Suzanne Grzanna | |
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| Born | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
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| Website | saxdiva |
Suzanne Grzanna is a songwriter, saxophonist, vocalist, arranger, producer, and actress. [1] She won a Hollywood Music in Media Award for "Best Jazz Song," a Global Music Award for "Best Instrumental," and has been nominated for several other awards including a Hollywood Independent Music Award. She has shared the stage with such artists as Frank Morgan, Brian Lynch, Betty Carter, and Ray Brown Jr., and has performed at Birdland, Blue Note, the Hollywood Bowl, and Jay Leno's "Grand Slam Charity Event". [2] [3] [4] [5]
Suzanne Grzanna was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to parents Don and Maureen Grzanna, who are both professional musicians. She began taking piano lessons from her mother when she was five years of age and started playing the clarinet when she was nine so she could play in her school bands. In the seventh grade she switched her main focus to alto-sax. She sang and played piano in her family band, playing jazz, rock and dance music. She played in her high school band and sang in her high school choir. While in college she performed with the jazz band, the school's symphonic orchestra, and a Christian rock group. She also sang with the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus starting at the age of 18. After attending Wisconsin Lutheran College, she graduated with a bachelor's degree from Carroll University in 1991 where she was the recipient of the "Graduate of the Last Decade," Award in 2000. [6] [7]
Grzanna is a composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, piano, clarinet, accordion), arranger, and producer. She has released six studio albums, The Cat's Meow (1994), Fly Me to the Moon (1999), My Santa Baby (2004), Simply Sunday (2005), Christmas Night (2008), Daybreak (2016), and The Cat's Meow Anniversary Album (2023). [8] [9] [10] Grzanna composed and performed music in films, Harold Buttleman, Daredevil Stuntman , Dare to Dream: The Alan Kulwicki Story , Harold Buttleman, Daredevil Stuntman , Wild Honey, and others. [11]
In 1994, Grzanna released her first album, "The Cat's Meow," which received favorable reviews and she performed during this period as the Suzanne Grzanna Quartet. [12] In 1997, she won a WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry Award) for Best Jazz Group/Artist Contemporary. [13] In 1999, her single, "Fly Me to the Moon," received a fair amount of airplay on jazz radio stations and Billboard magazine wrote, Grzanna displays both melodic saxophone playing and a knack for making standards" [14] [15] [16] [17] Also that year, Billboard's Jazz /Blue Notes wrote, "Claire Daly and Suzanne Grzanna debunk myths about female jazz musicians." [18]
In 2016, Grzanna released, "Daybreak," which received favorable reviews. [19] In 2023, she released "The Cat's Meow Anniversary Album," which also received positive reviews. [20]
Source: [21]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Kiss XO" | Jazz (Smooth/Cool) [22] | Hollywood Independent Music Awards | Nominated |
| 2023 | "Running Past the Line" | Best Dance Video(with Kim Cameron) | Indie Music Channel Award | Won |
| 2023 | Jazz (Smooth/Cool) [23] | Hollywood Independent Music Awards | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Jazz (with John DePatie and Kim Cameron) [24] | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Indie Music Hall of Fame Inductee [25] | Indie Music Channel Award | Won | |
| 2020 | "By the Fireside" | Jazz [26] | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Nominated |
| 2020 | Best Jazz Female Artist [25] | Indie Music Channel Award | Won | |
| 2020 | Best Jazz Producer [25] | Indie Music Channel Award | Won | |
| 2019 | Artist of the Year | Jazz/Blues [27] | Josie Music Award | Won |
| 2018 | Artist of the Year | Jazz/Blues [28] | Josie Music Award | Won |
| 2018 | Spring Waltz | Jazz [29] | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Nominated |
| 2017 | "Daybreak" | Best Instrumental/Instrumentalist [30] | Global Music Award | Won |
| 2016 | Jazz [31] | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Won | |
| 1997 | Best Jazz Group/Artist Contemporary [13] | WAMI Award (Wisconsin Area Music Industry Award) | Won |