AYANNA HOBSON
Ayanna was born in McNary, Arizona, raised in Southern California and performs in San Diego California and Phoenix Arizona, where she is currently singing R&B-Blues-Soul-Jazz Music in the local Clubs with her Group, 'The Soulmates'.
Jazz / Blues Vocalist Ayanna Hobson's Musical diet consisted of many of the greats such as, B.B. King, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Sarah Vaughn to name a few. Her powerful vocal style, with an Operatic 4.5 Octave range, has often been compared to that of Cleo Laine and Sarah Vaughn, her jazzy vocal stylings to that of Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter.
In California in the past Ayanna and her Acoustic Jazz Ensemble appeared extensively in Clubs, and Concerts throughout San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Her Hawaiian Group 'ROOTS' gave renowned performances throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
Ayanna has also been featured as Lead Vocalist for Glenn Horiuchi’s free-form Jazz Ensemble 'MAIN FORCE', in San Diego California, and for the Dennis Proctor 'JAZZ QUARTET'. Ayanna’s hard driving energy has been known to blister the Fingers of the most accomplished Musicians and work Audiences into a frenzy.
Ayanna's latest CD 'Looking for A Home, Too' is a Tribute to her Collaborator New York's Blues and Soul Legend, Buster (Little Buster) Forehand.
PERFORMANCES AT:
Celebrity Theater, Phoenix Arizona.
Maui Jazz Festival, Hawaii.
Aztlan Theater, Denver CO.
Folly Theater, Kansas City MO.
The Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans LA.
World Mardi Gras, Indianapolis IN.
Mississippi Nights, St. Louis MO.
Sean Kaley's Lamont IL.
Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA.
The Knitting Factory, New York City, NY.
Jazz Festivals in Rome, Milan,
Venice, Sicily, Italy.
San Francisco, CA.
Los Angeles, CA.
San Diego, CA.
Phoenix, AZ.
AFFILIATIONS:
'Little Buster's Soulbrothers Band','Jackson Street Band', 'Acoustic Jazz Ensemble', 'James Newton' (Jazz Virtuoso), 'Main Force', 'Dennis Proctor's Jazz Quartet','Fattburger'.
MUSICAL THEATER PRODUCTIONS:
"Ain't Misbehavin", "Don't Bother Me", "I Can't Cope", "Showboat", "On This Island", "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide", "Rasin The Rent".
AYANNA HAS OPENED SHOWS FOR:
Dizzy Gillispie, The Four Tops, The Platters (J.C. Parrish), The Temptations, B.J. Thomas, Little Buster & The Soulbrothers, Eddie Harris, Lamart Johnson, Mary Wells, Little Milton.
AWARDS:
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE, "AWARD OF ACHIEVEMENT", and SAN DIEGO'S REP/ACTORS GROUP "BEST ACTRESS", "BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS"
AYANNA HOBSON & THE SOULMATES:
The Band consists of 4 Instruments, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboards, in addition to Ayanna's 4.5 octave Vocal range.
MUSICAL GENRE:
R&B,Soul,Blues,Jazz.
TELEVISION & RADIO PERFORMANCES:
KPNX T.V. Phoenix AZ,"The Today Show"
KTVK T.V. Phoenix AZ,"Good Morning Arizona"
FOX T.V. Kansas City MO.
KJZZ Mesa AZ.
WVGS Statesboro GA.
WCSB Cleveland OH.
WSTB Streetboro OH.
WGRE Greencastle IN.
WSND Notre Dame IN.
WRUW Cleveland OH.
WJCU University Heights OH.
WFCI Franklin IN.
WCER Indianapolis IN.
WONC Naperville IL.
WWUH West Hartford CT.
WBAI New York NY.
WCOW Old Westbury NY.
WNYU New York NY.
WFUV Bronx NY.
WSHR Lake Ronkonkama NY.
WLIU South Hampton NY.
WREK Atlanta GA.
KDHX St. Louis MO.
KCUR Kansas City MO.
KKFI Kansas City MO.
KTRM Kirksville MO.
KSLU Hammond IN.
KRVS Lafayette LA.
WTUL New Orleans LA.
KZUM Lincoln NE.
WUTC Chatannoga TN.
WQOX Memphis TN.
WEPG Jasper TN.
KRLT Lake Tahoe NV.
LIVE PERFORMANCES:
City of Tempe Cultural Festival, Tempe AZ.
Rhythm Room, Phoenix AZ.
The Blue Note, Scottsdale AZ.
The Orbit Jazz Club Phoenix Az.
Doc & Eddy's Tempe Az.
Lake Pleasant, Phoenix AZ.
Papa Deux, Peoria AZ.
The End, Glendale AZ.
SugarDaddy's, Scottsdale AZ.
The Brokers, Scottsdale AZ.
The Redfish, Scottsdale AZ.
Barwinkles, Phoenix AZ.
Fever Blues, Phoenix AZ.
High Tops, Phoenix AZ.
Apache Gold Casino, San Carlos AZ.
