Home » Jazz Musicians » April Varner
April Varner
Award Winning NYC-based jazz vocalist and composer, April Varner, has often been described as a “direct, authentic singer…”, demonstrating “vocal dynamism… authentic jazz phrasing…electrifying numbers…” and possessing a “profound command of deep scat and vocalese…” (Marilyn Lester, The New York City Jazz Record).
Recognizable by her curly red hair and voice of an “old soul”, April brings her listeners to another place- one long ago when the giants of jazz were still gracing the stage. Amassing several viral videos of 1 million+ views on her social media of her challenging solo transcriptions, cleverly crafted vocaleses and acapella renditions of the Great American Songbook, April’s voice can fit itself into a myriad of different molds.
April has performed/will be performing at some of the most notable venues in the Northeast, such as Chris's Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia), Blues Alley (Washington D.C), Con Alma (Pittsburgh), 54 Below (NYC), Birdland Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show), and Mezzrow Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show). She also recently made her International Debut, headlining the Longjumeau Jazz Festival (Longjumeau, France) in celebration of the great Ella Fitzgerald, along with two full shows at Sunset Sunside in Paris. In October, April will be an invited featured artist in the Jazz For All Ages Festival (Hilton Head, SC), alongside some of the most notable figures in jazz, such as Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli and Emmet Cohen.
At the age of 27, April has immersed herself deeply into the jazz tradition and has performed/studied with a multitude of legendary artists and jazz luminaries such as Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, and others. April graduated in May of 2022 with her Master’s degree in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of 2-time Grammy© nominated vocalist and teacher Theo Bleckmann. She was awarded the 2023 Winner of the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition and most recently received a 2024 Honorable Mention Award in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition. The release of her debut full-length album, entitled “April by April Varner”, will be released on June 28th, 2024 on Cellar Live Record Label and La Reserve. This genre-busting collection of all April-titled songs was produced by Grammy-Award winning drummer, producer and educator, Ulysses Owens Jr.
Awards
Ella Fitzgerald International Jazz Vocal Competition (Winner, 2023)
ASCAP Herb Alpert's Young Jazz Composers Competition (Honorable Mention Award, 2024)
Tags
Introducing Vocalist April Varner
by Sanford Josephson
This article previously appeared in Jersey Jazz Magazine. The 1957 Verve album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book, contained 38 tracks, including some of the best-known tunes associated with Ellington such as “Solitude," “Satin Doll," and “I'm Beginning to See the Light." Contestants in this year's sixth annual Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, sponsored by Blues Alley Jazz, were asked to select any three songs from that album for their contest auditions. The winner, ...
read more"She's one of the most dynamic and studious musicians I have encountered in many years. I have worked with a lot of talented artists, but not many that possess the work ethic and ambition that April encompasses, coupled with her incredible talent. She can sing anything and can morph into whatever the style is."- 2-time Grammy Award Winning Drummer, Ulysses Owens Jr., Broadway World (May, 2024)
"As the song lyric goes, 'She's got that thing, that certain thing,' which in April Varner's case is a profound command of deep scat and vocalese."- Marilyn Lester, New York City Jazz Record (February, 2023)
Sonny Stitt
saxophone
Tierney Sutton
vocals
Bill Charlap
piano
Ella Fitzgerald
vocals
Dexter Gordon
saxophone, tenor
Carmen McRae
vocalsConcerts
