Penelope SAI
Following an extensive career in the fashion industry, in 2001 Penelopehad the opportunity to follow her passion and move to Paris to train in voice and improvisation with award winning jazz singer/teacher Anne Ducros. In the 9 years she resided in France, Penelope performed with various jazz ensembles at venues including Le Duc des Lombards, The Sunset, The Sun Side, Le Franc Pinot and Le Petit Journal Montparnasse. Additional appearances were made at Les Invalides, Hotel Lutetia, Hotel Ritz and the Australian Embassy in Paris, and jazz clubs in Holland, Greece and Portugal.
During this time Penelope launched a number of creative partnerships that have been sustained through subsequent solo recordings.
In 2009 her first solo album Evening Falls was recorded in Paris with guitar trio Nico Strazzullo (guitar), Gilles Nicolas (bass) and Michel Julian (drums). The recording is an unabashed tribute to love and includes timeless standards and 5 standout original compositions. Soon afterPenelope returned to Australia with her young family. Her husband is producer/engineer Karim Sai (Jean Luc Ponty, Salif Keita, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Toots Thielemans), who has collaborated on all of Penelope’s recordings to date.
Penelope's second disc Siana, released in 2012, was recorded at their home studio in Leura, NSW with Sean Mackenzie (piano), Jonathan Zwartz (Bass) and Nic Cecire (drums). Renowned French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood played on 3 of the original songs. Siana received a 4 star review from John McBeath in The Weekend Australian “This is a satisfying album by a vocalist-composer of unusual ability, with outstanding arranging and backing.” Siana was particularly well received in Japan.
Some Kind of Dream is Penelope’s latest musical offering, released in December 2014. A further collaboration with Sean Mackenzie, Jonathan Zwartz and Nic Cecire, this recording is once again a mix of jazz standards and some rather beautiful original songs. Penelope was thrilled to have American virtuoso trumpeter and bandleader Scotty Barnhart add his magic to the recording. The album is already enjoying airplay on jazz radio in Australia, the USA, France, UK and Japan.
