Ellen Honert, a native of the Netherlands, always knew she would be a singer

“ I want my music to convey the essence of what it’s like to be fully alive...that complex bitter-sweet feeling when you truly open your heart to living...” - Ellen Honert

In her timeless and sensual debut album Breath of the Soul (2006), vocalist and composer Ellen Honert eloquently delivers a wide range of material, from Latin-tinged tunes to ballads full of emotion and soulful vulnerability. Jazzreview’s Max Babi describes the CD as “a brilliant new album” and adds, “Breath of the Soul is an apt title, when one realizes that Ellen has squeezed the last drop of creativity, diligence and that undefinable but very crucial quality called 'individuality' generously into this album...she seems to be cruising at top speed in the jazz universe.”

Growing up in the culturally diverse Netherlands, Ellen absorbed a variety of musical influences at a young age, traveling with her parents to Spain, Greece, France, North Africa and South America. Her interest in jazz was awakened while studying Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, when a friend gave her a tape with the music of Sarah Vaughan. “I must have listened to that tape on a daily basis for over a year...I drove my roommates crazy!” That same year, her piano teacher asked her to sing with him at a jazz gig at a café in Amsterdam. She started performing regularly with him.

Wanting to gain a deeper understanding of jazz, Ellen enrolled at the Dutch Conservatory of Music. But after a year and a half, fearing she’d lose her personal voice, she decided to pursue her studies independently. After meeting Tuck & Patti at a concert in Amsterdam, they invited her to a jazz camp in California. Ellen used this opportunity to launch her musical career in the US. After a stint of gospel singing at Glide Church in San Francisco, she joined V-Soul, a group of singers from Glide, which performed and toured in the Netherlands. Ellen's well received second album "Hummingville" arrived in the beginning of 2010, and through Ellen’s countless appearances with her own band, she continues to hone her unique style and interpretive skills.

Instrumentation
Line up for Ellen Honert's debut album: "Breath of the Soul":
Alex Acuña (drums/percussion), Dori Caymmi (Guitar/Vocals), Tuck and Patti (guitar/vocals), Abraham Laboriel (bass), Abraham Laboriel Jr. (drums), Andy Narell (steel pans), Ray Fuller (guitar), Frank Martin (piano/keyboard), Will Kennedy (drums), Joseph Hebert (cello), Joel Smith (bass), Pedro Eustache (flute), Turtle Island String Quartet (strings), Tony Lindsay (vocals), Marc Russo (sax), Ellen Honert (vocals/piano)

Discography
Breath of the Soul (2006)
Hummingville (2010) songs marked with * are from this album

In 2008, the song "Blue" (Honert/Martin) on the album "Breath of the Soul" received an honorable mention at the Malibu Music Awards! http://www.malibumusicawards.com/

Links
http://www.honertmusic.com/