Valérie Graschaire

Singer, songwriter, composer

She was born on September 30, 1966 in Metz. After 9 years of studying the piano, she gets interested by singing, thanks to the influence of a group of friends. At 21, she meets Roland ZAINO, who makes her discover Jazz and urges her to practice scat and improvisation.

She enters the C.M.C.N. (Nancy Musical and Creative Center) in 1989 to take singing courses with Patrick DOS SANTOS. She also meets Richard-Paul Morellini, and starts performing with the PEE-BARNEY BAND, then with the Richard-Paul MORELLINI Quintet.

At the beginning of 1993 she forms the "Valerie GRASCHAIRE Quartet" who performs at the international festival "NANCY-JAZZ-PULSATIONS", at the VITTEL FESTIVAL, at the Prémontrés Jazz-Club and in the local Jazz Clubs.

Since 1994, she is the head singer of the Regional Orchestra of Jazz in Lorraine, which allows her to discover the wonderful experiment of the Big Band, with whom she records "ANGUSTIA di amor" in 1999.

In August 1995, her Quartet ensures TOOTS THIELMANN’s first part at the BRIGNOLES Jazz Festival. Since 1996 she is at the head of the singing class in the training courses organised by "JAZZ-CLUB In DER TUFA" of TREVES (Germany). That same year she reaches the final of the ‘CREST VOCAL JAZZ’ contest.

In 1997, she can be heard as the first part of Diana Krall’s concert during the Vocal Jazz festival ‘Jazz Divas’ in the Pont-à-Mousson Prémontrés abbey.

Since then she has regularly been invited by the local big band orchestras as a jazz soloist : the Thionville Harmony orchestra (1998), the Big Band of the Jazz-Club of Trinitaires in Metz (2000), the traditional "GRADUS AD MUSICAM" orchestra along with a lyric soloist for a creation in June 2001.

In 2000, she decides to bring together a repertoire around Thelonious Monk’s music with the pianist Pierre-Alain Goualch. Their first concert will take place in March of the same year within the  Jazz Forum program in Nancy and end by the recording of "Honky Monk Woman" in September 2000. Since it was released in April 2001, it has generated laudatory critics and numerous concerts in Europe.

In 2003 she works on a singing method for beginners entitled "Feu Vert Chant" (green light singing) which will be published in March 2004 at ID Music. The method includes one ‘sing / play along’ Cd of singing and other various exercises and two Cds containing a French and international songs repertoire. It can be ordered from www.oscarmusic.com

 Discography:

Angustia di Amor (Orjl 002)

Honky Monk Woman (EMD 0001)