Belinda Underwood

A Quick Herstory

Belinda's first exposures to music occurred five nights a week while she was captive in her jazz-pianist-mother's womb. With birth, the nightly exposure continued while she napped under the piano in a car seat.

After a childhood of violin lessons, harp lessons, orchestras and choirs, music became her choice when she fell in love with the upright bass at age sixteen. In high school she traveled as a bass player (on scholarship) to Australia with the Monterey Jazz Festival Honor Band, and in college she played and traveled with the UC Berkeley Wednesday Band. Singing professionally didn't occur to her until years later when she was playing the bass at the Jazz School in Berkeley, where she studied with Mark Levine, Ledisi, Raz Kennedy, Stephanie Bruce, Brian Pardo, Glenn Richman, and Frank Martin. It was there too that she met David Friesen during a workshop and decided to go to Portland for bass lessons (after a quick trip to Cuba to study music and dance at the University of Havana). When asked what she valued most from her lessons with Friesen, she replied, "He encouraged me to write songs."

Her debut album was launched nationally in March 2005. Entitled "Underwood Uncurling", it features David Friesen, Airto Moreira, John Gross, Dan Balmer, Clay Giberson, Chad Wagner, Jason Levis, and Pink Martini members Phil Baker and Martin Zarzar. She sings (and plays some bass too) on the album, which is comprised of six original jazz compositions and six jazz standards. Her new album (with Benny Green - piano, Phil Baker - bass, and Martin Zarzar - drums and percussion) is scheduled for release in early 2008. The new album features six more of Belinda's originals, including a blues in 9 and a song from the perspective of Polar Bears (co-written with her sister.) Other guests on the album include vocalist Nancy King and her sister, vocalist/saxophonist Melissa Underwood.

Between tours she sings and plays around Portland with Beliss (a sister duo), Underwood and Friends (jazz quartet), and Sarab (Middle Eastern music).

Back