Amanda Brecker debuts on CD!

The debut solo album of 24-year old vocalist Amanda Brecker, the very talented and beautiful daughter of Brazilian virtuoso pianist Eliane Elias & American jazz trumpet master Randy Brecker, is scheduled to hit the stores in Japan on July 23. However, even before the official release on Birds Records, "Here I Am" was awarded with the "SJ Gold Disc" in the July issue of Japan's jazz bible, "Swing Journal" magazine, already on Japanese newstands. Among the album tracks are John Mayer's "Your Body Is A Wonderland", Norah Jones' "Sunrise", Mike Reid's "I Can't Make You Love Me", Amanda's own original song "Novo Lugar", and "Lovetalk", written by former CTI and James Brown arranger David Matthews, the leader of both the Manhattan Jazz Quintet and the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra, two acts of huge popularity in Japan. The lyrics to "Lovetalk" were penned by David's wife, Matthie Mathews.

The supporting cast includes Ross Trout (guitar), Mike Ricchiuti (piano & keyboards), Zev Katz (bass), Ray Marchica (drums), Andy Snitzer (sax) plus her parents Eliane & Randy.

(Eliane Elias, Randy Brecker & Amanda Brecker)

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Eliane Elias and Randy Brecker recorded their first album together in 1984 and named it "Amanda" after the birth of their daughter. Amanda demonstrated her musical talent at a very young age. At the age of 8, her singing was featured on Eliane Elias' album "Fantasia," singing Milton Nascimento's "Ponta de Areia." Following the recording, Amanda performed live with Milton Nascimento in Paris when she was 9 years old. She has since then sang on several of Eliane Elias' albums and performed live with her mother on various occasions.

During her years at Bucknell University (2002-2006) where she double majored in French and Spanish and minored in Music, Amanda sang in a a co-ed A Cappella group, "Two Past Midnight," and took part in a hip-hop/funk/soul band, "Flowdown Street Six," as the lead singer and keyboardist. With Flowdown, she recorded an album during her senior year, and performed live throughout her years at Bucknell. Following her undergraduate studies, she went on to receive her Masters in French Studies at NYU in 2007. During this year, she signed with "Birds Records" and recorded her album in March 2008.

Her song "Novo Lugar" (featuring solos by Eliane Elias & Randy Brecker) has been placed as the theme song in a Japanese Television Series, "Giants of Beauty." Amanda was just photographed by the Japanese fashion magazine "Miss." She will be featured in the August issue. Her first live performance there is scheduled for November 2008 at the Ginza International Jazz Festival in Tokyo.