violinist / vocalist / songwriter
Rebecca Zapen
Nat'l Public Radio - Michael Feldman's WHAD'YA KNOW?
{11/7/09} Rebecca on the radio: WHAD'YA KNOW re-aired the Feb 2, 2008 episode featuring Rebecca as musical guest.
[ Whad'Ya Know website ]
Studio10 t.v. segment
Rebecca Zapen and husband Jeremy Douglass performed live on Studio 10, with Rebecca
on vocals / violin / ukulele and Jeremy on keyboard / melodica.
Video clips from the 10/13/09 segment:
studio10.tv
Original ukulele song: Smile
Interview: Meet Rebecca!
Jazz standard: The Very Thought of You
Winner Best Cabaret Album
Winner Best Cabaret Song
Japanese Bathhouse and its title track won for Best Cabaret Album and Best Cabaret Song. Held in Nashville, JPF Awards is the world's biggest music contest, with 42,000 CDs & 560,000 songs submitted.
Rebecca also rec'd nominations for:
Best Cabaret Song: Smile
Best Vocal Jazz Song: Dolores
Best Music Video: Smile
[ Just Plain Folks website ]
Tampa Bay Times Artist of the Day
{ 8.27.09 }
Jacksonville native Rebecca Zapen, a recent transplant to St. Petersburg, has been playing violin since childhood, when her musical parents played plenty of classical tunes around the house. Her most recent album, Japanese Bathhouse, was inspired by -- you guessed it -- a Japanese bathhouse, and is full of quirky, jazzy ditties that sound like exquisite little snippets of an indie-film soundtrack. Zapen and her husband, local jazz pianist Jeremy Douglass, are expecting their first child in November. She had a good thing going in Jacksonville, receiving much local acclaim for her music, but says she's happy to be here, too.
[ fullarticle on TampaBay.com ]
Jacksonville's Musician of the Year: Rebecca Zapen
{ December 2008 }
The pride of Riverside, Rebecca has toured the U.S. as well as Europe but takes time to occasionally play for some of the local hospitals and other benefits and causes around the area. I saw her earlier this year at Shands Jacksonville as part of the Arts in Medicine Program, giving back to the community. We also saw her at the Florida Folk Festival this year and of course, she is a regular at the Casbah Cafe or the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine.
[ full article on Jacksonville.com ]
All Albums available on iTunes & CD Baby
Hummingbird, Japanese Bathhouse, and ZapStar are available for purchase on CDBaby, or downloadable on iTunes
[ iTunes ]
[ CD Baby ]
"This is a debut that is already assured without swaggering, full of thoughtful and subtly emotive music which is the product of a discriminating set of players led by a singer who is clearly one to watch for."
-- eJazzNews
"Nothing adequately prepares for the way in which her deeply personal album instantaneously envelops and never loses its grip.... The title song and others bring to mind no less than early solo McCartney and Brian Wilson's SMiLE.... One of those near-perfect hidden gems..."
-- Relix
Violinist, vocalist, and songwriter Rebecca Zapen won Best Album & Song (cabaret genre) in the Just Plain Folks Awards 2009, receiving 5 nominations. A classically-trained violinist and versatile musician, Rebecca was named Jacksonville's Musician of the Year 2008. Recent career highlights include her performance as the musical guest on Public Radio International show Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?; original songs in a national promotion for Crocs Shoes; winning 2nd in the Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest and her resulting endorsement with Bushman Music Works. Zapen was a Finalist in the 2007 DiscMakers' Independent Music World Series. Other highlights include appearances as jazz vocalist with the Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra, and as the mandolin soloist in Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra's production of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. She is an award-winning composer, earning the Silver Medal of Excellence for Best Use of Music in a Short Film at the 2008 Park City Film Music Festival. Her original songs appear in Look Both Ways, which won for Best Music in the 2009 San Francisco Seven Day Film Festival. As a session musician, Zapen has composed for and performed on recordings for soundtracks, television, public radio, theme parks, and various musical groups. Her music has been featured on NPR's All Songs Considered: Open Mic. Past performances include Jacksonville Jazz Fest, Florida Folk Fest, Gamble Rogers Fest, and venues such as Hotel Cafe (L.A.), The Bitter End (NYC), and Paganini Auditorium (Italy).
"Rebecca Zapen could easily be the long-lost love child of Astrud Gilberto and that side of Pink Floyd we glimpsed in “San Tropez.” On her latest release, Zapen will lure you with sleepy, laid-back vocals and creative instrumentation. ...Overall, Japanese Bathhouse sails delightfully along between the waters of pop and jazz, with gentle breezes and soft ocean sighs to soothe you on the way.. "
-- Performing Songwriter
(DIY Top 12 Picks)
"This one falls firmly into the "wow, this is really well (self) produced and (self) recorded at home category.' ... I suspect that the old adage that good sounding music is easy to record is also part of why this sounds so good. Zapen not only writes great songs and sings them well, but she also has real arrangement talents and plays a variety of instruments. "
-- Tape Op
Zapen's first musical memory was that of sitting under the baby grand piano as a toddler, her ears filled by the sounds of her mother playing Chopin, Beethoven, and Mozart. Her college years were filled with opera, orchestra, chamber music, and late night jazz jams. The journey continued to twist and unfold, rich in varied musical experiences: a four-year foray into Old World music in Klezmania, spoken word with eclectic folk, Gypsy jazz on a French campground. She walks her present path as a performer of range and depth: a classically-trained violinist, a vocalist and violinist in jazz quartet ZapStar, and an award-winning songwriter/composer. In her newest folk-pop configuration "every idiosyncrasy and personal quirk flourishes within the most sublime melodies and infectiously charming lyrics. Dreamy, ethereal ... Zapen's vocals swoon and sweep, instantly hypnotic and effortlessly charming..." (Subba-Cultcha UK). "The title song (Japanese Bathhouse) and others bring to mind no less than early solo McCartney and Brian Wilson's SMiLE.... One of those near-perfect hidden gems..." (Relix Magazine). Accompanying herself on ukulele, guitar, and violin, Zapen's music is "mellow, creative, happy, and smart" (Celebrity Cafe).
