BIO

ABOUT DANIELA

Daniela Clynes is a British vocalist who has worked extensively as a jazz singer, songwriter, theatre performer and radio presenter.

Daniela’s jazz collaborations include lyric writing for compositions by UK musicians /composers Django Bates & Iain Ballamy, Martin Hathaway, Anita Wardell, American guitarist Ron Affif and Israeli bass player Avishai Cohen.

She completed the Guildhall School of Music post-graduate jazz course, in the early 1990s, and her first quintet, formed with saxophonist, Martin Hathaway, led to a songwriting collaboration. She also led a ten piece fusion group featuring trumpeter Noel Langley and pianist Peter Churchill called Calumet, (with Roger Beaujolais-vibes, Ralph Salmins-drums, Pete Eckford-percussion and John Paricelli - guitar) for performances at the Barbican Centre, London UK.

During these early years in her career, Daniela made appearances as guest soloist with the Michael Garrick Ensemble, Eclectic Voices, and the London Jazz Orchestra.

Subsequently, she formed a jazz-cabaret band with Noel Langley and performed regularly at Pizza on the Park, London. In Jan/Feb 1999 Daniela's first 'live' album was recorded at this venue, featuring the unique talents of pianist Liam Noble, bass player Geoff Gascoyne and drummer Clark Tracey.

In 1996, Daniela originated the role of the 'American Wife' in the opera Hotel, written by award winning playwright Caryl Churchill and composer Orlando Gough. This Second Stride production, directed by Ian Spink, toured England and Germany over a two year period.

Shortly afterwards, Orlando Gough and Richard Chew created an eighteen piece a' capella vocal group The Shout, and Daniela was invited to join, alongside names such as Ian Shaw, Carol Grimes, Melanie Pappenheim, Michael Henry and Manikam Yogeswara. Daniela remained with The Shout through hugely successful seasons at London venues - the Drill Hall, BAC, Purcell Room, the National Portrait Gallery and the Roundhouse plus national tours and radio & television broadcasts. The group’s debut album Arrival was released in 2001.

Daniela created her first one-woman show, Childsplay, which ran at the Canal Cafe Theatre during the summer of 1995. Her subsequent show, Journey, was based on the true story of a woman's life from surviving the Warsaw Ghetto, escaping to Israel in 1950, and moving to England to begin a 'third life' in 1960. It featured James Pearson (piano) and Sam Burgess (bass) and premiered at the Pizza on the Park at the end of 2000, moving to the Kings Head Theatre, Islington in July 2001, where it was filmed.

In 2000, Daniela performed at the London Jazz Festival with her new quartet featuring Jonathan Gee (piano), Sam Burgess (bass) and Clark Tracey (drums), recording her first studio album 'Gentle Persuasion' with this band in 2001. Daniela then added horns and percussion tracks in a studio in Manhattan with some of New York’s finest musicians - Clark Gayton (trombone), Kenny Rampton (trumpet), Jay Collins (sax) and Eddie Bobè (Latin percussion).

This album launched in 2003,  and Daniela promoted it in jazz clubs around London and the UK for the next couple of years.

Relocating to New York in 2005, Daniela spent three years collaborating, performing and writing with US-based jazz and Brazilian musicians, returning to Europe to perform in Madrid, Amsterdam and London (Pizza Express, Soho, The Vortex and 606 jazz clubs).

Since moving back to London, Daniela spent five years co-presenting, and performing on, a regular programme of jazz on BBC Radio South; alongside veteran radio DJ Roger ‘Twiggy’ Day.

Now Daniela is performing regularly with her own London based band; and also singing a selection of songs for the “Duncan Lamont Songbook”, alongside singer Esther Bennett, with the great jazz composer / songwriter, Duncan Lamont, playing and telling amazing stories from his seven decades in the music industry.