Melanie Bong - voc/comp
Johannes Enders - sax
Fritz Pauer - p/arr
Christian Diener - b
Rick Holander - dr
"...a good voice is distinguishable from a less good one within a few seconds. Melanie Bong has a very good voice. A sample? ‚Gypsies Go To Heaven’, the opener on her second CD has everything to get right to the core..." (Reinhard Köchl, Jazzthing, Februar 2006)
Melanie’s new programm ‘GYPSY DREAM’ is a confession to her musical as well as to her personal background: to accoustic Jazz and her Sinti ancestry. Besides her efforts as a composer and arranger this CD brings back the focus on her great voice. The national press is enthusiastic about her but as well her musicians get special recognition. First of all to mention is the Austrian worrldclass pianist Fritz Pauer. Not only that he casts a magic spell on the listener but he also contributed some of the arrangements on ‘GYPSY DREAM’.
"Melanie ‘Ziwala’ Bong is dreaming her ‘Gypsy Dream’, and proofes herself once more as an excellent singer, who knows how to use timing, phrasing, dynamics and expression very well, who has warmth and a feeling for good stories…"
(Tobias Böcker, Jazzpodium, März 2006)
FANTASIA
Melanie Bong - voc/comp
Johannes Enders - sax
Fernando Correa - guit
Martin Woess - p/keys
Adelhard Roidinger - b
Gregor Hilbe - dr
"Melanie Bong..s songs are as original as her tuneful name, and I..m sure you will get as much pleasure out of her music as I do …. musical beauty flows in and out of this lovely persona …”
writes Mark Murphy of Melanie Bong..s debut album >Fantásia<. It was the first album of the female singer, song writer, arrangeur and leader under her own name.
The first idea to >Fantasia< came from the Austrian poet Josef Singer. Inspired by his poems as well as by composers as Ivan Lins, Joyce or Djavan she wrote numerous compositions. Twelve of them can be found on “Fantásia”. Eight of them are based on Singer..s poems, the other four texts are written by Melanie.
The music is streaked with Brazil rhythms, jazz and pop elements and the lyrical metaphors of Singer..s poems. The musicians enjoy much freedom for solo play and use it to add personal colours to the music that provides liveliness or inspires dreams. And always you hear the influence of Sheila Jordan on Melanie Bong..s singing. This album..s music is a fusion of jazz, pop and Brazil, carried by expressive ballads full of atmosphere.
"Melanie sings with passion an heart …. listen and enjoy!!" - Steve Kuhn
..
Influences
Sheila Jordan, Andy Bey, Jay Clayton, Mark Murphy, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Abbey Lincoln, Ben Webster, Betty Roche, Shirley Horn, Elis Regina, Tom Jobim, Joyce, Ivan Lins, Djavan...
“…Melanie Bong is a tremendous singer.”
(Bill Donaldson, Cadence US. jazz magazine, 2007)
PERSONAL BACKGOUND:
Born in Munich. Her mother was a baltic-prussian painter, her father a sinto (gypsy) singer and musician, both living in Germany. Melanie was singing ever she can think about. Even as a little child she was making up her own little melodies and lyrics about everything that moved her at the moment and just sang them for herself. Being raised in Tyrol, Austria, she had her first solo performance in a school choire contest at the age of 6. She kept writing her songs over the years, meanwhile on the guitar. With 15 she started out singing in a band called "Enfant Terrible", which soon changed into her first band named "Melanie Bong Crew" (MBC). With the MBC, playing only original songs, she had her first successes playing as a warm up band for several bands such as Harry Stoijka, Gilberto Gil or even Miles Davis at the 'Jazz Festival Berg Isel 1987' (Innsbruck, Austria). In 1987 she also decided to move to Graz, Austria, in order to study Jazz at the College Of Music And Performing Arts.
STUDIES:
Melanie studied under Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy, Andy Bey, Jay Clayton, Fritz Pauer und Adelhard Roidinger at the College Of Music And Performing Arts. She attended workshops with Ray Brown, Horace Parlan, Art Farmer, Wynton Marsalis, Marilyn Crispell, Barry Harris and the singers R. A. Ramamani, Gretje Bijma, Maria Joao and Tanja Maria. Completion of studies with diploma and Master Of Arts. Various study visits in New York.
TEACHING:
Teacher for jazz singing and ensemble at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz from January 1997 to autumn 1999, and numerous workshops and courses at home and abroad.
WORK:
"...Elis Regina had it, Billie Holiday had it, Carmen McRae had it ,
and now Melanie Bong has it."
(William Grim in All About Jazz Online-Magazin 19. Juni 2002)
Ever since she hass been performing all over Europe as well as in Israel and Japan with musicians of the national and international jazz scene such as: Johannes Enders (GER), Fritz Pauer (AUT), Hiroshi Minami (JPN), Charly Antolini (CH), Nikolas Simion (PL), Paulo Cardoso (BRA), Lulo Reinhardt (GER), Wayne Darling (USA), Adelhard Roidinger (AUT), David Gazarow (RUS) etc.
..."She's got it!"
so listen and enjoy -
because here is, as I believe,
one of the finest vocalists
in Europe today." (Willie Johanns, Munich 2006)
Hallo Melanie vielen dank für das Kompliment ,das freut mich natürlich ;-) Ja das wäre natürlich schön gewesen ,noch ein paar meiner Lieblingssongs auf der neuen CD zu singen :-)) Vielleicht gibt es bald eine ..... ich arbeite daran !!! Wünsch Dir eine schöne Adventzeit und alles gute weiterhin!! bin auch ganz begeistert von deinen songs ... weiter so :-) Bis bald .... LG Fabiola
bin gerade zurück aus Kanada, war sehr schön dort zu spielen.
wie sieht es denn bei dir aus.. wann kommt die CD??
würde gerne mal was hören.
bin jetzt 6 wochen hier, dann gehts wieder für 4 Monate ab, nach USA und Australien. vielleicht können wir uns ja mal treffen, bei euch in Frankfurt oder hier..
Liebe Melanie, vielen Dank für Deinen wunderbaren comment! Da hatte ich gleich Grund mal wieder auf Deiner Seite ein paar tracks zu hören: I LOVE "The Very thought of You" and of course "Gypsy's go to Heaven" - which I have come to listen to regularly!
When will your book and the new Cd be out?? BIG HUG and hope to see you again sometime soon! xox Natascha
Wir freuen uns sehr, dass unser Debüt Studio Album "Berlin Tango"ab sofort überall im Handel und im Internet erhältlich ist! 4 Songs gibt es zum Reinhören auf unserem Profil! Wir wünschen euch einen wunderschönen Tag mit wunderschöner Musik!
Hi Melanie Thank you for the friendship ! This is the videoclip of my song released by Universal this week. Would you be so kind and please give your (honoust) opinion on the youtube channel for me ? Would be great !!
My first Cd "Blue Like A Jazz Note" has just been released and is now available for purchase from my site. This album represents the culmination of years of hard work and a dream that has been alive in me from my earliest days. It includes 15 great jazz standards by some of the world's greatest composers. I hope you'll come and have a listen.
