SilCo Jazz Series

Jocelyn Medina

The sounds and styles of jazz vocalist Jocelyn Medina cross cultures, creeds and continents. Her original music fuses elements of Brazil, Spain, Africa and India with jazz harmonies, neo-soul/funk grooves and adventurous improvisations.

Between her formal studies at Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music, Jocelyn spent 4 years living and performing in Madrid, Spain, where she recorded her first full-length CD of original compositions, "The Journey Begun." Further musical explorations brought Jocelyn to Ghana, West Africa, as well as to Salvador, Brazil. In 2005 she returned to the United States to pursue her Masters and in 2011 released her second album of original work, "We Are Water," combining her jazz and Latin heritage with the rhythms and flavors of African and Brazilian music. Her most recent travels brought Jocelyn to Mumbai, India, where she was exposed to new vocal and instrumental aesthetics, elements that resonate throughout the material on her latest album “Common Ground,” released in June, 2017, blending jazz with the world music styles of India and Africa.

As a bandleader, she has toured with jazz ensembles at venues and festivals throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. Outside of performing, Jocelyn works as a voice teacher and educator, giving classes and workshops in voice and vocal jazz. Currently based in Brooklyn, she plays regularly throughout the New York City area showcasing her compositions and curates and hosts a bi-monthly vocal jazz concert series and jam session. In addition to her original repertoire, she sings, plays percussion and arranges for her Brazilian/World-Jazz project, sings and drums with the NJ-based Rhythm Monsters West African ensemble, and is a member of the classical Brooklyn Conservatory Chorale.