Linnzi Zaorski (born March 3, 1978) is an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
singer and songwriter based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In September 2006, she was the subject of a national radio piece by
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
commentator
Andrei Codrescu
Andrei Codrescu (; born December 20, 1946) is a Romanian-born American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and commentator for National Public Radio. He is the winner of the Peabody Award for his film ''Road Scholar'' and the Ovid Prize for p ...
.
Music career
She started out performing with the
and then formed her own backing band, Delta Royale.
In 2002, Zaorski and Delta Royale recorded their self-titled debut album, including standards such as "
The Way You Look Tonight
"The Way You Look To-night" is a song from the film ''Swing Time'' that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. Fields remarked, " ...
", "
Stars Fell on Alabama
"Stars Fell on Alabama" is a 1934 jazz standard composed by Frank Perkins with lyrics by Mitchell Parish.
History
The title of the song appears to have been borrowed from the title of the 1934 book of the same name by Carl Carmer. It refers t ...
", and "
Dream a Little Dream of Me
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is a 1931 song with music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was first recorded in February 1931 by Ozzie Nelson and also by Wayne King and His Orchestra, with vocals by Ernie Birchill. ...
". The album contains seven live tracks recorded at the Spotted Cat in New Orleans and six studio tracks. Zaorski provides vocals, with Delta Royale providing guitar, bass, saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet. No drums appear on the recording.
Recorded in 2004, ''Hotsy-Totsy'' includes Zaorski's first original composition, "Better Off Dead", and standards such as "
Hernando's Hideaway
"Hernando's Hideaway" is a tango show tune, largely in long metre, from the musical ''The Pajama Game'', written by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler and published in 1954. It was sung in the stage and film versions of the musical by Carol Haney. The s ...
" and "
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills. It is now accepted as a jazz standard, and jazz historian Gunther Schuller characterized it as "now legendary" and "a prophe ...
". Delta Royale added violin and washboard and recorded without clarinet or drums. "Better Off Dead" was featured in the film ''
The Mechanic'' (2011) with Zaorski appearing as the jazz club singer.
Critical reception
''
Offbeat'' magazine in New Orleans described Zaorski's first songwriting effort as fitting "snugly in the confines of Depression-era pop music".
Delta Royale has been described as a "formidable band".
''
Gambit
A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage.
The word ''gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe simi ...
'' described Zaorski and her debut album as being part of an influential traditional jazz movement in New Orleans that was bringing new energy to the scene.
Discography
* ''Linnzi Zaorski & Delta Royale'' (2002)
* ''Hotsy-Totsy'' (2004)
* ''Hot Wax and Whiskey'' (2007)
* ''It's a Wonderful Record'' (Summertone, 2009)
* ''Naughty Sweetie'' (2011)
* ''Greet the Dawn'' (2016)
References
External links
Official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaorski, Linnzi
Jazz musicians from New Orleans
Living people
1978 births