Nerissa Campbell -vocals, guitar
Arta Jekabsone -vocals
Sana Nagano -violin
Emily Hope Price -cello
David Cieri -piano
Desmond White -bass
Bill Campbell -drums
Nerissa Campbell is a singer-songwriter and composer living in New York City. Inspired by the way our brains recall and process music, memory and dreams, she builds upon initial explorations of sounds and melodies until they start to conjure an idea or a feeling that then begets a memory, that bring to mind a dream, that recalls a novel once read or a story once told; imaginations and ruminations - all thoughtfully woven together to create a final exquisite corpse of a song whose surprising beauty as a whole is in the sum of its unique parts.
Nerissa Campbell’s music weaves its way through somber pop-ballads, bluesy folk songs, moody instrumentals, and a lyricism full of thought and space. She has developed a unique and deeply personal writing and performing voice - immersed in the jazz tradition, but strongly forging her own direction. Her wistful and melancholy voice plays hide and seek with space and sound, creating a depth of feeling beyond the obvious.
A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, she has called New York home since 2001, performing in the city regularly at well known haunts such as 55 Bar, The Jazz Gallery, Fat Cat, Le Poisson Rouge, Zinc, & Rockwood Music Hall. A long term member of NY’s Balinese Gamelan Dharma Swara, she has also been the feature vocalist in post-metal band, A Storm of Light, and was the recipient of an Australian Arts Council New Works grant for her album, After The Magic, a project that explores the use of Balinese Gamelan, a jazz trio, fleeting guitars and moody instrumentals. She is also a composing member of Random Access Music, a NYC-based new music presenter and ensemble with a core collective of composers and performers, and in 2021 participated in Composing In The Wilderness, a wilderness experience for adventurous composers, which culminated in her piece ‘I Am A Braided River’ (for flute, bass clarinet, alto saxophone & cello) being performed at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival.
Campbell has released five albums under her own label, Crooked Mouth Music: Paint Me Orange (2003), Musings of a Telescopic Tree (2009), Blue Shadows (2012), After The Magic (2016), and Cricket (2020).
SPONSORSHIP
The Jazz Gallery is a not-for-profit arts organization presenting emerging artists who challenge convention, take creative risks, and lead their field as performers, composers and thinkers. We provide a platform for artists to discover their unique voice and a home for established musicians to continue to experiment and grow. At The Jazz Gallery, artists and audiences come together from around the world to explore new creative ideas, collaborate and celebrate jazz as a dynamic art form that reflects our ever-changing world.
We rely on the generosity of our members and community to keep the music playing, thank you for your continued and much appreciated support! If you would like to sponsor a Livestream Concert, please use the links above or be in touch with our Executive Director, Janet Luhrs, here.