JAM: February/March 2004 Issue: Angela Hagenbach

Angela Hagenbach
Announces National Release For New CD

“I think 2004 is going to be an incredible year for jazz in Kansas City ,” Angela Hagenbach predicts. For Kansas City , the future remains to be seen, but for her, things are definitely starting off well in the new year.

Following up on the success of her well received Weaver of Dreams , Angela Hagenbach's new CD Poetry of Love has been scheduled for national release on February 3, 2004 . Having an exclusive contract with a national distributor means that her CDs will now be placed in large retail locations across the country, including Tower Records, Border's Books and Music, Barnes and Noble, and Best Buy, and her music will be given airplay on radio stations in a number of prominent markets.

The distributor has even agreed to pick up her four previous releases on Amazon Records and make them nationally available as well.

Hagenbach hopes this will broaden her listening audience, make the CD more accessible to people, and provide some exposure for herself and the Kansas City musicians who work with her.

So far, so good. “Everywhere the CD has gone already, the response has been amazing.”

As excited as she is about the “incredible impact” this may have on her career, however, this talented vocalist and businesswoman will continue to do her own booking, marketing, promotion, and running her own record label as she has for the past ten years. Hard work, tireless commitment, and belief in herself have brought her this far and that won't change any time soon.

“It'll be exactly the same thing as what I do now,” she says, “only on a larger scale.”

In addition to the business side of things, what she “does” also includes composing, arranging, rehearsing with her band, and of course, performing regularly. She recently returned from a short tour of Brazil where she and drummer Doug Auwater had the opportunity to play several dates with a group of local musicians, including a gig at a club where Antonio Carlos Jobim used to play and hang out.   She says that experiences like this have deepened her music, and “opened me up to the lifestyles and culture of other people.”

She also continues to draw inspiration from her early influences: Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Horn, Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Dexter Gordon.

Sarah Vaughan, in particular, had a profound effect on her as an aspiring young singer. “The first time I heard ‘Black Coffee,'” she remembers, “it sent me. It was a turning point in my life.”

Hagenbach recalls being drawn to Vaughan 's “exceptionally gorgeous voice” and masterful “interpretation of lyrics,” something that has become an integral part of her own style.

“I feel that I owe it to the writer to deliver the lyric,” she says. “Growing up, I was always the story teller in my family.   I try to do the same thing now as a singer.”

Another turning point in her life was the introduction to Brazilian music, a discovery which led to the formation of her groups Musa Nova and Hot Latin Jazz. Her rich contralto voice lends itself well to this style, which now forms a large part of her repertoire. And there is something about the music that inspires her to experiment and create. On the new CD she does exactly that--mixing Brazilian rhythms and sounds with poetry and jazz standards in a manner that is uniquely her own.

“After all,” she says, “since you can't please everyone, you occasionally have to please yourself. The more I do that, the truer I am to my art.”

Now that Poetry of Love will be nationally released, and reaching out to a wider audience, Angela Hagenbach will be soon taking her art to many new places in the coming year.

                                        --Tim Cross






	Search our site:		Angela Hagenbach Announces National Release For New CD “I think 2004 is going to be an incredible year for jazz in Kansas City ,” Angela Hagenbach predicts. For Kansas City , the future remains to be seen, but for her, things are definitely starting off well in the new year. Following up on the success of her well received Weaver of Dreams , Angela Hagenbach's new CD Poetry of Love has been scheduled for national release on February 3, 2004 . Having an exclusive contract with a national distributor means that her CDs will now be placed in large retail locations across the country, including Tower Records, Border's Books and Music, Barnes and Noble, and Best Buy, and her music will be given airplay on radio stations in a number of prominent markets. The distributor has even agreed to pick up her four previous releases on Amazon Records and make them nationally available as well. Hagenbach hopes this will broaden her listening audience, make the CD more accessible to people, and provide some exposure for herself and the Kansas City musicians who work with her. So far, so good. “Everywhere the CD has gone already, the response has been amazing.” As excited as she is about the “incredible impact” this may have on her career, however, this talented vocalist and businesswoman will continue to do her own booking, marketing, promotion, and running her own record label as she has for the past ten years. Hard work, tireless commitment, and belief in herself have brought her this far and that won't change any time soon. “It'll be exactly the same thing as what I do now,” she says, “only on a larger scale.” In addition to the business side of things, what she “does” also includes composing, arranging, rehearsing with her band, and of course, performing regularly. She recently returned from a short tour of Brazil where she and drummer Doug Auwater had the opportunity to play several dates with a group of local musicians, including a gig at a club where Antonio Carlos Jobim used to play and hang out. She says that experiences like this have deepened her music, and “opened me up to the lifestyles and culture of other people.” She also continues to draw inspiration from her early influences: Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Horn, Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Dexter Gordon. Sarah Vaughan, in particular, had a profound effect on her as an aspiring young singer. “The first time I heard ‘Black Coffee,'” she remembers, “it sent me. It was a turning point in my life.” Hagenbach recalls being drawn to Vaughan 's “exceptionally gorgeous voice” and masterful “interpretation of lyrics,” something that has become an integral part of her own style. “I feel that I owe it to the writer to deliver the lyric,” she says. “Growing up, I was always the story teller in my family. I try to do the same thing now as a singer.” Another turning point in her life was the introduction to Brazilian music, a discovery which led to the formation of her groups Musa Nova and Hot Latin Jazz. Her rich contralto voice lends itself well to this style, which now forms a large part of her repertoire. And there is something about the music that inspires her to experiment and create. On the new CD she does exactly that--mixing Brazilian rhythms and sounds with poetry and jazz standards in a manner that is uniquely her own. “After all,” she says, “since you can't please everyone, you occasionally have to please yourself. The more I do that, the truer I am to my art.” Now that Poetry of Love will be nationally released, and reaching out to a wider audience, Angela Hagenbach will be soon taking her art to many new places in the coming year. --Tim Cross RETURN TO FEBRUARY/MARCH 2004 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2004. All rights reserved.