Biography

Colorado-based Jazz chanteuse Mellani Day has the intuition and drive to not only create great tunes which future generations will love and cherish, she has the potential to develop a wide audience as the music unfolds. Her first full-length CD 'Mostly True', set for release in August 2006, features renowned jazz pianist Eric Gunnison as co-producer. Joining Mellani on the CD are members from the Dazed Band including Jamie Krutz, guitar and electric violin; Michael Willis, bass; Keith Whiting, Drums; on selected tracks Sky Canyon, vibes and congas; Phil Garcia, guitar; Bob Rebholz, sax; and Dirk Mewes on the bonus track playing the Uilleann bagpipe and a whistle made out of a ski pole. The whole album is rich mix of genres... from smooth jazz & blues to reggae & calypso.

Mellani previous three song EP, 'Shy to Sure," was welcomed with rave reviews. Two of the songs - "Shy to Sure" and "Jade to Sapphire" - won honorable mentions in the 2004 Billboard World songwriting competition, while the third song, "Losin'" received extensive airplay on Denver's radio station 99.5 The Mountain. All three tracks also received regular Internet radio play in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.

It was when Mellani went to college that she started writing songs. She soon began to seek out musicians to back her up in a variety of settings. She played keyboard and sang covers at student and community events with The Administration Blues Band at the international college she worked at in Heidelberg, Germany in 1992. Living in Europe exposed Mellani to a variety of world-musical styles which she incorporates in her songs. She relocated to Denver in 1994 and continued to write and perform at various songwriter sessions. In 1998, she joined Live Wire a working blues band in Denver that included some of her original songs in their sets. Since 2002, Mellani has also been playing a regular weekly gig in Aurora, Colorado with the Experience Band.

Eventually, the drive to focus on original music that incorporated all of the musical influences she loves - classic vocal jazz, rock, blues, Latin and reggae/island beats - led her to form her own band, Dazed, comprised of five musicians with backgrounds in jazz, folk and rock. Dazed beautifully expresses the joy, life issues and intelligence featured in her songs.