Monika Heidemann twists together jazz sensibility, improvisation, catchy pop melodies, the grind of rock n’ roll and enough subconscious creativity to still question where her music could have come from.
Reaching above and beyond the standard, these modern day art-songs are truly a breath of fresh air. Her off-beat humor and smart, avant-garde arrangements, though not at all esoteric, betray her background as an intuitive musician, well-balanced between the technical and the spontaneous. These virtues, key to every great musician, are equally true of her vocal approach. Monika Heidemann’s warm, dark, voice and fluid phrasing, envelop strong melodies and remarkable musical vocabularies. With a captivating band of brilliant musicians and improvisors, this music leaves one simultaneously entranced with mystery and revelation, joy and sadness. It is this dance with contradiction that makes the dreamlike poetry of her songs resonate for all who hear them.
Monika’s musical endeavors started with the saxophone in the 4th grade elementary school band and continued into her years at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Initially pursuing a career in wildlife biology, Monika instead found herself singing and playing saxophone in local rock bands as well as leading her own jazz trio with local artists. For three years she sang and toured with the Catamount Singers, a select 16-piece classical/contemporary choir. In 2000, Monika left the United States for a four-month excursion to Brazil to study the native music with local musicians where she was invited to play in a drum troupe as part of Carnival. She has toured the entire U.S twice, as well as the UK, with her various projects.
In May 2003, Monika received her Master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory where she studied jazz voice, improvisation, and composition with artists Dominique Eade, Danilo Perez, Jerry Bergonzi, and Steve Lacy. Monika performs her original music with The Monika H. Band. She also sings with Honey Larochelle, The Bunkbeds (electro-pop), and plays saxophone in the all female Afro-beat band, FemmNameless.
