IVAP Team Interviews: Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston

Proclaimed one of the "purest contemporary voices in the jazz, world and folk industry since Eva Cassidy" by National Public Radio, powerhouse performer, and master percussionist Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston embraces the best of many types of music.

With her soulful style, sultry ballads, & enchanting, passionate sincerity, she is a dynamic performer and is in the midst of an amazing musical journey. While the dazzling vocalist from the Washington, D.C. area draws on a dizzying array of influences, from Bel Canto, Funk and Bossa Nova to Blues and Soul, her sensibility is pure jazz. "I view myself as a roots jazz artist, because jazz feels so all encompassing," says the newly transplanted Bay area based singer. Captivating audiences since the age of 4, she began her musical training with classic piano, and went on to study flute, viola, and a multitude of percussion instruments from around the world.

Since then, she has been performing and recording with numerous noted Grammy Award winning artists, including Esperanza Spalding, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Take 6, Howard Levy of Bela Fleck & the Flectones, Eugene Friesen of the Paul Winter Consort, Glen Vélez, Baba Olatunji, Mickey Hart, Pete Seeger, Gil Scott Heron, Cyndy Blackman, Wyclef, Kenny Garrett, and the DC Metropolitan National Symphony. She has a strong academic interest in sacred chanting which has led her around the world touring with various artists such as Rwandan Cultural Ambassador for Peace Jean Paul Samputu, and culminating in her performance for the commemoration of the Golden Buddha at the request and invitation of His Holiness The Dalai Lama at the Inaugural Festival of Sacred Chanting and Singing in India.

Her debut album Mosaic received national acclaim, winning a staggering 12 Music Awards, including Best Jazz Vocalist, Best Urban Contemporary Vocalist, Best World Music Vocalist, and Best Debut Artist. Additionally, she was named DC's best Female Composer in 2006 and again in 2008 for excellence in original composition.

Amikaeyla's latest collaboration is a healing tribute album entitled "Song bird - A Tribute to Eva Cassidy with maestroes Wayne Wallace & John Santos. This project is dedicated to all those who have experienced the effects of Cancer and along with her newest solo album "Midnight Sun'; Amikaeyla captures a myriad of international elements and artfully weaves them together with her penchant for vast improvisation.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Iraqi
• Voices
• Amplification
• Project