A great way to evaluate the impact an artist has made on the community they’re part of is to hear what other artists say about them.
“As a founding member of the Asheville-based Jazz Composers Forum, Sharon LaMotte has brought lots of creative music and musicians to the area, and created a local scene for modern jazz.” ~ Bassist Mike Holstein
“Without a doubt, Sharon LaMotte is one of the most important people in the Asheville-area jazz scene. She is instrumental in the promotion, hiring and supporting of many jazz-related events and people in this area. She also happens to be a fine singer.” ~ Drummer Justin Watt
Born in Newport , RI and coming from an artistic and musical family, Sharon’s earliest experience with music was playing the ukulele and singing when she was five years old. From age nine, she began teaching herself piano and taking flute lessons, and her search for a musical voice continued at fifteen when she got a job in order to buy a guitar.
Sharon majored in the fine arts at Northern Virginia Community College in Fairfax, Va. and Ducret School in New Jersey. Sharon’s start in the music business came in the form of managing and promoting singer/songwriter Michael Fitzgerald 1979 in Red Bank, NJ. Her jazz vocal coaches include Jay Clayton and Sheila Jordan.
Sharon became a resident of Asheville in 1984 and the diverse music scene here re-kindled her passionate interest. In 2001, Sharon began her association with a group of musicians, The Taken Back Quartet. In collaboration with these musicians, which included Philip Whack, Sam Macy, Mike Holstein and Taylor Davis and with consultations from NYC pianist/composer Bill Gerhardt, she formed the non-profit Jazz Composers Forum, dedicated to the presentation and documentation of original instrumental jazz.
As its president, Sharon has produced concerts, radio broadcasts and workshops throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, and New Jersey over the past ten years. To date she has presented over 500 listening room concerts of original instrumental jazz music. She is also owner of Call That Jazz booking and management agency.
Sharon has played regularly in the West Village at Ido Sushi with Bill Gerhardt and Mike Holstein. She played a tribute to Blossom Dearie at the Metropolitan Room last May with Bill Gerhardt, Francois Moutin and Jeff Brillinger and has a recording with them waiting for release.
Sharon continues to study jazz through voice, piano and double bass. Her set list includes songs written by Blossom Dearie and Bob Dorough, as well as standards from the American Songbook. Sharon’s delivery is highly personal and direct, her trademark a pure, unembellished interpretation that relies on tone and phrasing to communicate the lyric and melody. Check her out!
For more info: www.callthatjazz.com, and sharonlamotte@gmail.com, 828-252-2257.
“I love to present jazz music because I love to listen to it. I love to watch it being born. It’s always new and fresh when it’s live improvisation As a singer and jazz musician I need great jazz to listen to because that’s how I learn and grow better musical ears . I’m very appreciative of our Asheville jazz loving audience, who come out and support the live musicians we are so honored to have here in the mountains.” ~ Sharon LaMotte