Mavis, you knocked me out with your soul, sound, voice, and direct honesty, plus great musicianship. The record is a total bomb. I LOVE the CD. You're a wonderful singer, and the band is smoking. Its quite moving. It swings, and has got all the stuff that I like! " -ANDY BEY, Grammy-nominated vocalist/pianist"Sorry Jill Scott, not so fast Angie Stone, not that we don't love you ladies, but Mavis SWAN Poole is the clear choice for Midpoint. This street wise, world traveled, diva in the making, can sing anything she wants. Smoky jazz club ballad, neo soul funk fest, low rider speaker shaker, Mavis attacks and conquers any style that comes her way. I wonder if Mavis is the reason Lauryn Hill has gone into hiding." -MIDPOINT MUSIC FESTIVAL 2009, Cincinnati The Lady: Crowned Little Ella by legendary tromobonist Curtis Fuller, award winning vocalist/composer/lyricist Mavis SWAN Poole is generating quite a buzz on the music scene. Swan is graced with an unrivaled brilliance of shattering barriers with her rich and smoky sound, and effortlessly amalgamates jazz, R&B, soul, funk and hip-hop. This sassy, soulful, fiery SongBird is often compared to vocalists like Erykah Badu, Ella Fitzgerald, Jill Scott, Dinah Washington, and Abbey Lincoln. Swan displays her versatility as a complete musician by working amongst the greats in a variety of genres. The vocalist for the Bill Lee big band, (filmmaker Spike Lees father), was praised as Indys 2007 Jazz Vocalist to watch, yet flexible enough to record with Grammy Award winning producer 9th Wonder & Hip Hop guru Buckshot on their most recent collaboration. She also currently graces the stage as supporting vocals for soul singer NDambi. HER story: Bull Citys finest is the knee-baby of five siblings, born and raised in Durham, North Carolina to musically inclined parents. Swan had a naturally raw talent, only working, touring, and competing in gospel groups Gods Voices, the Chosen Few and the Spiritualettes. Within these entities, she taught, learned, and sang intricate vocal parts by ear. A product of a church filled upbringing, she worked and/or recorded with Gospel greats like Luther Barnes, Byron Cage, Ron Bigelow, and in 1999, sang in a hand picked group that performed in the Special Olympics with gospel diva, Shirley Caesar, Dr. Bobby Jones, and Peabo Bryson. After 22 years of never receiving vocal training, our Songbird decided to attend the very prestigious North Carolina Central University. While there, she was in the Sound Machine marching band (alto saxophone), the Jazz Vocal, Big Band, and Combo Ensembles (vocal arranger/section leader/soloist), as well as the Touring & University Choirs (Ms. Choir /secretary /section leader). Swan was a Spring 2002 Epsilon Lambda chapter rose of Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority, Inc. She also was an active part of the Theatre Dept, participating in plays like Mama, I Want to Sing. While a student, she was the Vocal Director as well as a Principle role in productions like Crowns and EUBIE!, where she received flattering and humbling praise from press, and critics, as well as a nomination from a visiting critic to compete for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Recording artist Lenora Zenzalai Helm, and jazz icons Ira Wiggins and Arnold George were just a few of her most impacting mentors as an undergraduate student. Swan is the recipient of many noteworthy awards, including Port Townsend Centrum Jazz Festival participant, Betty Carter Jazz Ahead, Sisters In Jazz (IAJE), Indys 2007 Jazz Vocalist to watch, and the Featured Artist for music networks like Reverb Nation, Indie Music Universe, and SonicBids. She went on to work, study, and/or record with Jazz greats like Kurt Elling, Roy Hargrove, Dr. Billy Taylor, Fred Wesley, Nathan Davis, Hubert Laws, Bill Lee, Winard Harper, Jeff Tain Watts, Dee Daniels, John & Jeff Clayton, Curtis Fuller, Chip Jackson, Branford Marsalis, Nancy King, Joey Calderazzo, Carmen Lundy, newcomer Esparanza Spalding, Branford Marsalis, George Cables, and a host of other trendsetting musicians that helped her solidify her unique sound and style. Dianne McIntyre introduced her to collaboration with the dance world, allowing Swan to lend her talents to her rendition of Helen Tamiris How Long, Brethren? for the 2007 American Dance Festival. A magna cum laude graduate earning a BA in Music Ed. ,as well as a BM in Jazz Vocal Studies, Swan has recently completed her MA at Queens College, where she studies with Antonio Hart, David Berkman, Howard Brofsky, Michael Mossman, and Miles Griffith. You are warmly invited to continue the lifelong journey with a true swan of vocalists, Ms. Mavis SWAN Poole.www.SwanVocals.com www.MySpace.com/SwanVocals