U.S. Grant Hotel, San Diego CA.
Caesar Cafe, San Diego CA.
Aztlan Theater, Denver CO.
Folly Theater, Kansas City MO.
The Howlin' Wolf, New Orleans LA.
World Mardi Gras, Indianapolis IN.
Mississippi Nights, St. Louis MO.
Sean Kaley's, Lamont IL.
Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA.
The Knitting Factory, New York City NY.
Riverbend Festival 2005
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES:
James Citkovic - Countdown Entertainment
Sandy Serge - Serge Entertainment Group
Gaye Carlton - Mantra Public Relations
Buster (Little Buster) Forehand
Chris Hiatt
Hans Olson
Moe Denham
PRESS REVIEWS:
"AYANNA & THE SOULMATES CD 'Looking For A Home Too', Is The Most Soulful Music Ever To Come Out Of Phoenix", Bob Corritore KJZZ 91.5 FM, Phoenix AZ.
"AYANNA Is One Of The Best Singers I`ve Heard In Some Years", Kjell Andreassen, Radio Holstebro 97.4,FM, Denmark.
"The Great Success Of An Afternoon Of Fine Music, Is Due To The Caliber Of Performance Provided By AYANNA & THE SOULMATES", Wydale Holmes, Fine Aarts Coordinator City Of Tempe AZ.
"The Songs, Music and Lyrics of AYANNA & THE SOULMATES CD 'LOOKING FOR A HOME TOO' all tell a story, and AYANNA'S Vocals Are Just As Dynamic As One Of My Favorite Entertainers KOKO TAYLOR", Bill Wagner KZUM 89.3 FM, Lincoln Nebraska.
"AYANNA Is Amazing! Not Since I First Saw JAMES BROWN, B.B. KING and LITTLE BUSTER In The 1970's Have I Been So Taken By An Artist. Her Talent, Delivery And Charisma Is Second To None, Making Her A Force To Be Reckoned With, It's Time For ARETHA To Pass The Crown!!", Donny Walker, TRS Music Promotion, Phoenix AZ.
"AYANNA & THE SOULMATES Perform incredible Old-School Rhythm & Blues Music, About Love And Heartbreak", Dianna Bagby, DAILY POST Atlanta.
"AYANNA & THE SOULMATES, Great American Music, Performed by Artists Who Have Found Their Groove" GAMBIT WEEKLY, New Orleans.
"AYANNA & THE SOULMATES Created An Evening Of Spectacular Blues, Soul, R&B, and Jazz Music", DENVER POST, Denver CO.
"The Music And Performance Of AYANNA & THE SOULMATES Is A Celebration For Your Soul, Ayanna's 4.5 Octave Vocals Are Outstanding", KANSAS CITY STAR Kansas City MO.
"AYANNA HOBSON & THE SOULMATES are the stuff hot, sticky evening blues. I made my way through the gauntlet that is the Strut, and found my efforts paid back in fold. Ayanna Hobson is pure dynamism in motion. She delivers her vocals with the confidence and pleasure that are the foundation of all strong performances. She treats her audience members with the affection she might show a friend she’s not seen for a number of years, but is enthralled that friend is now back in her company. Ayanna’s stage presence exudes affection for not her musical gift, but true affection for the members of her audience.
The Soulmates are the tightest band I’ve heard, but trust me that’s an advantage in the straight up blues they deliver while backing up Ayanna Hobson. I would describe the band’s sound as unaffected, no frills electric blues. They have mastered that controlled looseness The Rolling Stones perfected and rode all the way to the top of the music world. Some of the syncopated musical phrases the band pulled off impressed the &*# out of me. The best part was they did it like breathing, and not with that “hey everybody, watch this” affectation some bands do to death. All in all, I found the band’s performance powerful and kicking, but tasteful in the extreme.
If I may indulge in a cliché to sum up my feelings about Ayanna Hobson and The Soulmates, I like my blues like I like my whisky — Straight".
By: Jay Mouton
'THE CHATTANOOGAN' Chattanooga TN.- June 15th, 2005
AYANNA & THE SOULMATES
"Looking For A Home Too"
By: Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro,
MARY 4 MUSIC © NOVEMBER, 2004
I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is obviously a reason I felt so compelled to review this CD. Usually I shy away from the R&B style of the blues and stay more focused on the real mainstream blues. Yet, during the several listens that I give a CD before making the final decision, each listen of "LOOKING FOR A HOME TOO", caused me to listen closer the next time. Ultimately, I was able to put the "style preference" behind me and when I did, what I heard was nothing short of shear excellence.
On AYANNA & THE SOULMATES CD "LOOKING FOR A HOME TOO", all of the songs' music and lyrics are written by BUSTER "LITTLE BUSTER" FOREHAND, and the title of the CD is directly taken from a previously released CD by LITTLE BUSTER called 'LOOKING FOR A HOME" - but the similarities stop there.
