In today's Jazz world there are many new faces and some you may not have heard about. These artists are mixing Jazz stylings into their music. Natalie Williams is one of those artists and she does it with ease. She was born and raised in Berlin, Germany to a Yugoslav-Hungarian mother and a British father. She was musical from an early age and first discovered she had a voice while attending an American high school and joined the choir. Her dad was a jazz aficionado and had quite a collection of jazz records. He encouraged his daughter's singing. Natalie Williams says her dad made her pay particular attention to the lyrics of songs, not something most 13-year-olds do. Some of the artists that inspired her when she was growing up were Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, and Shirley Horn. Once she left school she moved to London to soak up the vibrant music scene that was going on there. In 2007 she started her residency at the famed Ronnie Scott's Jazz club in London. The club opened in 1959 and was the brainchild of Jazz saxophonist, Ronnie Scott, who wanted to have a place where musicians could jam and jazz fans could hear great music. The club today is the cream of the crop for jazz musicians to play at, just like Birdland or Blue Note Jazz clubs here in New York.
Natalie Williams has traveled the world and performed at many jazz festivals like the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Glastonbury Festival, and others. She has shared the stage and collaborated with many artists like John Legend, legendary pianist/composer, Herbie Hancock, Jaime Cullum, Alison Moyet, Amy Winehouse, and so many others. If you are ever in London go check out this jazzy soulful singer at Ronnie Scott's jazz club, you'll be glad you did. Support independent music and musicians worldwide. Happy listening!
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