Boasting a rich and multi-faceted musical career, singer-songwriter Dianne Cripps is excited to announce the release of her debut album, I Told the Ocean Your Name, in which she does what she does best – telling stories. With an engaging mix of her charismatic original songs and a couple of old favourites given compelling makeovers, I Told the Ocean Your Name is sure to create a buzz in the music world.

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Dianne hails from Virginia, USA, where she completed her Music degree with her postgraduate studies completed in Sydney, Australia. As a Sydneysider for many years, she continues to beguile audiences with her authentic blend of Southern Belle charm, captivating voice, and Australian jazz, backed by some of the country’s top musicians.

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Although she began her professional life in the world of classical music, her overwhelming love of voice, piano, and saxophone gave her an abiding love for the extraordinary creativity of jazz. She’s never looked back. A multi-talented artist, Dianne has recorded backing vocals for several other artists, including Barbra Streisand (Timeless, 2000); and she’s performed everywhere from the US Capitol steps, to the Sydney Opera House. Now she’s a force in her own right.

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A natural-born storyteller with a warm, inviting voice and plenty of incredible anecdotes to share, Dianne has become a highly sought-after entertainer in Sydney and beyond. She regales audiences with tales of various members of her family, such as great-grandpa Devil John Wright, a legendary character of the Appalachian region and subject of Cecil B DeMille film Trail of the Lonesome Pine; and her grandma, who might have looked like a respectable hairdresser, but she was also selling bootleg moonshine out the back of her shop. Inspired by family and also the vast landscapes of both her homeland and adopted countries, Dianne was inspired to write her own songs. She has a great deal to say, and to date has composed a body of work infused with her brand of vivacity and narrative substance.

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Working with acclaimed arranger and song-writing partner Matthew Thompson (2020 ASCAP Herb Albert Young Jazz Composers Award & 2021 Wangaratta National Jazz Award winner), I Told the Ocean Your Name explores concepts of family and different forms of love – fledgling, forgotten, and forbidden. These original jazz compositions and lush arrangements pay homage to her Southern roots as well as to the Australian landscape.

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Dianne’s distinctive vocals are accompanied on this stellar recoding by her long-time band of award-winning musicians Casey Golden (piano), Felix Lalanne (guitar), Elsen Price (double bass), and Ed Rodrigues (drums), and featuring electrifying improvisational flautist Keyna Wilkins. I Told the Ocean Your Name was recorded and mixed by Emmy Award-winning producer/engineer Sean Carey and mastered by the legendary Kathy Naunton.

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“She’s a dynamo!” AustralianJazz.net