Alexia Gardner IN DUBAI April 08_

Saturday, February 9th 2008

After a year and 2 months of moving to Basel I can honestly say Switzerland really has some fine musicians gracing the music scene. Two of them are Beat Baumli ( http://www.alljazzpromotion.ch )who plays guitar and Giorgios Antoniou (http://www.alljazzpromotion.ch/AJP.BBTrio.html)  who plays bass. I am very fortunate to have the oppertunity to play with these guys. Together they are The Main Street Jazz Duo.

Beat is based in Baden and Giorgios in the capital, Bern. I am based in Basel but Switzerland is soooo small it'ss real easy to jump in the car or on the train and get together and play.

Check out the website  http://www.alljazzpromotion.ch/AJP.AG.html for further info on these two simply  wonderful musicians.(How is your german? if it's as bad as mine you can look at the pictures)

On my profile here you will hear the demo that we have recently recorded. A sample of 3 jazz and latin standards. I am so excited about this line-up. It's so unusual for me. Often I enjoy the traditiional jazz instruments of piano, bass and drums. Here we have a refreshing, light and airy sound of guitar and the fat bass sound underneath. I think my voice becomes all the more soft and velvety in this line-up. It's all so smooth and effort-less sounding. I really like it. What do you think?

The Main Street Jazz Duo are just one of three different line-ups or bands that I am increasingly performing with here in Switzerland. I must say that this sound is really one of my favorites. I think it's because it's sooo accoustic! sooo real! sooo LIVE! sooo COOL!!

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Monday January 28th 2007

Just wanted to say Hello! Having had a super weekend at the Ono Bern gig!! Please go to the Forum for the reviews of those of us who were lucky enough to be there.

And, I hope you enjoy the photo of HOPE in the studio for my profile photo. She is sm very clever and and talented niece. Here she is at 4 years in the recording studio of her her first album!!! Can you believe it!!!!

Alexia

Wednesday Janauary 16th 2008

The night after a fabulous gig at Singerhaus last night. Wow, my first gig of the new year and it was truely a blast. The Singerhaus has a very cosy, intimate feel that really suits my style of music. Check out the website Singerhaus.  Also check out the new photos on the photo page. Low lights, warm mirrors and sculptures arounc the room, cosy seating. It's really super for the jazz, funk, contemporary music. Nothining too loud.

Marcel Waldburger played the piano. He held the trio together all night. Super, Super, Super, thanks Marcel.

Joachim on bass. He is off to Copenhagen today!! A new life awaits him there as he checks out the music scene and be in the same city of his sweetheart!!

Stephan Felber, a local drummer, kept us all in time and is just fabulous.

This was the second gig in my new home of Basel. I've been living here for a year since my departure from China and Asia. It's all looking and feeling good. As  I sang in my encore song......everythinigs gonna be alright!!! ( I did Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry) That was super. I invited up Ensa - a beautiful jamaican vocalist in the audience) and a Blues Singer called Uma. We sure had a blast!!!

Keep watching this space for the repeat performance next week Tuesday. We've been asked for a return date on Tuesday, January 22nd 2008!!

If you are in town please drop in for some easy funk numbers, classic jazz deliverd in my own style , a sprinkling of Blues standards and of course my nice and easy slow ballads!!

Love

Alexia

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Saturday, December 8th 2007

Merry Christmas Everyone....time is speeding by.....and we are almost saying goodbye 2007 HELLO 2008! Please have a look at my blog over on MYSPACE for a very recent update. It's all about the new video here!

(Please click on the video link here on SAB if you haven't watched it yet)!

I hope you enjoy it. I am fortunate enough to be playing with some really super musicians and I really cannot think of a better way to end the year.

Lots of Love

Alexia 

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Tuesday November 27 2007

Once again I get a chance to share what others have said about my latest concert.  (Check out yesterday's blog) This time it's a sparkling review in a local newspaper. German speakers won't have a problem. English speakers polish up on your german now........

The gig was on Saturday November 24th 2007 in a village called Obervwil, near St GAllen, Switzerland!

