BIOS
New York’s The Royal Bopsters, formed in 2012, bring a new and refreshing approach to the art of vocal jazz. Vocalists Amy London, Jeanne O’Connor, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk pay tribute to their jazz heroes through intricate harmonies and energetic delivery, bringing jazz classics and bebop style to the next generation and beyond. The Bopsters delve deeply into vocal improvisation; vocalese, the art of penning lyrics to instrumental jazz solos; and their original songs and arrangements further the tradition of modern jazz, bebop, and the blues.
Their debut recording, The Royal Bopsters Project (Motéma, 2015), featured vocal jazz legend Mark Murphy and NEA Jazz Masters Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, and Bob Dorough, garnering accolades from DownBeat Magazine (4.5 stars), JazzTimes (top 2015 releases), All About Jazz (top picks) and The New York Times (weekend picks) as well as rave reviews from Europe and the UK. The Royal Bopsters soon began performing at major festivals and notable clubs across the U.S. and Europe.
Their sophomore release, Party of Four, celebrates both the proud history and the bright future of vocal jazz. A hard-swinging amalgam of vocal virtuosity, electrifying group chemistry, and masterful arranging, Party of Four displays the group’s stunning facility to swing deeply and sing passionately while navigating incredibly precise four-part harmonies. The album is dedicated to Bopster Holli Wasser Ross, who sadly passed away in the late spring of 2020.
Cited as “expert practitioners of vocalese” in The New Yorker, The Royal Bopsters’ performances are masterclasses in the art of vocal jazz and vocalese, demonstrating the dazzling possibilities created when four voices come together as one. NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan, who began her career singing with Charlie Parker and is now considered the reigning Queen Matriarch of Vocal Bop, has commented “The Bopsters are my favorite vocal group.” The love is mutual, and The Bopsters include Sheila as a guest in their live shows wherever possible.
Amy London, Jeanne O’Connor, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk are all renowned jazz educators, and collectively they instruct at the entire gamut of excellent jazz programs in the NYC area: The New School (London was a founder of the program), NYU, William Paterson University, Montclair State University, the City College of New York, Hofstra University, Jazz House Kids, and jazz camps globally. The group’s vast collective knowledge in the history and technique of the vocal jazz art form shines through on every note.
AMY LONDON
Amy London is known and loved in New York City jazz and Broadway circles for her effortless sound, impeccable musicianship and depth of emotion. Her two critically acclaimed Motema CD's as a leader, 'Let's Fly' and 'When I Look In Your Eyes' feature some of the world's top jazz musicians, and have led her to engagements in Russia, Italy, Turkey, France, Brazil, England, Belgium, Czech Republic and Canada, as well as cities across the US. London's fully seasoned career also includes three years in the 6 Tony award winning Broadway hit 'City of Angels' (singing on its Grammy nominated original cast album), and City Center's production of 'Promises Promises' starring Martin Short, plus tours with Charles Aznavour, Larry Elgart and Tom Browne. Ms London has enjoyed more than 25 years of performing at New York's top rooms, such as Dizzy's, The Rainbow Room, Lincoln Center, Birdland, Blue Note, The Kitano, BB King's, Cornelia Street Café, North Square Lounge and more. Ms. London’s latest CD, ‘Bridges,’ is a retrospective of her recordings from the 1980’s and 90’s with such jazz stars as Fred Hersch, Bob Mintzer, Darmon Meader, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and many others.
A world renowned jazz educator, Ms. London was one of the principal architects of New School’s Jazz BFA vocal program, has been faculty there since 1992, and in partnership with Dylan Pramuk, recently opened the Vocal Jazz Program at Jazz House in Montclair. Ms. London has been directing summer jazz camp vocal programs worldwide since 2008.
“Swinging and Sophisticated” New York Times“
An immense talent deserving of national attention” JazzTimes
“Lovely choice of songs, underdone, but new and imaginative. What I liked best is her showing us what joy is!” Mark Murphy, legendary jazz singer
Jeanne o’connor
Hailed as “a captivating jazz singer” by Jim Dwyer of The New York Times, Jeanne O’Connor has performed at New York's Blue Note, Elaine's, Sweet Rhythm, The Rainbow Room, Smoke, and many other jazz clubs. A frequent soloist with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, perhaps the most celebrated early-jazz big band in the U.S, Jeanne also had a six-week run at the Guggenheim Museum as part of its Worldbeat Jazz Series. In New York’s Capital Region, she has appeared at the legendary Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, Justin’s Jazz Club in Albany, The Tang Museum at Skidmore College, A Place for Jazz concert series Swingtime Jazz Society, and the Saratoga Arts Festival.
Jeanne’s 2007 solo CD - Something’s Coming, which featured top NYC players Lee Musiker, Todd Coolman, and Gil Goldstein, included several tunes and vocaleses with her own lyrics. The Albany Times Union hailed Jeanne’s work as "Exquisite... a buttery alto and nimble, graceful phrasing.”
