As a highly-regarded, in-demand composer,
vocalist and jazz soloist who plays soprano, alto and baritone saxes, flute,
and clarinet, Fostina Dixon has been honing her craft for decades as a guest
soloist with Abbey Lincoln, Barry Harris, Earl May and the Big Apple Jazzwomen.
Known for her elegant mesmerizing phrasing, she has also played with Prince,
Gil Evans, Roy Ayers, Tom Browne, Charlie Persip, Melba Liston, Cab Calloway,
Slide Hampton, Frank Foster, Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, Bobby Vinton, Sammy
Davis, Jr., and Marvin Gaye, with whom she toured with for four years. She was
also a member of the Gerald Wilson, Jimmy Cleveland and Leslie Drayton big
bands, and, most recently, joined trumpeter Arnold Hutt for a special
celebration concert for former Vice President Joe Biden upon his return home to
Delaware after leaving office.
Much like Mr. Biden, Ms. Dixon proudly represents the great
state of Delaware. As a young woodwind instrumentalist she excelled with the
Delaware All-State Band before going on to study with Frank Foster, Buddy
Collect, Vic Morosco, Joe Viola, Andy McGhee, William Bowie, and the late
Robert "Boysie" Lowery. Expanding on her studies as a protégé, she
received a Fine Arts degree from California Institute of the Arts and a Masters
in Education from Wilmington University, which led to teaching tenures at
various schools in Wilmington. She currently teaches Music Appreciation and
Chorus at a local middle school and is Adviser Emeritus of the Wilmington Youth
Jazz Band (WYJB).
As a professional musician, Fostina has performed
extensively at clubs, colleges, libraries, churches, community art centers and
theaters throughout the U.S. With her band "Winds of Change,” she has
appeared at New York's Annual Afrikan Street Carnival, the Annual New York
Women's Jazz Festival, the Annual Black Women's History Conference, the Kool
Jazz Festival, Greenwich Village Jazz Festival, and the Annual Jackie Robinson
Festival. She has also played New York's Jazzmobile concert series and has
toured abroad, including Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, France and the
Netherlands.
During her storied career, she has worked on and/or appeared
on popular TV shows such as "NY Undercover Cop" series, WNYC's
"Perspective in Jazz,” NBC's "Today in New York" (with Dr. Billy
Taylor) and the special presentation, "Salute to Bobby Vinton.” She has
also performed in the Musical Theatre Works production, "All Girl
Band" and Playwrights Horizon production of "Jazz is a Lady.”
Additionally, she has showcased at the Women's International Film Festival in
New York City and "Sisterfire," a festival in celebration of women
artists sponsored by the Flamboyant Ladies Theatre Company.
Last year, Dixon released Here We Go Again, an uplifting collection
that elegantly blends contemporary jazz, gospel, funk, and R&B. It’s a
thoroughly engaging journey that seamlessly transports the listener with
spiritual-like soundscapes. On the title track, she adds a lead vocal set
against exquisitely layered harmonies, while on “Prayer of Jabez,” a tribute to
Marvin Gaye, she adeptly showcases her virtuosic flair juxtaposing melody and
improvisation. Sonically, the 7-song compendium of Again is a musical tour du
force with "Bless the Name of Jesus” and “Prayer of Jabez” presented in
two parts, the full-length version paired with a subsequent reprise in the form
of a vamp.
To support Here We Go Again, Fostina is playing select shows
with her band, New Blend, which features Todd Kilgoe on drums, Vincent Adkins on
bass, and Kevin Benjamin on keyboards.
“A true original." Dr. Antoinette Handy, Author of
"Black Women in American Bands”
“She is a player of impeccable control and skills with…
highly independent ideas.” American Women in Jazz
Tour Dates
3/09 - Wilmington, DE @ Ubon (5pm)
4/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe (8pm)
4/30 - Wilmington, DE @ Ubon (5pm)
Audio
“Here We Go Again" (single)
http://soundcloud.com/1888media/fostina-dixon-here-we-go-again
Here We Go Again (album)https://open.spotify.com/album/0owxpAo2taoTRE7yNWk3Bv
"Prayer of Jabez” (single)
http://soundcloud.com/1888media/fostina-dixon-prayer-of-jabez
Video
“Prayer of Jabez” https://youtu.be/9Y7AEFxYLZc
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