NEW YORK (Top40 Charts) Daniela D'Ercole, 32, a jazz vocalist from Italy, was fatally struck by an SUV in New York City on Nov. 10. She was hit just before midnight on Broadway near West 106th Street, police and fire officials said. D'Ercole was hit by a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer while crossing Broadway at 106th Street just before midnight.
D'Ercole, who regularly performed at jam sessions in New York, according to her website, was conscious and breathing immediately following the incident but later died at St. Luke's Hospital.
Police said that she had been crossing east to west on Broadway when a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer SUV traveling northbound struck her. The driver remained at the scene after the incident, and no criminality charges were filed, the NYPD added.
According to her website, D'Ercole released her first album, The Peacocks for YVP music last September 2011.
The quintet is consisting of the american saxophone player Jed Levy and Italian musicians: Ettore Carucci on piano, Giuseppe Bassi on bass, Marcello Nisi on drums and Luigi Giannatempo on strings arrangements.
This album was presented last autumn at 'Trumpets' (New Jersey) and 'Enzo's Room' (New York).
In the prestigious Italian jazz contest 'International Massimo Urbani Contest 2008' she came in first in the 'singers category' and won a scolarship. In the 2008 she graduated with distinction in 'Jazz Music' at the Niccolò Piccini Conservatory (Bari), presenting a thesis entitled 'Stan Getz -The Sound'.
Daniela began singing when she was a child; at the age of seven, she sang at the RAI 2 television production of Piccoli Fans, under the direction of Sandra Milo. She started to practice and studied music from self-taught. When she was 24 years old she began her private studies at the 'Pentagramma school' a musical preparatory program. She later studied at the Bari Conservatory, showing special interest in jazz.
She grow up performing in a gospel choir, musicals, big bands singing like a chorist for several pop vocalists from Italy and won some regional contests for young talent.
In 2006, her concert activities increased notably when she assembled her own quartet, playing throughout Italy at several festivals and theatres. In an interview, Mario Rosini, a well-known Italian pop artist, asserted that '[Daniela] is a splendid interpreter, one of the best testimonies of this genre.'
She is accompanied by several italian musicians, among whom were Daniele Scannapieco, Mario Rosini, Giuseppe Bassi, Teo Ciavarella, Guido di Leone, Ettore Carucci, Mimmo Campanale, Nicola Andrioli, Giulio Martino, Mirko Signorile, Roberto Pistolesi, Enrico Granafei, Pierluigi Balducci, Vito Di Modugno; she has also played with Jed Levy, Jeff Brillinger, Misha Tsiganov, Mike Applebaum, Gordon Lane, Nicki Denner, Tim Reagusis (...).
She regularly collaborates with the 'Jazz Studio Orchestra' directed by Paolo Lepore in several shows: 'Homage to Mina', 'Homage to Ennio Morricone', 'Homage to Lucio Battisti' and 'Jazz Standards'.
She shared the stage singing in duet with the jazz giant Bobby Durham.
In 2007 she taught in a music workshop at a pubblic school (Arts Istitute-Corato). In 2008 she was examiner in a vocal contest 'Garofano d'oro' (Terlizzi). She kept on studing on many occasions in seminars and workshops. Most distinctively with Michele Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, Anne Ducros, Bob Mintzer, Norman Simmons, Franco Fussi.
