“Playing with Serpentine is such a treat. She’ll often start a tune in a very unassuming manner, then silently click into some unseen gear to take it somewhere unique and special. She’s a singer who has obviously done the work, honed her natural talents, and has the jazz idiom DOWN! She is first class all the way…and a sweetheart!” ~ Guitarist Mark Guest
Serpentine Arborvitae, a name that conjures images from the biblical Garden of Eden, is an award-winning singer and composer. A grant recipient of the National Endowment for The Arts and Meet The Composer, Serpentine has created music for stage and television, including Erick Hawkins Dance Company and Lifetime Television Intimate Portraits.
Born and raised in New York City, Serpentine was first introduced to jazz through the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. “A teacher in my junior high school gave me my first two jazz recordings: “Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus” and Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”. I listened to them every day non-stop and would imagine that I was playing every note of every instrument. Music is the language of my soul – it’s been the major force in my life since infancy. I experience music as audible, visual and kinetic!”
Serpentine developed her jazz voice in clubs and lofts working with esteemed musicians including pianists Fred Hersch, Anthony Davis, Kenny Barron and was eventually discovered and taken under wing by jazz master Ornette Coleman. Her vocal improvisational skills have won her critical acclaim in “Downbeat” and “Musician” magazine, and she has been a featured vocalist on recordings by dance pioneer Gabrielle Roth, bassist Trey Gunn and drummer / composer Bobby Previte.
“Fred Hersch and I met at a tiny jazz club on the Lower Westside of Manhattan. We were both sitting in with the house band. Fred was absolutely adorable, playing way beyond his very young age. From that night on we were a team. We worked together, hung out together and went to all the night jams together. It was one of the best times in my life! I loved practicing, loved learning, loved sitting in and listening to so many great artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Morgana King. Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln I got to see live!
With my recent return to singing jazz, I’ve started listening mostly just to learn new songs, and I’m still blown away by the talent and heart in all the great ones. I hope that will change in the future and that I’ll have more time to just sit back and absorb again.”
Serpentine has produced six CD recordings of original world electronic music, described by Alan McRae of Sunrise Entertainment as “an enchanting bridge between East and West, ancient and modern, spanning Mediterranean, Vedic and Celtic sacred traditions. Serpentine’s mesmerizing stage presence and spiritually empowering lyrics lift listeners into heaven’s secret garden.”
Serpentine has performed her original music in spiritual centers and music festivals across the country including the Omega Institute, The Open Center, Symphony Space Theater, Merkin Hall and St. John the Divine in NYC. Her most recent recording project “Human Angel” explores the mysteries of human consciousness and the new archetypes emerging within our collective mind. “Human Angel” has been performed at Asheville’s Masonic Temple, Black Mountain Sanctuary and the United Research Light Center.
Why WNC I asked her? “I came here at the suggestion of friends. I’d never heard of Asheville before and fell in love the moment I got off the plane. I took one look around at the mountains, inhaled a few times and heard my body say, ‘Yes! This is Home!’”
This past spring Serpentine returned to her roots in jazz performing along with some of Asheville’s finest musicians at St. Matthias Church, Isis Music Hall and The Monte Vista Hotel. Upcoming performances this fall include Black Mountain Center for the Arts, and, on October 31, Serpentine will headline the Cabaret Jazz Series at the White Horse Black Mountain with the Bill Bares Trio for a special Halloween show.
“Serpentine, in addition to always sounding fresh and spontaneous, is a captivating performer, a fearless improviser. She commands attention!” ~ Bassist Zack Page
www.serpentinejazz.com
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