The April Hall Quartet
The April Hall Quartet
April Hall is the consummate jazz vocalist, combining her deep roots in southern gospel and blues with an honest soulfulness and effervescent jazz sophistication that shines through in every undeniably swinging performance. Her voice, described as “Glorious” by the Boston Globe, is an instrument of breathtaking richness and versatility, capable of ranging from the purest whisper to the most powerful heartfelt delivery. Hall’s masterful performances are always centered on bringing every song to life through emotional interpretation, playful phrasing, and rock solid rhythm. “The exquisite, soulful vocals of April Hall deliver every lyric with emotion and conviction.” - Jazz Times Magazine. Hall graduated from Berklee College of Music, where she received the prestigious Louis Armstrong Performance Award. She has done projects for Atlantic Records under the direction of Arif Mardin, for the likes of Chaka Khan, Melissa Manchester and Bette Midler and has performed with artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Al Jarreau, Billy Joel, Helen Cornelius and Dinah Shore. Hall performs and records with New England’s finest musicians, including Tim Ray, Gray Sargent, Les Harris Jr., Tom Hall, Joe “Sonny” Barbato, Jerry Bergonzi, John Lockwood, Marty Ballou, Mark Poniatowski, Marshall Wood, Jim Gwin, Kenny Hadley and New Orleans's Amadee Castenell. She served as Executive Producer for ImprovLive 365, a daily web series dedicated to exploring spontaneous creativity and improvisation, and co-produced the Brandeis University Improv Festival, featuring Milford Graves. Hall is an award-winning songwriter, and her music has been featured on Boston's "Women in Music" series, on "The Coffeehouse,” WGBH’s “Eric in the Evening,” and the nationally syndicated "Jazz After Hours" with PRI's Jim Wilke. Hall’s jazz recordings have topped national and international jazz charts, and “Room for Two” was named one of the top 50 Jazz Albums of 2012 by Jazz Times Magazine. In addition to her ongoing performances, Hall continues to work with students both privately and across the country, holding master classes and clinics in modern vocal and microphone techniques and on the subject of "Songwriting in a Free Society.” Hall also teaches musicianship (ear training), jazz and R&B ensembles as well as music theory for vocalist at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.