Everything about this band, which consists of AYANNA HOBSON on vocals; CHRIS HIATT on guitar; RICH ALFANO on bass; JOHNNY FLORES on drums; special guests JOHN CAZAN on organ and guitar; KATHERINE QUINIF on background vocals; and DEAN MURPHY on guitar, is original Throughout the CD, AYANNA'S vocals are one of it's highlights. Her voice is so strong, commanding and articulate that you can't help but think she could carry the song without a microphone. It didn't surprise me one bit when I read in her bio that she has an operatic 4.5 Octave vocal range and that she performed in many musical theater productions.
"MY DARLING", is one of the CD's bluesier tracks. CHRIS HIATT gets in his share of blues licks on this one. His playing throughout the CD impressed me enough to wish I could here him flat out play nothing but the blues. This track also features JOHNNY FLORES on a very nice drum solo. "TOUGHER THAN TOUGH" may be the best track on the CD. The whole band is peaking and the vocals and background vocal are superb. The song has a bit of a gospel sound to it as it progressively gets faster and faster after each verse. This was a hot one. The whole CD is hot.
The production department deserves a nod here also. The mixing is perfect. Each instrument can be heard well enough to realize that respective musicians excellent talent, which "LOOKING FOR A HOME TOO" is abundant with. That's it, it took me till the end of the review to realize what the compelling force of the CD was - TALENT!
AYANNA & THE SOULMATES
'Looking For A Home Too'
By: Bigdaddy
'WALLA WALLA BLUES SOCIETY', 2004
"If you are looking for some slow sensual Blues for a stay at home and cuddle kind of Night this might be what you are looking for".
AYANNA & THE SOULMATES
'Looking For A Home Too'
By: Mike Ashley
'LIFE & SOUL PROMOTIONS', U.K. 2004
"This is driving forceful old style Soul R’n’B led by the powerful soulful Voice of Ayanna in the tradition of the great Southern Soul Names. Pleading soulfully portrayed stories of Love and desertion.'Thinking About You' is strong whilst retaining a slightly different take, a Reggae Rhythm, yet it is still indisputably American Heritage Music. I know it should be expected of Blues music but I found some of it a bit too Guitar laden for my ears. For example 'What Can I Do' (also done by Little Buster) is almost a classic Northern Soul sound yet it is unlikely to get played for this reason - great track though. The killer cut for me is the deep soul 'That’s What I Want To Do' a 6 minutes plus of controlled strength. Title track 'Looking For A Home' is mellower and also extremely nice. Live feel to the whole thing and I would guess that if you hear this ‘out’ it would sound exactly the same and you would go home satiated with Ayanna’s presence and most of all Voice. Unfortunately you don't hear voices like this too often in todays material but it should be captured and bottled..
AYANNA & THE SOULMATES
'Looking For A Home Too'
By: David Cole
IN THE BASEMENT MAGAZINE, January 2005
This really is something of a tribute to Little Buster (Forehand) as these are Buster-associated songs - and on his own label too. Ayanna Hobson is the Vocalist and her Soulmates are Chris Hiatt on Guitar, Rich Alfano on Bass and Johnny Florez on Drums. They are augmented in places by John Cazan (Organ and Guitar), Dean Murphy (Guitar) and Katherine Quinif (background vocals). For this listener, there is rather too much guitar prominence across the whole cd but there’s no denying Ayanna’s strong vocals, so it’s a shame that sometimes one gets the feeling they have to (metaphorically) struggle against the Guitar work to get the top billing they deserve. 'Looking For A Home', one of Buster’s own best, takes pride of place here but coming in only a hairsbreadth behind are the ballad,' That’s What I Want To Do', the jerky slowie,' Ever Since' and 'Thinking About You', which starts out like it should be a straight ballad number but then gets a Reggae beat in places behind the non-aligned vocals. Elsewhere, more slow stuff comes via the bluesy' I’ve Been Watching You' and 'Broken Hearted Girl' takes on a slight beat. 'What Can I Do' is a pleasing chugger to open the whole kaboodle, 'My Darling' carries a steady, driving rhythm and you get to rock along with 'Tougher Than Tough'. If Guitars are as much your thing as a quality Female Voice, you’ll need to pick this one up.
AYANNA & THE SOULMATES
'Looking For A Home Too'
By: Greg "BluesBubba" Irvin, January 2005
"Blues to the Bone!!, Every track on this disc has it's own personality and feel. No two songs are the same. Whether you like a slow "feel it in your soul" blues song with vocals that leave you begging for more, or an up beat, bass walkin', boogie woogie blues masterpiece ... you'll find it all on this CD. Kudos to Chris Hiatt on guitar for his electrifying licks and of course Ayanna for sharing a piece of herself through her lyrics that makes me feel like I've known her forever. Five stars from the Texas".
CD RELEASES:
2004- 'Looking For A Home Too'
LITTLE BUSTER RECORDS
Music & Lyrics: Buster Forehand
Produced & Arranged by
Steve Kleinberg & Ayanna Hobson
LITTLE BUSTER RECORDS Inc.
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