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ABOUT
Lea Maria Fries, a young Swiss vocalist stands out with her tempting timbre. She uses her energetic and profound approach and expressive articulation in various musical contexts. Jazz, pop, improvisation: her versatility and unique style are visible in various bands and projects. Lea Maria Fries is equipped with a strong instinct for rhythm and groove and knows how to phrase and navigate with very distinct timbres. Sensible for a coherent sound-aesthetic, she unfolds her crisp vocabulary and understands it, to knit groove, space and melody together to a tightly woven tension.
She lives and works in Paris and Switzerland.
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BIO
Lea Maria Fries, born in 1989 in Switzerland, initially played the piano for five years before beginning vocal lessons at the age of 14 while in high school. From 2009 to 2014, she pursued her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Performance at the Lucerne School of Music, specializing in jazz vocals under the tutelage of Susanne Abbuehl, Lauren Newton, and Hans Feigenwinter.
In 2010, she was the sole Swiss representative and the youngest participant in the semifinals of the international Jazz Vocal Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival, with none other than Quincy Jones among the judges.
Fries continued her quest, exploring different timbres and textures. Initially residing in Berlin for four years before moving to Paris. Today, she lives and works in both Switzerland and the French capital.
Lea Maria Fries was an early sought-after sidewoman in various bands and musical styles. She collaborated with Jacques and Thomas Dutronc, Eric Legnini, Peter Schärli, Lauren Newton, Julien Herné, and Empire Of Sound and many more.
Influenced by jazz, pop, rock, electronic, and black music, she cherishes the freedom of improvisation. She blends and distills all these influences as a performer, bandleader, composer, and lyricist in her bands et.nu and her jazz quartet 22° Halo, or as a singer and performer in other projects. She collaborates as a co-author for Gauthier Toux’s “For A Word,” Louis Matute’s Large Ensemble, or Macha Gharibian.
With her versatile voice and her assured sense of rhythm, groove, and phrasing, she shines brightly in various contexts.
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BANDS
et.nu
et . nu stands for a volcanic explosion. Hot lava rock. Molten. Energy. Golden. It also implies standing in the nude, ie. a sensual / sexual connection to life. Simplicity and honesty, which, of course, are the key ingredients of great art.
LMF's 22° Halo
A 22° Halo is an optical light effect in the form of a ring with a radius of approximately 22° around the sun or the moon. LMF’s correspondent band brings the soundtrack to this phenomenon on stage.
For A Word
This is the new quartet around the french piano player Gauthier Toux. Album out now!
Jazz, improv, indie, beat, rock …
VSITOR
When starstruck words meet the sound of crackling self-made electronics and airy guitars you’re right in the middle of VSITOR’s universe.
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LIVE
30/06/23 et.nu Beat & Beer Festival Malakoff (F)
21/07/23 et.nu Boplicity Festival Rembervillers (F)
29/07/23 et.nu JazzChur Sommer Festival (CH)
02/09/23 et.nu Jazz Festival Willisau (CH)
01/10/23 LMF & Gauthier Toux chez Theo Ceccaldi Paris (F)
09/10/23 LMF Baiser Salée Paris (F)
22/10/23 et.nu Low Four Manchester (UK)
23/10/23 et.nu HydeParkBookClub Leeds (UK)
27/10/23 et.nu Studio Fluid Liverpool (UK)
28/11/23 Macha Gharibian feat. LMF 104 Paris (F)
09/12/23 LMF’s 22° Halo Jazzspecturm Mehrspur Zürich (CH)
19/01/24 LMF with Baron Scène Nationale Dieppe (F)
24/01/24 et.nu PreSelection Printemps de Bourge FGO Barbara Paris
30/01/24 LMF’s 22° Halo Birdseye Basel (CH)
31/01/24 LMF’s 22° Halo Birdseye Basel (CH)
03/02/24 LMF Tribute to Gainsbourg Nova Jazz Festival Yverdon (CH)
16/02/24 Louis Matute’LargeEnsemble feat. LMF L’abri Geneve (CH)
06/04/24 et.nu Cully Jazz Festival (CH)
15/04/24 et.nu TBA Paris (F)
16/04/24 LMF Jazzkantine Luzern (CH)
18/04/24 LMF Café Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (D)
30/05/24 LMF & Julien Herné Duo Stimmenfestival Ettiswil (CH)
06/07/24 Macha Gharibian feat. LMF Paris Jazz Festival Parc Floral (F)
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PAST GIGS
Jazz Sous Les Pommier Coutances (F) / Jazz à Viennes (F) / Jazz à la Vilette Paris / Le Singe Biel (CH) /Nancy Jazz Pulsation (F) / Jazz à la defense Paris / Offbeat Jazzfestival Basel (CH) / Sunset Jazz Club Paris / Salle Paul B Massy (F) /Beflat Bern (CH) / Moods Zürich (CH) / Centre Culturel Suisse Paris / Café Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (D) / Saal am Moritzplatz Berlin / Jazzfestival Willisau (CH) / Baiser Salée Paris (F) / KEX Reykjavik (ISL) / Cully Jazz Festival (CH) / Spice Of Live London (UK) / Waldsee Freiburg (D)/ Stanser Musiktage Stans (CH) / Match & Fuse Festival Zürich (CH) / B-Sides Festival Luzern (CH) / Jazz Festival Auvernier (CH) / Imagine Cafe Moskau (RUS) / Kaffee Mokka Thun (CH) / Isebähnli Baden (CH) / A38 Budapest (HUN) / Neubad Luzern (CH) / Jazzfestival Schaffhausen (CH) / Ferme Asile Sion (CH) / K34 Belgorod (RUS) / Galao Stuttgart (D) / Kleintheater Luzern (CH) / Grabenhalle St.Gallen (CH) / Souterrain Prague (CZE) / Südpol Luzern (CH) …