Sicilian jazz singer and songwriter Laura Campisi has lived and performed in New York City since 2011. She has created a variety of musical projects, ranging from voice-and-bass to unique sextet combinations. Passionate about language as a musical sound form, and a deep expression of both the inner self and cultural roots, she writes original songs in English, Italian and Sicilian, and sings in Italian, English, Spanish, Punjabi, Portuguese, French, Sicilian and Neapolitan. While in New York, Laura has performed at many prestigious venues, including Birdland, Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, The Kitano Jazz Club, Bar Next Door, Zinc Bar, Cornelia Street Cafe, Garage, APUS at NYU, as well as at the Westchester Italian Cultural Center and the Italian American Museum, among others. Laura has received awards as both a songwriter and a jazz performer, and she has worked extensively between Europe, the U.S. and Canada.
In 2017 Laura has released her debut album Double Mirror that was welcomed with high praises by the international press, including the prestigious Downbeat Magazine, and featured in the Best of 2017 by both Cadence Magazine and All About Jazz. In 2018, Laura was featured as one of 5 main characters in The Ward Cabaret(Toronto, Canada) singing and acting as an Italian immigrant in the early Twentieth Century. In 2021 she released a video and a single with her personal rendition of the Jazz masterpiece Strange Fruit, a staple song of the civil rights movement. Laura is a unique voice on the jazz scene. She's a passionate vocalist with a warm timber full of colors. Her music is firmly rooted in the Jazz tradition, but her original songs, singular versions of jazz standards, her take on pop hits and jazzy renditions of Italian and Sicilian tunes create a world that is both unique and universal.
“Campisi is something else... On her debut album she attemps something fairly daring: singing against a stark background of electric bass and drums. Fortunately, Campisi pulls it off, thanks to her sweet-toned, sturdy voice, precise pitch, lilting delivery and first-rate support from two duos.” Allen Morrison, DOWNBEAT
“Laura Campisi is an unique singer with an eclectic approach to music. She achieves a lot with creative use of bass and drums and a wide imagination. Her music is gorgeous, energetic and daring. She deserves a wide hearing.” Jerome Wilson, All About Jazz
“She sounds like a 21st Century version of Ricki Lee Jones or Joni Mitchell… her unique approach to the words and rhythms will hold your ears spellbound.” Dick Metcalf, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
“Laura’s lightly youthful vocal sound is very pleasing, yet there is also an underlying maturity in her understanding of the lyrics she interprets… A very interesting singer whose work will have international appeal.” Bruce Crowther, Jazz Mostly