“…Her set was a study in focused emotional dissection, her voice as clear and pure as mountain rainwater.” 

Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times. 

Vocalist Lisa Bauer brings her new project Moon Song to the Alexander Theatre! Inspired by her connection to the moon cycles, the divine feminine, new life and the power of vocalisation, the performance will feature her composition Moon Suite, selected original compositions as well as tunes by some of Bauer’s favourite, unique American jazz composers and artists. She will be joined by Andrew Lilley on keys, Maxim Starcke on electric bass and Adam Coolsaet on drums. 

“Lisa Bauer’s music is full of joy. It is also full of soulfulness and sorrow, but her voice is packed with such delicacy that even woe sings like a plucked string… Understated yet urgent, her vocals are spangled with the improvisational essence of jazz, the heartfelt essence of the blues and gospel and mystical riffs."
- Myles Keylock, Mail & Guardian

Lisa Bauer's SAMA-nominated album 'Finding a New Way' and her latest single 'A Life That's Lead' are available as digital downloads on most music download platforms such as CD Baby, iTunes and more.  

Biography:

Lisa Bauer is a South African jazz- vocalist and educator based in Cape Town, South Africa. Bauer’s qualifications include a Masters degree in Music (by jazz performance & research dissertation) in 2011 and a Bachelors degree in Music (by jazz performance on voice and drum kit), with a distinction in singing) in 2004.

Bauer released her debut quartet album Finding a New Way in 2010, featuring top South African Jazz musicians Andre Petersen, Chantal Willie, Kesivan Naidoo and guests Mark Fransman on saxophones & Maxim Starcke on guitar. She was influenced by her musical experiences in New York & San Francisco and love for the South Africa landscape. Bauer and Petersen’s beautiful piano and voice duet rendition of Ntjilo Ntjilo was inspired by the legacy of Miriam Makeba. The album also captured three of Bauer’s original compositions with four lesser-performed jazz standards to create a compelling and well-produced collection of compositions. The album was released and launched in January 2010 at the SABC Auditorium in Cape Town. In 2011, the album Finding a New Way was nominated for a South African Music Award (SAMA) in the category of ‘best traditional jazz album’ at the 17th annual South African Music Awards. The album is distributed in South Africa by Jassics and available for digital download internationally.

Another highlight for Bauer in 2011 was performing as featured artist with the Lisa Bauer Quartet (and guests) on the Moses Molelekwa stage at the 12th Annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Bauer’s composition ‘De Ja Blues’ was selected by Sheer Sound for the 12th Annual CTIJF compilation CD alongside international artists such as Esperanza Spalding, Simphiwe Dana, Patricia Barber, Wayne Shorter, Cindy Blackman and Earth Wind and Fire. In 2007 Bauer was a finalist and received a Merit award in the prestigious SAMRO Singing Overseas Scholarship Competition. This and the three Jules Kramer Travel Scholarship Awards, allowed her to travel to New York and San Francisco to study with legendary jazz vocalists Kitty Margolis and Dr. Gloria Cooper at LIU in July 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2010, Bauer was also invited to perform with her jazz trio at a high profile private event in the Seychelles.

During her undergraduate years, as a student of Natasha Roth and Efrain Toro, Bauer performed with bands and music projects including Gavin Fullard’s jazz vocal group Track Five as an alto (recording two albums), Jazz Attack, The UCT Big Band, The Glenn Miller Orchestra South Africa and the Jonny Cooper Big Band. She has also performed and recorded with groups such as Mamavox (with Amanda Tiffin, Monique Hellenberg and Mimi Ntenjwa) who shared a stage with Stefon Harris, Gloria Bosman and Mike Campbell’s South African Big Band at the Standard Bank National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, Souled (with Melanie Scholtz and Shane Cooper) and released an EP recording with electro-lounge group Nightlife Conspiracy in 2008. Lisa Bauer’s first solo EP ‘De Ja Blues’, featuring Bruce Muirhead, Dan Shout and Shaun Johannes, was dedicated to the late Capetonian saxophonist Nic Le Roux, a friend and colleague. Apart from her own quartet and quintet, she currently works with groups such as Baobab Three, LMR Trio (with Maxim Starcke & Ronan Skillen) at various corporate and artistic events, as well as her jazz quintet, which first performed at the Kirstenbosch Winter Concert Series in 2008.

Lisa Bauer is currently working on the pre-production for her single and 2nd full length album… Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/Lisa-Bauer-Quartet-189473077770536/