Larisa Renée received her diploma from HUMBER COLLEGE in 1998 where she won "THE HIGH NOTE STUDENT BURSARY" for "most promising" of her graduating class. She also received her HONOURS B.A. from the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO in 1992. Through "U of  T" and YORK UNIVERSITY, she has taken part in a wide range of WORLD MUSIC ensembles, including East Indian and Bulgarian singing, and has studied with well-respected jazz vocalists. Larisa has sung with many different groups ranging from solo to Big Band and in a variety of clubs and festivals -- notably the Toronto and Beaches Jazz Festival and the Canadian Music Festival. She is currently studying East Indian Vocals with Sohail Rana. You can regularly find her singing with her JAZZ and ORIGINALS Band, with the "Swing Shift" BIG BAND -- as solo vocalist or with VOCAL TRIO "Trio Bella," -- and at the Old Mill Dining Room with the Ken Meyer Band. (Larisa also plays: guitar, piano and flute)

Allow me to categorize my songs to make things easy for you. 
1) Jazz category: #1, #5, #7 and the final song '#14' (a hidden track) as well. 
Note that the "World Famous" Don Thompson is playing piano on #5 and 
on the hidden track '#14' (a Jazz Standard-"Sweet Lorraine"--located at 6:45 of track 13) 

2) Blues category: #6, and #9. 
(Maybe we can include #2 and #4 as well because of the Blues harmonica played by Chuck Jackson of the Downchild Blues Band).

3)The rest are 'fence sitters'...varying degrees of Jazz, Blues, Soul and Pop. 

*All songs are with vocals, guitar (electric mostly) acoustic bass and drum kit 
**Only some of the soloists are mentioned to highlight the tone of each song 

1.  My Man "Jazz waltz with a European flavour".....Denis  Keldie on bandoneon...
Lyrics sample: "Dancing in the heart of Paris under a streetlamp" 

2. Babyface "Funky... sentimental and celebratory at  different times".....The   "sentimental" is accentuated by Chuck Jackson's blues harmonica 

3. Rain Rain "Latin groove...reflective" Michael White on  muted trumpet.... 
Lyrics sample: "Magic times, will they come again?" 

4. Don't Cry "Funky... upbeat," Blues harmonica by Chuck Jackson 

5. In December "Jazz ballad in 3/4 time" with Don  Thompson on piano (No rhythm section) 

6. Small and Breakable "Sultry Blues with small horn  section and B3 Organ" .....small and BIG.... 
Lyrics sample: "I wanna say come on over, come on into my bed" 

7. Talk Too Much "Upbeat jazz in the style of Rickie Lee  Jones' Chuck E.'s in Love" with wailing tenor sax played by John McMurchy 

8.  Scaley Fish  "Eccentric, spacious, haunting, Funky" 
Lyrics sample: "No more dragons sleeping under my bed" 

9. Drive "Acoustic Blues...spacious" Slide guitar by Chris  Gauthier and B3 Organ (Denis Keldie)..... 
Lyrics sample: "Drive across the prairies, thru the valleys, to the oceans, to the  seas" 

10. Daddy-O "Celtic flavoured, upbeat...alittle angry" ...Anne Lindsay on celtic violin..... 
Lyrics sample: "We're just different you and me. You're bitter and I'm bitter-sweet" 

11. Butterfly Eyes "Gentle, funky groove...sentimental"  Michael White on trumpet
Lyrics sample: "Open my box of secrets and I put you safe inside" 

12. Sally and Bobby "Fun, tongue-in-cheek...latin groove,  with a hint of Carlos Santana" 
Lyrics sample: "Bobby isn't ready for babies. He's busy buying electric guitars" 

13. Broertje ("Brother") "Gentle, Classic, acoustic" Classical violin by Anne Lindsay....flute by Larisa Renée 
Lyrics sample: "I hear waves on the shore from far away. Everyday, on these  shores, you seem farther away...Broertje, I'm calling you back home" 

Eric Gruner -- Program Director Jazz FM 91.1

I have listened to Larisa's CD "Drive"...I am reminded of the singer Jewel when I hear it. We played tracks #1 and #7 during our "Jazz in the City" program that spotlights the local jazz scene. I am impressed with [her] songwriting and arranging talent, as well as [her] voice...

John Valenteyn -- "Maple Blues" Magazine

Larisa Renée is a talented young Toronto performer ... It may be a cliché now but this CD reminds me very much of Joni Mitchell's early albums... Radio programmers looking for female vocals should take note. Renée has a strong voice and it's well-recorded. I hope she sees the chance to do more blues-oriented material as she writes and arranges all of it herself. I played track #4 on "Blues de Jour" CKLN