37. ^ Diyabarana, retrieved December 26, 2023
  38. ^ "Pluto and the Sun (feat. Kristin Berardi & Kavita Shah), by Steve Newcomb". Steve Newcomb. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  39. ^ "Dancer in Nowhere, el tercer álbum de Miho Hazama". December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  40. ^ "waijazz". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  41. ^ "All Around This World Update". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  42. ^ "Caterpillar Chronicles (Steve Newcomb Orchestra)". The Australian.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  43. ^ "Kavita Shah: "Listening to my music is like visiting 10 places at once"". Australian Jazz.net. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.

External links[edit]

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