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MUSIC - Lauren Hooker Jazz vocalist, composer and lyricist

Teaneck Vocalist -  Life of Music -  Right Where I Belong


Lauren's talents were recognized and encouraged early in life and allowed her to develop her skills.

"She has performed and/or recorded with Billy Holiday’s former pianist Mal Waldron, as well as Rufus Reid, Allen Farnham, Vic Juris, Bucky Pizzarelli and Reggie Workman to name a few. She has appeared on numerous radio and television stations, including BCAT filmed live at the "Brooklyn Sings, Brooklyn Swings Series" shown in all five boroughs and most recently on NJN Public Television’s "State of the Arts" documentary entitled “Abstractions in Music, Art and Theater” who filmed her live on location at The Cape May Jazz Festival in April 2011.  Her two CD’s have been featured on numerous radio shows across the country and abroad with a repertoire highlighting her three octave vocal range and featuring her original compositions as well as instrumental standards set to her own lyrics and arrangements."

Her critically acclaimed debut CD produced by Rufus Reid and Allen Farnham entitled: "Right Where I Belong" was released in May of 2007, with Rufus Reid on the bass, Allen Farnham on piano and Tim Horner on drums and percussion.   In 2010, Lauren released "Life of the Music", which was described as both "ambitious and eclectic" with "American Songbook" standards, and  several of her original songs.

Lauren has been featured and can be heard in many major venues in the New York metropolitan area.

REVIEWS

Lauren Hooker: Teaneck Vocalist (2011)

"Teaneck based vocalist/pianist Lauren Hooker will be performing every Thursday in October at The Crab House in Edgewater Commons, 541 River Road, Edgewater. She will be joined by various world renowned jazz artists throughout the month including Vic Juris, Bob Devos and John Hart on guitar and Martin Wind, Joris Teepe and Bill Moring on bass." ~ NewJersey.com

Lauren Hooker: Life Of The Music (2010)

"In 2007, vocalist Lauren Hooker turned out an impressive debut, Right Where I Belong (Musical Legends, Inc., 2007), which highlighted her solid, yet flexible, voice, and an ability to graft her own lyrics onto familiar instrumental jazz standards. Three years later, Hooker returns with a program that largely focuses on her own lyrics and music, demonstrating interests in the blues, straight-ahead jazz, funk, pop and Brazilian music." ~ Dan Bilawsky - All About Jazz (excerpt)

Lauren Hooker: Right Where I Belong (2007)

 “Plenty of jazz artists grow up with Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and their iconic brethren, but Lauren Hooker is one of the few who can claim to have done so literally. She is the daughter of celebrated musician and conductor Louis Hooker. She studied music education at Fairleigh Dickinson, where her dad headed the Fine Arts Department. Her post-grad work included jazz theory with Kenny Barron at Rutgers and jazz voice with Sheila Jordan at the Manhattan School of Music. Nearly two decades ago, she set lyrics to Mal Waldron’s “Seagulls of Kristiansund” and recorded them with Waldron himself.”  — ~ Christopher LoudonJ - JazzTimes (excerpt)