Ava Preston: A night of original music by 14-year old singer/songwriter Ava Preston

Ava Preston is a 14-year-old vocalist and songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio. Downbeat Magazine recently voted Ava the 2019 Winner for Best Jazz Vocalist in the country for Junior High School. This award is Ava’s third consecutive Downbeat award, having won in the same category in 2018 along with Best Blues/Pop/Rock Vocalist.

Ava has already established a strong following across Northeast Ohio, performing at BluJazz+, Nighttown, The Bop Stop, the Beachland Ballroom, Jilly’s, and Porch Rokr, to name a few. She has also performed at several famous venues in Nashville, New York, Chicago, and a few other states.

Her mentors include internationally acclaimed trumpeter Dominick Farinacci (TED Speaker & former Global Ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln Center), regional jazz pianist Theron Brown (Director of the Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival), vocal icon Kim Nazarian (New York Voices), and voice coach Susan Anders (Nashville) among others.

Professional artists often describe Ava as an “old soul,” and compare her voice to the likes of Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, and Corinne Bailey Rae. Ava takes her inspiration from strong female singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sara Bareilles, and Alanis Morrissette. Her music and lyrics are wise beyond her years, often describing life’s struggles with the innocence of hope, relatable across generations.

Ava's artistic influences and inspiration are best explained in her own words. She writes:

“Creativity is the lifeblood of all of my music. It shapes my reality and fuels my performance and writing. The subtle things in life are what inspire me to create: everything from watching the rain fall to drawing a scene seems to spark some kind of melody. I have found that it is harder to press your mind for an idea than it is to just sit back and let ideas flow naturally. I use my emotions, my dream journal, and various meditation sessions to come upon inspiration.

I find people inspiring most of all. By people, I am referring to artists of music and such. I find great joy in listening to the vocal “greats” including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Louis Armstrong, and Nina Simone, to name a few. Their strong voices, not only in their singing but in equality for all, truly made jazz into a movement as much as a genre. More modern artists such as Somi, Nora Jones, Esperanza Spalding, Diana Krall, Sarah Bareilles, Stevie Nicks, and Eva Cassidy foster my fondness of music and stimulate my creative expression.

• Promo Video: https://bit.ly/2ODHeke
• Website: www.avaprestonmusic.com