Love

Alexia

(click the link)

http://www.tagblatt.ch/index.php?artikelxml=1430851&ressort=tagblattheute/wil/uzwil&jahr=2007&ms=wil

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Monday November 26th 2007,

Dear friends, visitors, believers,

sometimes, there is EVEN MORE joy of being able to SING for a living!! Sometimes you get letters in your mail box like the one below. For all my german speaking guests here is a lovely letter from one fan on Saturday nights gig. Saturday, November 25th 2007. An old factory, in a village called obervil! ......in the middle of the Swiss countryside......

p.s. and those of you - like me - who speak English.....the letter says.....

WE WERE JUST FABULOUS!

LOVE

ALEXIA

Hallo Herr Benz,
herzlichen Glückwunsch zu dieser Frau. Es war eine grosse Freude sie zu erleben, ihre Stimme, ihren Charme, ihre Pfiffigkeit, vor allem ihre Freude an dem was sie tut : sie lebt ihre Musik.
Die Texte und die Musik haben uns sehr gefallen. Grosses Kompliment auch der Band - Professionalitaet gepaart mit viel Einfühlungsvermögen - jedes Solo hat überzeugt und nicht "erschlagen" wie das manchmal speziell bei den Drummern der Fall ist.
Es war ein runder Abend, den wir nicht missen möchten.
Nochmals herzlichen Dank dafür an Sie Beide

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Thursday, November 1st 2007!

Happy November! Where has the year gone??

We are off to Lake Constance for a Private Function aboard a luxury boat! Remember, this long and famous Lake runs through 3 countries. Austria, Germany and Switzerland.  It's a nice and easy evening of 'Easy Listening Trio' and me.

Tomorrow, Friday, November 2nd, I sing with the same trio at a Jazz Festival in Thun!My home page at www.alexiajazz.com has all the details if you are in the neighbourhood, and want to swing by!!

All is well and I enjoy singing my way through this beautiful land called Switzerland!!

Love

Alexia

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Sunday October  21st 2007

A big thank-you to Lorraine Jones for inviting me to be a part of the Sellaband Gig 'Swiss Style' last night. Really, guests and believers, it was just perfect. We had a good turn out in the trendy cellar of Ono, Bern. The stone, brick walls of the hip basement just couldn't keep us quiet!

Thank you believers and friends who supported us, Li and Arnis so glad to meet you in 'person' and thanks for buying 4 of my cds Arnis!

I hope this is the begnining of many, many Sellaband gigs. If you are an ariste (or believer) you GOT TO GO to these events. There is just a real, cool, 'I KNOW YOU' only to be described as 'Sellaband' vibe!

I played the opening set  with my band. A slick set of jazz, swing tunes as well as a touch of reggae and my originals 'Chasing Hope ' and 'Why Don't You'. Of course Pieps and I performed our song 'Why Don't You' and we  followed that with a  jam on Summertime with the rest of the guys.

I have Marcel Waldburger on Piano. Stephan Felber on Drums and Leon Duncan on Bass. These guys are just GOOOOOD. What can I say.....you missed something if you weren't there!

Please look out for the video soon.

Of course I got to tell you about Lorraine Jones and her band and the 'rude' boys from across the border - Mua' Dib and the Awakening. We all hung out all night and these guys are just SLAMMING!

Beautiful Lorraine and her band perfromed in the second hour and  were fabulous with their original tunes, rocking the gound floor! Mua' Dib and the Awakeing ripped off their tops and literally 'set the room on fire'! We were dancing on the stone floors till early hours of Sunday morning.

Papa was a Rolling Stone! Our jam at the end of the night!! Ben from Mua' Dib just called us all up. Lorraine, myself and the Mua Dib crew jammin on PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE......you can see it now, can't you? you can feel it?? yes, you missed it BIG time if you didn't hop on  a plane to see how the SWISS PARTY!!

Lots of Love

Alexia

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FRIDAY OCT 19TH

I'VE BEEN REHEARSING WITH LEON (BASS) MARCEL (KEYBOARDS AND PIANO) AND STEPHAN (DRUMS) AND CHOOSING WHAT TO WEAR, HOW WILL I WEAR MY HAIR, WHAT SHOES AND WHAT EAR-RINGS.......JUST GETTING................

