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Siona Neale is a ... strikingly beautiful black singer. (Jazz Forum Magazine)
With " A dark, deep voice was vibrating in the concert hall ... Neale performs sets of timeless and original jazz, blues, and soul and keeps party people hopping. Audiences will enjoy her own compositions e.g. "Let Me Give You Some Lovin'", and pieces like Shirley Brown's "I've Got To Sleep With One Eye Open", and Koko Taylor's "Wang Dang Doodle" and her interpretations of Willie Dixon, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Cole Porter, Gershwin and much more. Siona Neale offers an authentic show of the highest artistic level, full of spontaneity, artistry, vitality, and professionalism, devoid of pretension offering live music with feeling that is adult and rewarding. Neale performs with the cream of Polish recording, stage and television personalities. Neale has worked with the internationally celebrated jazz pianist and arranger Nahorny, members of the Juno Award winning band Jack Soul, Janusz Tylman, Leszek Cichonski, and with producer, DJ and techno and electronica genius Peter Echoplex (Soleil) and the Award winning rapper Tetris. Neale has performed live on countless television shows, festivals and top jazz clubs including the Blue Note. Neale performs regularly with composer/arranger/ pianist Piotr Sawicki' Smooth Jazz Quartet. It's a synergetic collaboration. Siona Neale has the same gutsy power and depth that Aretha Franklin, Cassandra Wilson , the late-great Janis Joplin and Millie Jackson draw accolades for, and a proven stage presence bar-none, but, it's the crystal clean purity of "Let's Be Clear" that marks her as unique; it makes her more than a mere clone. Neale inspires a special emotion that brings people out of themselves and into another world. Neale was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. Her Caribbean ancestry full of notable musicians. Her brother, Haydain Neale (jacksoul, (BMG), was awarded Canada's highest musical award ?the Juno award- for best R&B artist. Her Trinidadian born father had one of the first Canadian calypso bands, but, as Neale recalls, it was her mother who encouraged musical education for its good form of discipline and character development. Neale grew up singing Gilbert and Sullivan songs, performing in musicals, operas and cantatas as a teenager. When she was 16 she met Wynton Marsalis through mutual friends in Montreal. Marsalis encouraged Neale to sing jazz and blues. Neale performs in the best festivals jazz and blues and houses!
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Siona; the original Canadian roots singer
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Other information
A former Miss Black Hamilton, and Miss Afro Canadian Caribbean, and three times nominee for the prestigious Harry Jerome Award for the Arts Neale graduated from the University of Western Ontario in music, Neale hosted an arts show on cable television (Kaleidescope) and independent community radio (CFMU) for several years while performing professionally in musical theatre in Ontario, Canada.
Neale is the sister of Juno Award and Urban Music Award winning Haydain Neale (Jacksoul, Viking/Sony/BMG), Canada's number #1 soul artist and former President of the Songwriter Association of Canada, the daughter of the international award winning poet Geneva Neale and gospel singer Winston Neale (who also started the first Caribbean Band in Canada), and the great-great grand daughter of Caribbean folk composer Jack Piper (Montserrat). Her family is one of the most recognizable in Canada and the Caribbean.
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