Simply Sunday

A brilliant saxophonist, sultry jazz singer and Grammy Award voting member, Suzanne Grzanna is a world-class artist who has traveled the world during her productive career. The recent release of her CD Daybreak is just the latest accomplishment in a career full of highpoints.
 
“For the new CD,” says Suzanne, “I wanted to showcase my father’s original song ‘Daybreak’ along with a few of my favorite standards that I get a lot of requests to play. I used the musicians who I regularly perform with in Milwaukee. All three are a joy to play with and masters of their instruments.” Keyboardist Ray Tabs, Scott Currier (Daybreak)  bassist Hal Miller and drummer Andy LoDuca form a tight trio, and while they are obviously quite familiar with Suzanne’s music, their communication with her is intuitive, spontaneous and full of subtle surprises.
 
Daybreak has three vocal numbers and three instrumentals which, taken as a whole, are a perfect showcase for Suzanne Grzanna’s musical talents. On “Fever,” she gives the piece a sly and sensual treatment with a vocal that builds as it goes. On Donald Grzanna’s “Daybreak,” his daughter’s dramatic alto playing brings out the beauty of the melancholy ballad. A swinging rendition of “It Had To Be You” which has a longing vocal full of desire is followed by Suzanne caressing the soulful melody of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.”
 
“Almost Like Being In Love” has one of Ms. Grzanna’s best vocals of the CD along with some fine scat-singing and excellent piano and bass solos. Daybreak concludes with a passionate saxophone solo on “Black Orpheus” that perfectly wraps up the memorable effort.
 
Suzanne Grzanna was born and grew up in a small suburb of Milwaukee. Her parents Don and Maureen Grzanna are professional musicians and she started piano lessons with her mother when she was five. While Suzanne continued playing piano during her teenage years, performing at many competitions, she began doubling on the clarinet when she was nine so she could play in her school bands. Suzanne switched her main focus to alto-sax in seventh grade. In addition to jazz and hearing her father perform, she enjoyed classical and the pop music of the era. A performer from a very age, Suzanne sang and played piano in her family band, playing jazz, rock and dance music. She gained further experience playing in her high school band and singing in her high school choir. While in college she not only performed with the jazz band but the school’s symphonic orchestra and a Christian rock group. She also sang with the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus for many years, starting at the age of 18. After attending Wisconsin Lutheran College and earning a music degree from Carroll University, she formed her jazz quartet. Suzanne immediately started a busy performance schedule, and she has not slowed down since.
 
Suzanne Grzanna began to record as a leader in 1994, starting with The Cat’s Meow. “I was really happy to release my first jazz album. Recording that CD was a dream come true. It includes a lot of my originals. I always incorporate the many different styles that I have played in my life into my music.”
 
She has recorded seven CDs thus far including the standards-oriented Fly Me To The Moon (1999), her first Christmas CD 2003’s My Santa Baby, Simply Sunday (2006), Christmas Night (2008) and Wedding Day (2016).
 
The recordings (and the video of “The Cat’s Meow”) gave Suzanne fame far beyond Milwaukee and resulted in her performing throughout the United States. They also led to her making acting appearances in films and on television including as a singer and a saxophonist in the band that appeared in The West Wing, and working on such films as Path To War, Wishtaker and La Surprise Party. Suzanne co-produced and was one of the singers on Kobi Arad’s Prince tribute song “Forever” for the Grammies. She also was a part of David Longoria’s “We Are One” (Vocalist), and recorded her new album Daybreak . In the near future, she will be appearing in the film Western Conviction.


In her career thus far, Suzanne Grzanna has worked at many notable clubs and festivals including Milwaukee’s Summerfest, the Blue Note and Birdland in New York, Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Los Angeles’ The Baked Potato, Chicago’s Pops For Champagne, the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center in Waukesha, WI and the Hollywood Bowl. She has also performed in Russia, Japan and Paris and has shared the stage with such notables as Jeff Goldblum, fellow saxophonists Frank Morgan and Charles McPherson, trumpeter Brian Lynch, pianist Dave Hazeltine and singer Betty Carter. “I have been fortunate to perform at so many places. I love to play at festivals because it is fun to be on a large stage, reaching as many people as possible. But I also love performing at more intimate club settings because it is easier to communicate to each individual and I enjoy talking to the audience afterwards.”
 
Among the many awards that Suzanne has won are Carroll University’s Graduate Of The Decade, the Indie Music Channel’s Awards for Best Jazz Video (The Cat’s Meow) and Best Jazz Song (Latin Nights), a silver medal in the Global Music Awards (The Cat’s Meow) (Latin Nights), Best Original Song (Simply Sunday) from the Hollywood Music and Media Awards, World Art Celebrities Magazine’s Diva of the Year and, from the Indie Music Channel Radio Awards, Best Jazz Song (Simply Sunday), Best Jazz Producer (Fever) and Best Female Jazz Artist (for Daybreak). Semi-Finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest for Best Video (The Cat’s Meow). Suzanne just received another silver medal in the Global Music Awards (Daybreak) (Wedding Day), and just won four awards at the 2017 Indie Music Channel Awards. Best Jazz Instrumentalist (Daybreak), Best Female Instrumentalist (Daybreak), Best Jazz Producer (Daybreak) and Best Contemporary Christian Song (Wedding Day). She is currently nominated for the Hollywood Music and Media Award for her song “My Santa Baby.” In September 2017 she is traveling to Nashville, TN for the Josie Music Awards. She has been nominated for Song of the Year and Artist of the Year (Jazz & Blues) for Daybreak.

With the release of Daybreak, the pace in Suzanne Grzanna’s career is picking up even more. “I have been working on many projects. For the future I want to continue my musical life, connect with as many audience members as possible, to push myself and my creative side. I love jazz and I hope to share my love for music with many others.” Suzanne Grzanna will be performing at “The Bitter End” in August 2017 with the Indie Collaborative.
 
More information about Suzanne Grzanna and Daybreak can be found at Divarecords.US
 
Mandi May
Diva Records LLC
Grzanna Jazz Booking
201-591-JAZZ
Saxdiva@saxdiva.com