CHICAGO JAZZ DUETS
The male-female vocal duo has a long history in jazz (and of course in subsequent popular music genres as well). Such duos got their great boost during the Swing Era, when many of the big bands carried both a male and female singer, who usually had their own solo showcases but teamed up often enough on ballads and novelty tunes.
Neil Tesser, Chicago Jazz Music Examiner
Blessed with a smooth, buff baritone and a powerful artistic persona, Ziyad can infuse a timeless ballad with just the right emotion and in the next breath, sail into a hard-bop anthem or modern jazz composition with equal conviction. Ziyad's unique style and voice ranges from jazz to classical and has afforded him the opportunity to perform worldwide, from the Sons D'hiver Jazz festival in Paris, France to the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy. One of Saalik's crowning achievements was performing at the Made in Chicago Jazz Festival in Poznan, Poland at the world-renowned Blue Note Jazz Club.
Sarah Marie Young, a semifinalist of the Thelonius Monk International vocal competition is a rare treasure in this jazz scene. Sarah Marie Young is the recent recipient of 1st place in the Montreux Jazz Festival’s Shure Vocal Competition, beating out an international slate of nine other semi-finalists from across Europe and Australia.. Currently, Young also serves as worship leader and choral director for Urban Village Church, Chicago. Establishing herself as a premier recording artist, Young just recorded her second album and first full length album, Is It A Color, and continues to build her blossoming career with her love of connecting with people through music.