Jeanne was a founding member of String of Pearls, a New York-based vocal trio that sang vintage and modern jazz. With String of Pearls, Jeanne performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Munich nightclubs, summer festivals in France, and nightclubs and concert halls throughout Japan. In New York, the group appeared in the JVC Jazz Festival, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, and The Blue Note. String of Pearls often took part in the Lyrics and Lyricists program at the 92nd Street Y, the annual Jazz Nativity, and the Cape Cod and Provincetown Jazz Festivals. The group released two CDs, Gems and Brazilian Jewels.
Jeanne also co-created Lanham and O'Connor, a vocal duo with NYC singer Richard Lanham that moves easily between swing and soul. More recently, she gathered some of the best musicians in upstate New York to form Jeanne O’Connor and the New Standard, a group that re-interprets songs from the 60s and 70s with lush vocal harmonies and great grooves.
Jeanne’s first marriage was to the brilliant pianist, composer, and producer Don Grolnick. Don succumbed to lymphatic cancer in 1996, a loss that resounded throughout the music world. Jeanne has since remarried, to physicist David Atkatz, who retired from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. Jeanne now operates a private teaching studio in Saratoga and divides her time between New York, Saratoga, and wherever her music takes her.
DYLAN PRAMUK
Deeply steeped in the great traditions of jazz and voice, bebop and improvisation, Dylan Pramuk is a remarkable vocalist, improviser, arranger and educator. He has performed at many of NYC’s finest jazz venues, including The Blue Note, Zinc Bar, Joe’s Pub and Birdland. Dylan has performed in saxophonist Billy Harper's Voices; Beat Kaestli’s Vocal Summit, which showcased Dylan’s original arrangement on Mexican public radio; Anne Phillips’ Jazz Nativity at B. B. King’s; and Max Pollak’s RumbaTap, a review for which the New York Times stated, “killer scat singing by Dylan Pramuk.” The New School Vocal Jazz Ensemble has debuted Dylan's original arrangements, performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center and in a sold out evening featuring vocal legend Mark Murphy. In addition to private instruction, Dylan has developed an ongoing course in vocal improvisation entitled Hearing & Singing the Changes. Since January 2014, Dylan has been co-director with Amy London of the Jazz House Kids Vocal Academy in Montclair, New Jersey.
PETE MCGUINESS
Pete McGuinness is the Professor of Jazz Composition and Arranging at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. Since 1987, he has been an active New York City area jazz artist - trombonist, three-time GRAMMY-nominated composer-arranger, and award-winning jazz vocalist (semi-finals of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition, 1st prize in the Jazzmobile Vocal Contest). Pete appears on over 50 jazz CDs as a sideman and has released four recordings as a leader. He also leads his own quartet and a big band, The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra, which has appeared on numerous occasions at such venues as The Blue Note, Iridium, The Jazz Gallery and other NYC jazz clubs. He has appeared on the Downbeat Magazine Critics’ Poll in both 2008 (”Rising Star” category – Jazz Arranger”) and 2015 (“Rising Star” category for both Jazz Arranger and Male Jazz Vocalist). Several of Pete’s arrangements for jazz ensemble are published by the Kendor Music and Smart Chart Music companies.
HOLLI ROSS
Holli Ross performed in top clubs from New Orleans’ Snug Harbor to NYC’s Blue Note. Her recording on Miles High Records…”You’ll See is a serious jazz vocal album from a singer who knows how to present a song with a measure of elegance...a top-tier jazz vocalist,” says All About Jazz. She performed in Germany, France, Eastern Europe, Japan, Monterey Jazz Festival and the JVC Jazz Festival. A published ASCAP lyricist, Holli’s songs have been recorded by jazz artists, Janis Seigel with the Count Basie Orchestra, Mark Murphy, and Meredith D’Ambrosio. Holli performed and recorded with Jon Faddis, Romero Lumbambo, Bob MIntzer, Eddie Monteiro, Rufus Reid, Ted Rosenthal, Claudio Roditi, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Randy Sandke. She also recorded several CDs with her female vocal trio, String Of Pearls and was well documented with other vocal ensembles, Mad Romance and Group Five. She was a featured artist on Bill Kirchner's, wildly acclaimed CD and DVD concert, An Evening of Indigoes, highlighting Kirchner's inspirational compositions.
Holli was an associate professor of Jazz Vocal Studies at Hofstra University and an adjunct at Montclair State University where she also directed the vocal jazz ensemble, Vocamotion.
Holli received her Masters for Speech-Language Pathology at Kean University where she immediately set out to pursue a specialty in voice disorders. As a Singing Voice Specialist, she presented vocal health clinics throughout the country and treated patients at her home practice.