                                          READY!!!!!!

ALEXIA

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Thursday October 11th 2006

Good Morning everyone! (if it's before mid-day where you are .....right now.....

I just got this mail from one of the Believers called Kristen telling me all about a super competition. If you are a believer here on SAB and you like what you hear pleae nomintate me!! all the details are below...........

Howdy!

Just wanted to pop in and give you a heads up on Sommersby's October Competition!

If you haven't already heard, the competition (hot on the heels of his recent neck-in-neck September fiesta) will offer 20 parts for the winner and is open to all artists that have $9999 or less in budget on 25 October.

This is a great opportunity for you. Let all your believers know you'd like to be nominated and encourage them to vote for you when the time comes.

Of course, if you'd like to, or you know someone who would like to, donate to the prizes in the Competition, just send (or have them send) Sommersby the details under a message marked “October Donation."

Hope you join in on the fun and GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!

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Tuesday, October 9 2007,

'Many congratulations Alexia for hitting the $1k milestone. I often think that $1k is a launchpad - so strap yourself in and get ready for blast off ! :) Again well done, and so deserved.'

These comments were left on my profile by one of my believers -  Sommersby - and sums up nicely whats been happening to me over the past few days.

I'm FLYING!!

Thank you Believers!

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Wednesday, October 3 2007

Please check out this week's  Sellaband tribune! I'm mentioned for the first time!! Read the section 'Community Singing by Lorraine Jones'

Please put this date in your diarys everyone. It's October 20th 2007 and it's my very first Sellaband Gig.

It has been professionally organised by Lorraine Jones who lives in Bern Switzerland. An exceptional, hard-working artiste here on SAB. I live about an hour's train ride away from Bern, in the cosmopolitan city of Basel.  So, this is our Swiss version of a Sellaband Concert.

The venue is a slick Art Gallery called Ono. They lovingly support all forms of Art including LIVE music. I will open the show, followed by Lorraine and then Mua'Dib and the Awakening will be the final act.

If you are in Switzerland that weekend please drop by. If not, why not just fly in anyway. It promises to be a super evening. I am rehearsing with Basel based musicians this coming weekend. The music will be jazz influenced, goovey, tunes.

Much Love

Alexia

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Jan 31 2008 - 18.00hrs. A private function. A Dinner and Jazz Affair at Haus Zum Rüden, Zurich, Switzerland. I am playing with a guitar and accoustic bass duo. Beat Baumli and Giorgio Antonio of 'The Main Street Duo'

Feb 29 2008 - 20.00hrs. A gig in the village of Planken in the beautiful principality of Lichtenstein. Alexia Gardner and The Easy Listening Trio.

Mar 07 2008 A gig with 'The Main Street Duo' and a guest saxophonist in Horgen.

Mar 17 2008 - 20.00hrs  Monday Night Music at The Lounge in Flawil, St Gallen, Switzerland. The Easy Listening Trio and I are invited to perform on this  Monday night at this well established Music Haven!

March 28 2008 - 20.00hrs. A return concert at the Aqua Restaurant, Lucerne, Switzerland. Honky Tonk Jazz Festival. I am on vocals and once again I am performing with the Easy Listening Trio.

April 10 2008 -  A gig at Singerhaus, Basel with Marcel Waldburger, Leon Duncan and Stephan Felber.

April 16 2008 - 20.00hrs  A Corporate Event at the Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai. Details to follow later.

April 18 2008 - 20.00hrs Honky Tonk Jazz Festival in Chur, Switzerland. Marcel Waldburger, Leon Duncan and Beat Fraefel-Haering.

May 20 2008 - Another gig at Singerhaus in Basel with the same line-up as above. They are the Slick Mix!

May 24 2008 - 20.00hrs A gig in Berneck, Switzerland, details to follow later. The Easy Listening Trio.

May 29 2008 - 20.30hrs Alexia Gardner and The Easy Listening Trio at the Birds Eye Jazz Club in Basel.

July 26 2008 - 20.00hrs A Private Function in Zurich, Switzerland