Yvonne Sanchez - Invitation (2002)

Polish-born (Polish and Cuban extraction, to be exact) Yvonne Sanchez is an up-and-coming jazz vocalist who got her start in music as a percussionist with national names such as Józef Skrzek. Her start turned out to be false, however, because Sanchez soon moved to neighboring Germany. Eventually, she found her way back to performance, this time in Prague, and as a vocalist.

Her first performance, in 1995, was the initial step in a career path that would blossom quickly, and by 1998 Sanchez won the hearts and minds of the Czech jazz community, winning the 1998 award for Vocalist of the Year. In 2001 Sanchez released her first album, Invitation, which expanded on her jazz background, incorporating elements of Latin music, bossa nova, and samba. The album was well received, and was nominated for a Czech Grammy Award. Her second album, a more jazz-oriented affair entitled My Garden, was released in 2008.

Personnel: Yvonne Sanchez (vocals); Ernesto Chuecos (guitar); Radek Zapadlo (tenor saxophone); Filip Jelínek (trombone); Stanislav Macha (piano); Robert Balzar (double bass); Jiri Slavicek (drums).