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Sean Haefeli is a forward-thinking musician, skilled as a pianist, vocalist, and composer. His music represents a convergence of sensibilities and aesthetics, as jazz, soul, and poetic lyricism intersect, creating a distinctively modern sound.
Throughout his youth, Sean trained as a classical pianist, and later, a vocalist, while primarily listening to hip-hop and r&b. He continued to navigate seemingly disparate worlds, entering Depaul University as an opera major, and graduating with a degree in English literature. He cultivated an appreciation for a diverse range of poets, and regularly appeared on Chicago’s spoken word scene. After graduation, he immersed himself in jazz and improvisation, working in a range of performance mediums and styles, while further widening his listening sphere.
In 2002, Sean released Natural Hunger, an eclectic and personal journey, rendered in an acoustic setting. This promising debut triggered references to the Last Poets, Roberta Flack, Michael Franti, “soft jazz crooners and even old school rhythm and blues masters.”
During 2005, Sean began assembling the pieces to realize his latest vision, the Sean Haefeli Project. At that time, the group consisted of vocals, keys, brass, with electronic beats and textures. As time went on, the group evolved, expanding with the addition of a drummer and bass player, balancing the live elements with subtle electronics. In 2006, the group began recording sessions. The result was Sound Strategy, an album which mixes urban edge and soul, with a jazz ethos. The album integrates metric shape-shifting, adept lyricism, deceptive melodies, and harmonic intricacies, counterbalancing these elements with passion, flow and groove.
Over the last two years, Sean has traveled extensively. Piano/vocal contracts, performing as a jazz artist, have taken him to S. Korea for three months and Japan for another six. He spent four months living in France, and for the rest of the time, bounced between Chicago and San Francisco. In addition, Mercedes-Benz awarded Sean with a licensing deal, for the use of a track from Sound Strategy. He was also featured on two releases of the Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape.
Recently, insightful reviews have captured the honest originality his music. Nu Soul Magazine writes, "Sound Strategy portrays a skilled and passionate musician, who strives to put his best foot forward using nothing more or less than he’s always known to be true to his core being . . . Much like Sean portrays himself, the album makes the best of what jazz and its adjacent genres have to offer." Black Girls Rule! Magazine lauds:
"Natural Hunger says it all in its title. With its ear tingling verses Sean simply draws you in and bares his soul, never once leaving you astray. What a beautiful inside view into a man who wants only to take you where he’s been and how he’s living. This is a rare find and definitely a keeper in my eyes. Sean Haefeli is an artist for all seasons."
Beyond his life as a musician, Sean’s image has been used by fashion brands, such as Nike, Louis Vutton, Jockey, Somewhere (FR), as well as being featured in commercial and radio campaigns across the United States.
In the Fall of '09, Sean will continue formal academic studies. Having been accepted to the Manhattan School of Music, on voice, and Indiana University, as a pianist, he has chosen to study at IU. At a time when many artists would be content to focus on their careers, Sean has chosen to follow the path which will push him to keep expanding on his instrument, and equip him with the knowledge and resources to remain creative throughout his musical life.
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