violinist / vocalist / songwriter
Rebecca Zapen
NEST DEBUTS AT #12 ON FOLK DJ CHARTS!!
{ Dec. 2, 2011 }
Top Albums....#12-Nest!
Top Artists....#13-Rebecca Zapen!
Top Songs....#16-Beautiful Love Songs Without the Love!
You can view the whole chart
[here] -- and click on the month of November.
TAMPA BAY TIMES ARTIST OF THE DAY
{ Nov. 23, 2011 }
TBT feature about Rebecca Zapen and Jeremy Douglass' creations: new album "Nest", and their 2-year-old son Joel. Balalaika, banjo and bambino.....
[read article]
NEST AVAILABLE ON CDBABY.COM & iTunes
{ Nov. 1, 2011 }
 Rebecca Zapen's new release Nest is available on
www.cdbaby.com/cd/rebeccazapen and iTunes.
Barely out of the starting gate, Nest has already been awarded Florida Album of the Year 2011 (Florida Times-Union). Folio Weekly says of the album: "While some musicians spend a lifetime avoiding responsibilities and domestic duties as if they were sunlight or sobriety ... Zapen has taken the art of settling down to new heights with her latest album, the aptly titled 'Nest'."
NEST WINS FLORIDA ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2011!!
Barely out of the starting gate, Nest has already garnered the award for
Florida Album of the Year (Florida Times-Union).
BEAUTIFUL LOVE SONGS WITHOUT THE LOVE
Hideaway Backstage - Rebecca Zapen
Rebecca performs backstage after her show at the Hideaway Cafe on September 18, 2011. Video produced by Dave Allison www.creativebundle.com. Filmed at Hideaway Cafe in St. Petersburg, FL. www.hideawaycafe.biz.
Hideaway Backstage - Rebecca Zapen "Beautiful Love Songs Without the Love" from Creative Bundle on Vimeo.
[ vimeo link ]
"There’s a sense of arcane, jazzy pop; fifties romanticism, classical music, and Yiddish and other folk traditions; a bowl of ingredients from which Zapen intuitively ladles the right elements for her evocative compositions...Nest is something of a miracle."
-- My Old Kentucky Blog
"Zapen is a multi-award winning singer-songwriter with a vocal range that allows her to go from a jazz-sultry croon to a dreamy, honey-sweet cry, and a classically-trained violinist who also plays ukulele and guitar. She infuses her sound with elements of acoustic folk, Americana, and gypsy jazz, and brings a warm swinging feel to her pretty melodies."
-- Creative Loafing
"While some musicians spend a lifetime avoiding responsibilities and domestic duties as if they were sunlight or sobriety ... Zapen has taken the art of settling down to new heights with her latest album, the aptly titled 'Nest'."
-- Folio Weekly
A third-generation musician in a family tree including players of violin, piano, double bass, guitar, and accordion, it's not surprising that Rebecca Zapen has developed into a versatile performer: classically-trained violinist, jazz crooner, and award-winning multi-instrumentalist songwriter. Barely out of the starting gate, her brand-new release, Nest, was awarded Florida Album of the Year 2011 by the Florida Times-Union and debuted at #12 on the Folk DJ charts. Her CD pre-release shows in her new home of St. Petersburg and hometown of Jacksonville have been sold-out and standing-room-only events. Zapen's "Japanese Bathhouse" won Best Album & Best Song (cabaret genre) in the Just Plain Folks Awards 2009, receiving 5 nominations. She was awarded Jacksonville's Musician of the Year 2008 (Florida Times Union). 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. 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. 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).
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: Old World music with Klezmania, accompanying Al Letson's spoken word with eclectic folk, and 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 LaRue Nickelson Group, and an award-winning songwriter/composer.
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 ]
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 ]
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
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 ]
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 ]
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 ].
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