Album Notes

The combination of talented musicians cradling Sharon's well-pitched, cashmere sound is an aural treat. She currently lives in The Greater Philadelphia area, and brightens every room with her "smile and style."

**Find our CD review and our recording of "More Than You Know" on the promotional cd included in JAZZ IMPROV MAGAZINE, Vol. 6, Number 2, Winter 2006!!**

Sharon Leilani Bailey was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, spending her formative years on the beautiful island of Terciera, Azores, Portugal. Her love for jazz stems from her youth. Her father, an Air Force pilot, traveled with his many jazz recordings and his cornet, providing a stimulating musical environment for Sharon while he played along with the recordings. Sharon did too, and her command performance debut was a trip to the elementary school principal's office, repeating "Darktown Strutters' Ball" instead of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," as instructed, on her song-flute. The family settled in the historic Oley Valley, (Berks County, PA), where she continued her piano and vocal music instruction....later adding the tuba and voice in high school. She was accepted into West Chester University as what would have been their first female tuba major; however, experiencing life's twists and turns, became a registered nurse.

Performing in many different musical venues since the age of four (both instrumentally and vocally), she continued performing in many local stage productions. Well, after a twenty five year hiatus, she began singing again with various big bands, recording commercial jingles, and performing during the Berks Jazz Fest, Bethlehem Musikfest, and Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base.

Sharon enjoys listening to the pure tones and vocal stylings of Ella and Tierney Sutton...the playfulness of Ertha Kitt...and is enthralled with the beautiful structure and flow of lyrics in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian, such as by Susannah McCorkle and Jackie Ryan. Ms. Bailey is currently living in the Lehigh Valley area, in Pennsylvania, and asks that you please stay tuned for another album, or two, in the near future.

"None of what you hear on this disc could be possible without arrangements of Bob "Doc" Mulligan and Chris Heslop, as well as the bandstand arrangements created during our live studio recording sessions--all enveloped in the hands of the innately gifted recording engineer, Mr. John Vanore, of Acoustical Concepts, Inc. (Mr. Vanore's personal collection of vacuum tube and ribbon microphones was used for this recording. For you audiophiles, Sharon's voice was captured with a Neumann M49.)

Pictures of the recording sessions are included within the package. You will enjoy seeing these talented gentlemen, as well as hearing them. --Sharon