{ biography } Allison Tartalia’s powerful and expressive performances have a way of charming audiences. The secret weapons: fearless honesty, a quirky sense of humor and an extraordinary flair for songwriting. Audiences have taken notice at festivals and venues around the country, and it is not unusual to see devoted fans singing along to her anthems of independence like Dorothy's Reply and Absolutely Fabulous. This versatile artist keeps listeners enthralled whether she’s taking things slow on the painfully honest ballad Advent of You, turning up the funk on Agree, or just sharing a funny tale from her life between songs.

A classically trained pianist and self-taught guitar player with a degree in theatre, Allison draws upon diverse influences to create her eclectic brand of jazz-infused acoustic pop. Her debut CD, Ready, was enthusiastically received by critics, and songs from the album received airplay on college and independent radio stations from coast to coast.

2006 has been a busy year for Tartalia, who frequently lends her keyboard talents to other singer-songwriters in the studio, and is currently composing the music for her first musical theatre collaboration with award-winning playwright Barbara Kahn. Tartalia is fast at work on her sophomore CD, slated for release in 2007.

Allison Tartalia (piano/guitar/vocals/songwriter) performs solo, as a duo with Mike McGinnis and with a band. For the past 4 years she had had the pleasure of collaborating with these fine folks:

Sax/woodwind player Mike McGinnis composes for and plays with Between Green and The Four Bags, and has performed with Teo Macero, Ravi Coltrane, and Benny Carter. Drummer Mark Dodge has performed with Clark Terry and Ravi Coltrane and is a member of the jazz ensemble Between Green.