Melissa Stott

For her 2005 Feetfirst (Leo Records) debut, Why Now, Anglo-Chinese jazz songwriter and vocalist Melissa Stott was hailed by Chris Parker (Vortex, London) as “a witty, accomplished songwriter with the ability to deliver her material with beguiling, informal intimacy…[with an] ability to write clever but affecting original songs that sound like standards in the making".

All songs on her latest release, The Picture, were once again penned by Melissa, proving that her talent for writing catchy tunes with interesting harmonies and witty, touching lyrics continues to blossom. From the up-tempo dismissal of a lover in “Romance Addio”, to the haunting Evans-esque “The Picture”, or the aching, melancholic “Wish It Wasn’t True”, each and every one of Stott’s original songs casts a spell which is hard to forget. Melissa Stott is “conversational, mature and engaging...far more than just a singer.” (Jazz Review, UK)

As a vocalist, her style is natural and understated, yet “an almost conversational intimacy combines with subtle power” to produce feelings that it’s hard to put your finger on. She also has, in her “precise diction, fluidity of her phrasing and perfect intonation, some of the best strings to her bow” (All About Jazz).

She performs in clubs and festivals (S.Elpidio Jazz Festival, Toscana Jazz, Appennino Music Festival, Cork Jazz Festival, etc.) all around Italy and in Europe, and is the resident vocalist for the Sleeping B Quartet with the Orchestra of Massa and Carrara.

2009 sees two exciting new projects: Melissa, together with Max Paparella have formed Cool Finn, a jazz/lounge/pop band featuring Melissa's compositions, lyrics and vocal arrangements and Max, whose fresh arrangements bring something truly special to the collective, on hammond/piano. Melissa is also touring the multimedia show "Da Broadway a Hollywood" with Italian pop singer Enrico Covili.