NEWS
TAMPA BAY TIMES ARTIST OF THE DAY
{ 8.27.09 }
Jacksonville native Rebecca Zapen, a recent transplant to St. Petersburg, has been playing violin since childhood, when her musical parents played plenty of classical tunes around the house. Her most recent album, Japanese Bathhouse, was inspired by -- you guessed it -- a Japanese bathhouse, and is full of quirky, jazzy ditties that sound like exquisite little snippets of an indie-film soundtrack. Zapen and her husband, local jazz pianist Jeremy Douglass, are expecting their first child in November. She had a good thing going in Jacksonville, receiving much local acclaim for her music, but says she's happy to be here, too.
[ fullarticle on TampaBay.com ]
2 WINS! 5 NOMINATIONS!
JUST PLAIN FOLKS AWARDS 2009
Rebecca performed at the awards ceremony in Nashville! JPF Awards is the world's biggest music contest, with 42,000 CDs & 560,000 songs submitted.
* Wins / Nominations *
Best Cabaret Album: Japanese Bathhouse winner!
Best Cabaret Song: Japanese Bathhouse winner!
Cabaret Song: Smile
Vocal Jazz Song: Dolores
Best Music Video: Smile
[ jpfolks.com website ]
BEST MUSIC - SEVEN DAY FILM FESTIVAL
Songs from the album Japanese Bathhouse were used in a short film by director Allison Ayer ('Look Both Ways'), which won 3 awards, for Best Music, Best Director, and Best Actor/Actress. Peter Roos did the scoring for the film, including a wonderful orchestration of "Smile".
[watch Look Both Ways on youtube.com ]
KLAANG! INTERVIEW: PerfectPitch (part 1 & 2)
Who is she? Where is she coming from?
It's a shot of her, at age 21/2, sitting underneath a baby grand piano, soaking up her family's version of Baby Einstein: her mother playing Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart.
Before her third birthday, she was studying violin, beginning a long and winding road to where she is today. A violinist/jazz singer/songwriter headed to a stage in Nashville.
[ Part I on klaangmagazine.com ]
[ Part II of the interview ]
JACKSONVILLE'S MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR: REBECCA ZAPEN
{ December 2008 }The pride of Riverside, Rebecca has toured the U.S. as well as Europe but takes time to occasionally play for some of the local hospitals and other benefits and causes around the area. I saw her earlier this year at Shands Jacksonville as part of the Arts in Medicine Program, giving back to the community. We also saw her at the Florida Folk Festival this year and of course, she is a regular at the Casbah Cafe or the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine.
[ full article on Jacksonville.com ]
TRUVIA COMMERCIALS
 Enjoying a sweet new taste on the market called Truvia? Catching any of the commercials on the telly? Rebecca's vocals are featured on several of the new commercials for the sweetener Truvia.
[ see Truvia ads ]
LIVE ON WMNF
Such a pleasure to play live in-studio at WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa with sweet accompaniment from Jeremy Douglass on melodica, glockenspiel, and piano. Thanks to host Bill Dudley, and also to Mark and Steve for sound and technical support.
[ Hear archive of 8/22/08 show ]
YOU BY CROCS POSTCARD COLLECTION
 Spring/Summer 2008 - Crocs Inc. has introduced its new spring and summer 2008 lines of footwear. The You by Crocs Postcard Collection includes 14 new styles inspired by by some of the most luxurious getaway destinations from around the world. YOU by Crocs produced a CD compilation "The Postcard Collection", which includes Rebecca's songs "Japanese Bathhouse" and "Dolores".
[ YOU by crocs website ]
MUSICAL GUEST ON MICHAEL FELDMAN'S WHAD'YA KNOW?
 
February 2, 2008 - A live broadcast from the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida. Guests include Mark Woods, columnist for the Florida Times-Union, Joan Peoples from Clarks Fish Camp and musical guest Rebecca Zapen.
[ Whad'Ya Know website ]
2nd PLACE - BUSHMAN WORLD UKULELE VIDEO CONTEST!
 Many thanks to Bushman Music Works and owner John Hall for the prizes: ukulele & case, endorsement with Bushman Ukuleles, and an invitation to perform at the springtime Ukulele Luau festival held in late May, in Nashville, Indiana. Thanks to friends and family for your enthusiastic response to the video! Kudos to all the contestants!
[ Watch Rebecca Zapen's video "Smile" ], from her album Japanese Bathhouse.
A "MODEL" VIOLINIST
 Rebecca modeled for a recent ad in the November 2-8, 2007 issue of the Jacksonville Business Journal, in their "Giving Guide". The ad encourages support of the Riverside Fine Arts, Beaches Fine Arts Series, and the Ritz Chamber Players. It was a pleasure to work with photographer and designer Jeff Harrington of Harrington Design.
JACKSONVILLE MAGAZINE
 Jacksonville Magazine met with Rebecca Zapen for an interview and photoshoot for their November issue, in a piece titled "The Next Big Thing". Interview by Alison Trinidad, photography by Bradley A. Stookey.
HER LIFELONG LOVE HAS LED TO NASHVILLE
 Interview by Mark Woods, from the August 29, 2007, issue of the Florida Times-Union. "The contest began with more than 1,300 bands. After the field was narrowed to 100, editors at Billboard magazine gathered in New York and chose six finalists to play in Nashville on Sept. 20." [ read article ].
[ click here for more NEWS ]
|
|
