Andrea Ketcham always loved music although it took some time before she became a solo jazz singer. Born and raised in Southern California, she listened closely to everything from the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel to musical theater, Cole Porter, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. She sang in her school choirs and took private vocal lessons, paying for it out of tips earned as a waitress.

Life moved on. She married and when her husband took a job teaching in the Congo (which was formerly Zaire), she moved to Africa. Andrea was invigorated by the rhythms she heard but avoided performing during this period. A few years later, the couple moved to France where they spent 12 years. After settling and becoming accustomed to her new surroundings, Andrea was encouraged to join a community gospel choir. “It re-sparked my interest in music!” Soon after, Andrea began managing a London based band, and found that she loved being in the recording studio, interacting and giving input. “It made me want to do more for myself musically, not just work on someone else’s project.” In the years that followed, not only did she sing but she directed her own gospel choir in addition to a vocal ensemble of peers while taking lessons from jazz vocalist Patricia Ouvrard and opera singer Luciano Rota.

A few months after completion of a course at a local jazz school, Jazz à Tours, Andrea attended a jazz performance which inspired her to look deeper into her own perception of music. “The first act was a double-bass solo concert and it led me to the conclusion that one could do anything that they had in their heart to do! After a short intermission, a pianist took the stage and with few, if any, words began to play a selection of Thelonious Monk’s music in a way that reached me more profoundly than I can even describe. A few days later, and much to my surprise, I learned that the same pianist, Cedric Piromalli, would be filling in for our usual pianist at my upcoming Gospel concert.” From there, things evolved…

At first Andrea took piano lessons from Cedric that often ended up with her singing. “As this pattern repeated itself, I realized that I was not shy about singing in front of Cedric, nor was I intimidated by his musicianship. Instead, I felt inspired to follow my playful ear and heart!” So the goal emerged for Andrea to perform a recorded concert with Cedric in a year’s time.

Six weeks after the concert, Andrea was on her way to California. She and Cedric agreed that they still had music to make together and that they would have reunion concerts in the future, both in Southern California and France. Back in Orange County, Andrea started a community Gospel Choir, directing 60 singers. She has also been discovering other talented musicians both in the USA and abroad who can fit into her jazz concept.