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Carla Helmbrecht Group

Grammy-nominated singer/song-writer, Carla Helmbrecht, began her love affair with music at the age of eight. A native of Wisconsin, Carla was raised in a large music-loving family and had an inherent desire for music. It was her father who introduced her to jazz, and it was not uncommon for the entire family to spend endless evenings making music. By age 13, she was singing professionally and continued her musical studies through high school and college. Early influences included Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Julie London, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, and Blossom Dearie. Her dual career in music and Speech Pathology has given her a unique understanding of the balance between vocal efficiency and expression in this fragile instrument the voice.

Carla has enjoyed living in San Francisco since 1997 performing, recording, and teaching. She tours both nationally and internationally and has been a featured artist at special events/venues like the KXJZ Sacramento Jazz Concert Series, the cabaret production "Sassy Divas", the San Francisco International Film Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Katy/West Houston Jazz Festival, Yoshi's (Oakland), JZ Brats (Tokyo), the Blue Room (Kansas City), and the Fillmore Jazz Fest. She has had the great pleasure of sharing the stage with the likes of Tony Campizi, Bob Mintzer, Louie Bellson, Peter Horvath, Ernie Watts, Brad Leali, Cyrus Chestnut, Claus Raible, Alvester Garnett, and Akio Sasajima.

Her first two solo recordings with Heart Music (Austin, TX) showcased a collection of jazz standards and originals, joined by a host of world-class musicians. ONE FOR MY BABY (1994) quickly moved to a prominent position on Gavin's Jazz Chart, featuring Clay Jenkins (trumpet), Kim Richmond (sax), Chris Seiter (trombone), and Frank Mantooth (piano and arranger). BE COOL BE KIND (2001) debuted as "the most added jazz record on radio in the nation", and reached #8 on Gavin Jazz radio and received three Grammy nominations, featuring Ernie Watts (saxophone), Joe LaBarbara (drums), Tom Warrington (bass), Peter Horvath (piano & arranger), Clay Jenkins (trumpet), Michael Spiro (percussion), and Larry Koonse (guitar).