Rebecca Zapen (Folk, Baroque Pop): Rebecca Zapen (vocals, guitar, ukulele, violin). If I'm lucky, joined by Kristi Stice (vocals, melodica, glockenspiel), Chelsea Chason (double bass, vocals), Scott Murray (dobro, guitar), The Mills Family on violins (Abby, Jessie, and Micah Mills)
All-original folk album Japanese Bathhouse now available, with critical acclaim from Relix, Tape-Op, Tasty, babysue, Subba-Cultcha and more. "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)
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ZapStar: Rebecca Zapen/Gary Starling Group (Jazz, Bossa Nova): Rebecca Zapen (violin/vocals), Gary Starling (guitar), Chelsea Chason (bass), Peter Miles (drums)
New album, ZapStar, with their take on swing, bossa nova and ballad standards.
Tracks: On the Street Where You Live, Like Someone In Love, It Might As Well Be Spring, How Deep Is The Ocean, It Ain't Necessarily So, Things We Said Today, Nuages, Bernie's Tune, I Only Have Eyes For You, When You Wish Upon A Star, I Thought About You, Here Comes The Sun
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Rebecca's debut jazz CD Hummingbird available on CDBABY.com. Features jazz standards, and 5 originals penned by Rebecca. Muppets fans, we did a version of "Halfway Down the Stairs".
Suzanne Vega, Nick Drake, Jonathan Richman, The Roches, Stephane Grappelli, Elliott Smith, The Beatles, Tierney Sutton, Chet Baker
Sounds Like
An eclectic and diverse texture created by harmonized vocals, ukulele, guitar, violin, upright bass, and dobro. Some of our music has a 1930's/40's sound ("Smile"), but also in the mix are Appalachian violin droning, klezmer-esque pizzicato, fingerpicking arpeggiated folk, bouncy ukulele swing, and a dash of tap dancing.
Video: We Didn't Bother (Rebecca Zapen). Editing thanks: Chris Estes, RZ
Peep Faces of Death 3
by Jeremy Douglass the halloween edition. four more ill-fated peeps meet ghastly ends. this time they're ghosties! sway to the dulcet tones of skeeter davis. filmed on location at maison zapen in luxuriant jacksonville, florida. rebecca lent her seasoned hand for the stop-motion segment. abby provided the 57 varieties of blood and dorinda documented the affair with zeal and aplomb.
Historic footage from the New Piano Tap Dance Party. Oh, the ribaldry!
(I apologize in advance for your imminent neck cramp. Embrace the sideways camera angle.)
Tappa Tappa Zappa Zappa
"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
{ VIDEO } "Smile", in which Rebecca plays a Her and a Him, and PlayMobil figures play Jacques Cousteau and Florence Nightingale via stop-motion animation. 2nd Place winner in Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest. Rebecca is endorsed by Bushman Music Works.
{ Biography }
Versatile violinist, vocalist, and songwriter Rebecca 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: Tom Waits tunes via CB radio and Celtic harp, a four-year trip to the Old World in Klezmania, spoken word with eclectic folk, Gypsy jazz. She walks her present path as a performer of range and depth: a classically-trained violinist, a jazz crooner/violinist in quartet ZapStar, and an award-winning songwriter/composer. Rebecca's dreamy, ethereal vocals swoon and sweep atop sublime melodies and infectiously charming lyrics, instantly hypnotic and effortlessly charming. Accompanying herself on ukulele, guitar, and violin, and joined by double bass, melodica, and string section, Zapen's music is mellow, creative, happy, and smart.
2008 highlights include Rebecca's recent performance as the musical guest on Public Radio International show "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?"; original songs in the YOU by Crocs nationally-distributed compilation "The Postcard Collection"; winning 2nd in the Bushman World Ukulele Video Contest and her resulting endorsement with Bushman Music Works; Finalist in the 2007 DiscMakers’ Independent Music World Series. Other career highlights include appearances as jazz vocal soloist 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 in the category of “Best Use of Music in a Short Film” at the Park City Film Music Festival for her scoring of A Riverside Evening. 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.
