BIOGRAPHY

Debra Dicembre is a multi-award winning Australian Jazz, Gospel & Songwriting artist . . . gifted with one of the finest female jazz and soul voices to be found.

  "Debra Dicembre is really fetching," [Jazz Kings]
 

Now based on the Shoalhaven South Coast, Debra Dicembre's South Coast Jazz Review is about to embark on the Winter '09 series of gigs at Mountain Ridge Wines. This series of shows will see her perform with longtime colleagues Kevin Hunt, Mark Isaacs, Ralph Marshall, & Jeremy Sawkins as well as newer collaborators, Jonathan Pease, John Harkins, Brendan Clarke, Denys Mason & Phil Scorgie.

Most recently, Debra has been performing with children's bigband Kinderjazz, with whom she recorded the CD' THE ONE FOR ME”

Born into a family of musicians, Debra took to the stage at age 5 and went on to win

• 2003 Australian Gospel Songwriting Award – Best Lyrics
• 1997 Unisong International Songwriting Comp. 1st place R&B Division
• 1991 ABC Young Australian Writers Series
• 1988 Australian Jazz Singers Award

Debra has recorded to 2 CD's, the highly acclaimed Gospel CD 'HE HEARS ME' and the rock pop blues of original material, 'WHAT YOU ARE”,that have both sold out of their 1st & 2nd pressings.

From 1989-'93 Debra enjoyed cutting her teeth as a live performer, playing the sydney jazz circuit with a host of top talent including Dale Barlow, Jackie Orszaczky, Carl Orr, Gordon Rytmeister, Kevin Hunt, Mark Isaacs, Steve Hunter, Victor Rounds, Sean Wayland, David Holmes, Jonathon Swartz & Hamish Stuart. During these years she also put together FULL BODY MESSAGE – a 4 piece , all girl ,Accapella Gospel group. Together Debra , Chrissy Thomas, Lea Mason & Narelle Nielson enjoyed a series of tv, radio, live & recording dates. The band was very well received, doing supports for international Gospel act, “THE BIRMINGHAM SUNLIGHTS' and local guy TOMMY EMMANUEL.

1993 Debra moved to NYC where she lived & worked for3 yrs composing , recording and performing on piano and guitar.

When she returned in 1996, Debra began teaching vocals at the School Of Creative Arts ( Aust. & Singapore), and put together a pop rock band with a dash of country flavour . She began writing in this genre, & began a new recording project that became the CD 'WHAT YOU ARE”, collaborating with Douglas Weaver, Ralph Marshall & Glen Wilson.

In 1998 “He Hears Me", was released and the following years saw Debra returning to her 2 great musical loves, Jazz & Gospel. By 2003 she had begun to form 'Manhattan Love Bistro' with Sean Wayland, Dale Barlow, Jonathon Swartz and Gordon Ritmeister and made a recording of that band (yet to be released in hard copy but available online).
Career Highlights include:

• producing and presenting 'Sunday Brunch' ; a 3 hour jazz and cool music radio show, from 9am till 12 noon, every Sunday on 2CCR 90.5FM. (2006)
• National ‘Jazz For The Forests’ tour with Galapagos Duck, Don Burrows, James Morrison and Tommy Emmanuel.

Top jazz artists in Australia , including Dale Barlow, Mark Isaacs and Carl Orr, have invited Debra to perform live in their ensembles, and collaborate on their recorded work.
Recording Projects include:

• Lead Vocal , 2 trx on debut album of Carl Orr. Co-write on ‘When I Don’t See You’
• Lead vocals on Mark Isaacs pop project ‘Grace City’
• Lead vocal on 2 trx ‘Re-birth Of The Cool’ – Dorian Mode
• Vocalist on ABC recording of Kevin Hunt's, "Ceremony"

. DISCOGRAPHY

• ‘He Hears Me’ – An eclectic soulful jazz mix of Hymns & Gospel songs. 17 trx, 6 original, all original arr. Piano – Kevin Hunt, Debra- all vocals
• ‘What You Are’ – 5 trk EP , all original Rock/Pop/Blues
• 'The One For Me' with children's big band KINDERJAZZ

Now married and the mother of two beautiful children, Debra is based on the Shoalhaven South Coast.