Season 6 Episode 8 Andy James

Jazz Vocalist Andy James has just released her eighth studio album. It’s on Le Coq Records which is an independent label started by James and her husband Piero Pata, not only as a vehicle for releasing her music but also to work with acclaimed veteran jazz musicians including John Patitucci, Nate Smith, Terell Stafford, Alex Acuna, Rick Margitza, Chico Pinheiro, and many more.  

This latest recording is a fusion of jazz and flamenco music called, “Happy People.” You might ask why the blend of jazz and flamenco?  Here’s where the story gets really interesting. 

Born in  Melbourne, Australia, Andy heard both jazz and flamenco music at home. Her mother was a jazz vocalist and her father an aficionado of Flamenco music. At a young age, she fell in love with dancing, and particularly flamenco, but instructors were scarce in Australia. In order to pursue her passion, Andy moved to Spain to study flamenco and went on to become a world acclaimed flamenco dancer. 

So, what influenced her to take a 180° career turn move to United States to become a jazz vocalist? That’s where we pick up the rest of this story in our conversation.