Biography

Hanna Rifkin sings jazz and she knows how to do it.

Originally a rock singer, Hanna got serious about jazz when a friend handed her an Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong CD as a teen.  Not realizing how many times she had played the CD, she memorized it and saw that jazz allowed the softer side of her voice to shine through.  Then, the collecting, playing, and singing began. 

Later, she went off to college, and spent a year making her way through Italy performing with prominent guitarist Francesco Lesi in Bologna.  Hanna has also worked both on stage and on the streets of Paris, Barcelona, Rome, and Budapest in 2003. Her degree in Italian Studies was completed at UC Santa Cruz and in addition to Hanna's fluency in Italian, she speaks Spanish and French. In Santa Cruz, Hanna studied jazz improvisation under trumpeter and Professor Ray Brown, as well as learning jazz theory and piano. She then moved back to her original stomping grounds in San Francisco.

Hanna has played with Chris Siebert, Allen Smith, Sameer Gupta, Mitch Marcus, Howard Wiley, BJ Papa, Michael Coleman, and many other jazz musicians on the scene in San Francisco. 

Audiences love Hanna's generous stage presence, and quirkiness.  She sees that different musical situations give more possibilities to stretch the potential of a jazz standard, but she still concentrates on retaining the original beauty of a song.   Hanna's emotional and tonal range stretch from the gusto of Bette Midler, to the confidence of Anita O'day, to the sadness of Billie Holiday, to the smooth tone of Chet Baker.  Audiences have also said that she is reminiscent of Bjork.  Give her an up-beat song and she will choose each note tastefully and give it bounce and show its raw qualities. Give her a ballad and she will bring out its beauty and make you emote.

Hanna was born with an incredible voice and happens to have the individuality and passion to go along with it.  Her personality translates on stage as well as off, giving her audiences the emotional range which they crave from each of her performances.  She is wonderful in conversation and even better on stage with her vintage style of dress and red lips.  After you see her perform, you will clap or cheer; after you leave the building, she will be etched in your mind.