Intimate and soulful night with Dee Deluca

Originally from Holland, Dee DeLuca is now based at Mount Maunganui and becoming a regular on the jazz scene.

Dee DeLuca, 35, from Mount Maunganui has a phenomenal voice with a singing style
reminiscent of the New York jazz club scene. She is a barista and vocal teacher by day and singer by night. She's performing with Trevor Braunias at the Jazz Lunch at Trinity Hotel on the Easter Sunday.

Q&A WITH DEE DELUCA

How was your experience with the Jazz Fest last year?

Last year I was privileged to be invited to sit in with the amazing Alan Brown Trio as a guest singer, as well as performing with my own full band on the main stage in the Jazz Village. I connected with one of New Zealand's jazz guitar treasures, Dixon Nacey, who also played with Alan Brown that day.

I wanted to do a concert and see where we could go on a musical level, because I was heavily inspired by Dixon's versatility. And I also wanted to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. The outcome was overwhelming. The place was packed and the crowd was phenomenal. We had so much fun that night. Right now we're continuing our collaboration and have some cool plans for the coming future.

Could you outline what songs you will perform this year and what people can expect?

I'll be performing at the Jazz Lunch at Trinity Hotel on Easter Sunday, where we'll do some classic jazz standards and beautiful evergreens. And at the Jazz Village on Monday April 6, I'll be performing again as a duo, but this time with Dixon in the Lafayette Church. This time it will be intimate and soulful with a bit of blues.

Which artist's music do you like to sing the most?

I love to sing music that makes me explore my own voice. Anything with a heart in it, from blues to rock to soul and gospel. From Anita Baker to John Mayer, Lake Street Dive, a bit of Michael Jackson topped off with some good old Joni Mitchell. But that doesn't cover even 5 per cent of those who inspired me. Sometimes it is life itself that teaches me to be more bold and then I hear myself sing differently, or the opposite, when I feel humbled ... it all comes out through music.

Where to from here?

I want to be more involved with music and I am very inspired to give birth to something I can put my name under. There is great support and I'm looking forward to share more details as they're evolving!

Follow Dee DeLuca on Facebook.com/deedelucasings or deedeluca.com

Dee DeLuca at a Trinity Wharf lunch event on the Easter Sunday from 12-2pm, and at the Jazz Village on April 6 from 1.30pm.

"Dee Deluca has a supremely unique vocal tone, warm, breathy and rich. While she echoes some of the great jazz and soul singers of the past, her approach is singular; an unexpected turn here; a poignant, soft melodic murmur there; all delivered with clarity and consummate ease.

A true star in today's often 'over-sung' diva world of female jazz vocalists; finally, someone who gives this precious music space to develop and unfold as she invites the listener in to her intimate world of sound."

- Guitarist Dixon Nacey</i>