Her beginnings were traditional enough, with a classical music education beginning at age 3 with the Suzuki Method, and culminating with her earning music and biology degrees while attending Florida State University on a music scholarship. Since then, her musical involvements have been with groups whose styles include jazz, swing, classical, klezmer, country, folk, rock, and spoken word. Zapen has performed with or opened for artists such as Vassar Clements, Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys, Tommy Womack, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Botti, Anathallo, and David Bazan, and has played in musical groups, symphony orchestras, and music festivals in U.S., Great Britain, Switzerland, and Italy.
Her versatile violin playing, pure clear voice, and ability to write nostalgia-infused music have earned her comparisons to Astrud Gilberto, Suzanne Vega, Leonard Cohen, and The Ditty Bops. Her influences include Stephane Grappelli, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chet Baker, and Nick Drake.
Zapen founded her own record label in 2003, naming it Bashert, which is a Yiddish word meaning "destiny" or "fate". Rebecca's recordings include Japanese Bathhouse, released in Fall 2005 after a European summer tour, with songs about anything from pirate love gone wrong to bread crumb trails to nudity in foreign lands. Relix describes Japanese Bathhouse: "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..." During ZAPENation Tour 2006, Rebecca's acoustic folk-jazz trio (including dobro and double bass) gave 22 performances during its six-week tour of the United States. Her discography also includes debut release Hummingbird (2003), laden with bossa nova and blending violin, voice, sax, marimba, and rhythm section into a warm spacious sound; self-titled folk EP Michelle Payne & Rebecca Zapen (2003); and Songs of Bother and Woe (2005) which gives a taste of her nostalgic indie folk-pop, with a sound that ranges from simple ukulele and vocals to lush arrangements of strings and brass, and musical accents from melodica and glockenspiel. Zapen's jazz quartet ZapStar, co-led by Jacksonville University guitar professor Gary Starling, recorded their self-titled release, ZapStar, in early 2006, which has been receiving praise in the U.S. and abroad.
Quirky talent: strong urge to turn T.V. show themes into bossa novas.
Unusual performing experience: Scrambling down a Mayan pyramid, running across a huge field, and hiking my way up another pyramid, to meet a violinist playing his Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. We met, and I played an American fiddle tune on it. It was rather surreal.
the pic is from the zoo. pretty funny gig. I think you took the frog picture. that frog beat the #@!%* out of my drum. first gig together - look at us now. still in a relationship after all these years....
I agree. We do sound lovely. Thanks a million for doing it. I think I told you, Ernie listened to your solo, smiled and said, "That's beautiful" Couldn't say it better if I tried.
Hi 'Dorable! How'd the SC show go?? Come out and see the Slickers tomorrow if you're back in town. Midtowne Center in St Nicholas Festival kind of thing going on, ArtFest and Salute to the Troops. We play 330. Be well. Chuckles
I had a great weekend. Hank's and Heather's wedding was Friday evening and Heather played at Freebird on Saturday night. Everything went well and I survived!
my psychology teacher, mrs. difranco, showed us your video for the bushman ukulele contest and i loved it so i started listening to a few of your other songs and i think you're great.
planning to see you at the casbah in a few weeks :-)
It was really nice to meet you a few weeks ago at the symphony! i love your music, and show all my friends. your a great influence on the music I play. thanks alot for sharing it! -Abigail
Zapen!! Been since a while...since I was at the Casbah w/Rocio. The tunes sound great, especially "I Am Fine." Call me anytime. I got a new phone and lost all the numbers...long story. Anyway, be well!
Versatile violinist, vocalist, and songwriter Rebecca 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: Tom Waits tunes via CB radio and Celtic harp, a four-year trip to the Old World in Klezmania, spoken word with eclectic folk, Gypsy jazz. She walks her present path as a performer of range and depth: a classically-trained violinist, a jazz crooner/violinist in quartet ZapStar, and an award-winning songwriter/composer. Rebecca's dreamy, ethereal vocals swoon and sweep atop sublime melodies and infectiously charming lyrics, instantly hypnotic and effortlessly charming. Accompanying herself on ukulele, guitar, and violin, and joined by double bass, melodica, and string section, Zapen's music is mellow, creative, happy, and smart.
