thumb Brabara Fasano Busy Being Free



Thanks so much for finding me here!  I hope we get to meet soon at one
of my performances.  That's my latest CD BUSY BEING FREE, & it won the MAC Award for Major Recording of the Year!  
I'm supported by an amazing six-piece band of superb jazz musicians including pianist/arranger/co-producer John di Martino, and the 14 tracks range from classic faves from Rodgers, Berlin, and Kern to Joni Mitchell's CACTUS TREE (yes, that's where the title comes from) and Jimmy Webb's TIME FLIES.  This is my 4th recording. To buy my CDs, GO HERE. 



I'm back at Birdland Jazz Club in 2024! And there's more!  
GO HERE for my schedule

New videos are on my YouTube channel! Please visit & subscribe for free! GO HERE 

2 D BARBARA FASANO photo SETH CASHMAN                                                                                                        photo: Jeff Fasano

I'm grateful for these supportive words about my work ... 

"Barbara Fasano sings with such deeply felt belief in her material that the art she practices is closer to pure expression than interpretation.  Her take on 'Photographs', in which she brings at least three levels to the song at the same time, is worth the price of the CD."
~ David Hajdu, music critic for The Nation

"Drawing on influences ranging from Sarah Vaughan and Lena Horne to Barbra Streisand, Fasano is a thoughtful intepreter of lyrics ... Backed by some heavyweight jazz improvisers, Fasano finds the jazz/cabaret possibilities in everything from Joni Mitchell's 'Cactus Tree' and Jimmy Webb's 'Time Flies' to Nellie Lutcher's 'Hurry On Down' ... " ~ Alex Henderson, NYC Jazz Record

"The range of songwriters is traffic-stopping.  As a singer always at the top of her game, on this CD she's doing the best singing she's ever done ...  intelligent, lush and sexy." ~ David Finkle, Huffington Post

"Barbara Fasano shows on Busy Being Free that she has a jazz sensitiblity.  She makes such songs as "How Little We Know," "Remind Me" (taken as a touching ballad), "Dancing In The Dark," and "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" sound fresh and lightly swinging.  Whether it is Joni Mitchell's "Cactus Tree," Alec Wilder's "Photographs," or Nellie Lutcher's "Hurry On Down," Barbara Fasano displays a powerful and pleasing voice that suits the vintage material well." ~ Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene

"Fasano's insightful interpretations and effortless singing pull her collection together with wit, humor, and a wry streak of longing ... an eclectic grab-bag of musical delights as interesting to ponder as they are ravishing to hear!  This is a singer who has something to say.  This is a singer who is determined to remain fiercely herself.  And this is a singer who has perfected being intoxicatingly sublime."  ~ David Hurst, New York Arts Review  

"Barbara Fasano's BUSY BEING FREE is sheer perfection.  This is a CD from a singer who has thrilled me from the first time I heard her.  She is in full command and has established herself as one of the top singers of the day." ~ David Kenney, WBAI "Everything Old Is New Again"

"My favorite new vocal album is Barbara Fasano's BUSY BEING FREE.  Barbara puts Joni Mitchell and Jimmy Webb on a level playing field with Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin and makes them all sound equally terrific.  Though she draws on traditions of cabaret, jazz, and singer-songwriter pop/folk, the result sounds less like a multi-generic mashup than a cohesive whole.  Typically outstanding musical direction by John di Martino (and playing from reed polymath Aaron Heick and that famous cornetist "whinnying Warren" Vache) completes the package. Wonderful!" ~ Author and jazz critic Will Friedwald

"A much-lauded cabaret artist known for her big-city smarts; her sultry, purring voice; a repertoire that spans eras; and a flair for mining overlooked truths and wry humor from even the most familiar classics.  She seems incapable of singing an unintelligent or unmusical phrase."  ~ Author James Gavin

"She wraps herself in a song's emotions ... tasteful, thoughtful phrasing ... radiant and romantic word paintings ... dozens of ways of coloring words and phrases with pinpoint precision ... Hints of drama, wariness, and sorrow glimmer below the well-manicured surface, adding intrigue ... Well-steeped and potent." ~ Rob Lester, Talkin' Broadway

"An exquisite album! Fasano is one of a dying species ... a jazz singer who gets to the heart of a lyric." ~ Composer Philip Springer, HOW LITTLE WE KNOW

"Dance-in-the-living-room romantic ... She can sigh a song without making it flimsy, declare sentiment without weighing it down.  Jaunty numbers like her now-familiar jazz rendition of 'The Surrey With The Fringe On Top' (performed with a smile in the vocal) are also included.  'Hurry On Down' adds Warren Vache's cheeky cornet to superb effect." ~ Alix Cohen, Broadway World

"Barbara's vocals on this album retain a jazz aesthetic on a range of familiar standards.  Songs such as 'Dancing In The Dark', 'But Beautiful' and Alec Wilder and Fran Landesman's 'Photographs' are tricky to sing, but Barbara handles them smoothly with smart phrasing and gorgeous accompaniment."
~ Marc Myers, JAZZ WAX: 21 NEW CD DISCOVERIES

"BUSY BEING FREE finds Barbara Fasano in peak form ... an assured singer with a warmly appealing sound who does full justice to the lyrics of the songs that she performs ... exhibits superb taste ... The band is all a singer could want, with each of the players making solid contributions to the whole ... a consistently engaging album by a terrific singer and the cats who surround her."~ Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz Magazine

"Barbara Fasano is not just a singer, she is a persuasive storyteller.  In her warm alto, supported by John di Martino's blissful arrangements and a swinging band, she is committed to telling these stories ... an exceptional ballad singer who can also swing.  And sing she does.  Borrowing from the tapestry of her life, she imbues truth in her delivery at every turn." ~ John Hoglund, Cabaret Scenes

"Barbara continues to amaze me.  She excels in sounding as if the songs were written just for her ... such robust energy, I just had to play the replay button.  There should be mention of her co-producer/pianist John di Martino.  His piano support is just about the most intelligent and useful any smart and wise singer could have." ~ Dan Singer, In Tune International

"Fasano's interpretations have their own intimate style and clarity, and I could envision her singing as if I were in the room ... Great choice of songs backed by an excellent group of musicians.  Much warm and romance reflected.  What a pleasure!" ~ William Wolf, New York Calling