Nedelle

Her father was a jazz drummer, her mother was a classical pianist, and Nedelle Torrisi (professionally, she just goes by the one name) herself grew up studying the violin and dreaming of being either a professional violinist or a Broadway star. That's quite a sonic tapestry to work with, and one could pick out any one of those musical threads and follow its course through Nedelle's three albums (two solo endeavors and one collaboration with Thom Moore, credited to Nedelle and Thom). Each sweet, deceptively simple release stitches together those influences with a winsomely soulful girl-groupiness that's richly embroidered with the skilled turns, twists and layers of a lifelong musician -- and the attention to detail, character and showmanship (however muted) of a lifelong theatre lover. She lives in Oakland, where she records for Kimchee and Kill Rock Stars, is working (with Thom Moore and Gavin McCarthy and Jeff Goddard of Karate) on her third solo album, and recently finished her bachelor's degree in jazz history.