ACCENT (America-Europe)

Accent is six young vocal jazz pioneers from 5 countries and 2 continents, who have started as a „one time“ internet collaboration in 2011, took the music community by storm. Nothing says “harmony” like coming together across international borders. Drawing inspiration from the vocal jazz pioneers who preceded them, Accent is forging a new path, melding jazz, pop and contemporary a cappella into one sound.

In the increasingly popular world of a cappella singing groups, Accent has carved out its own niche. Inspired by the wizardly jazz harmonies of TAKE 6 and, before them, The Hi-Lo’s, the six men of ACCENT, all of them accomplished arrangers and instrumentalists in their own right, are taking their love of close-harmony jazz singing – the denser and more intricate the better – as far as it can go.

The improbable meeting of Jean-Baptiste (“JB”) Craipeau (France), Simon Åkesson (Sweden), Danny Fong (Canada), Andrew Kesler (Canada), James Rose (United Kingdom), and Evan Sanders (USA), six self-described “jazz vocal nerds,” could have happened only in the age of social media. After becoming long-distance fans of each other’s multi-tracked videos on YouTube, they joined forces in 2011, collaborating online on songs and videos.

Since then, they have released two albums, performed at the London A Cappella Festival, played dates in Germany, France, Sweden, Mexico and the U.S., and were featured in a sold-out Christmas show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Their singular blend and arrangements have been acclaimed by a cappella devotees and fellow musicians alike, including Cedric Dent of TAKE 6 and Clark Burroughs of The Hi-Lo’s. Their latest EP, In This Together, is a milestone for the group: it’s the first time the group has recorded together in the same studio.