Elegant M performs
jazz favorites from the 1920's through the early 1950's. Elegantly
dressed in formal attire, the quartet includes voice, piano, bass
and drums. Elegant M also performs as a trio for more
intimate venues.
Video
Samples
Quartet
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Valentine's Day Dinner
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Eagles Lodge, Eugene, Oregon
Eugene Ballet
Casino Night
Saturday, February
27, 2010
Valley River Inn, Eugene
Who is Elegant M?
Elegant M is a result of the creative collaboration between
Marieke Schuurs and Allan Stuart.
Both tremendously talented and skilled musicians, they chanced to
meet in the summer of 2009 in Eugene, Oregon. A classically
trained singer, Marieke had been performing jazz with local artists
since 2003. She wanted more expressive freedom and a more
intimate performance experience than classical performing had been
providing. She was especially inspired by the great artists
of classic jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Bessie Smith, as
well as Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Antonio Jobim and other second-generation
jazz singers. She loves harmonic complexity and the musical
give and take between players.
Allan
came from Colorado to Eugene. In demand as a solo piano performer
and composer, he played in five star resorts in Vail and Aspen,
as well as cruise ships and venues around the world. Allan
was looking for musical satisfaction when he and Marieke met.
He wanted to create a group of players of the highest musical caliber.
He and Marieke began to explore their common jazz interests,
put their charts together and meld their styles. Whitney
Moulton, bassist and composer, and Mark Powers,
percussionist, were soon added to round out the group. Although
new as a group, they are all individually well established musicians,
each with their own story and website. To learn more about
each one, check out Elegant M's press
kit page.