Pianist/vocalist and composer Steffi Tassos was born in New York City and grew up in Westchester County, just north of The Big Apple. Her first experiments with music began at the tender age of five when she experimented with improvised melodies on the black keys of the piano. By junior high school she had ventured beyond the purely pentatonic and into the world of Motown, Gospel, and Be-Bop while honing her chops with the study of J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, Claude Debussy and other classical composers. Her vocal training, however, has been a lot more casual and Steffi continues to this day to refer to herself modestly as a "seat-of-the-pants singer." She does, however, credit many wonderful vocalists, past and present, for her inspiration, including Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Trisha Yearwood, Mahalia Jackson, and Billie Holiday.
Steffi's first big break onto the Manhattan music scene came in the mid-1970s when she gigged as an accompanist for various dance instructors and choreographers including members of the New York City Ballet and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. From there, she joined the then active nightclub scene and worked steadily in and around Manhattan for the next 15 years with her own groups. Her many house gigs included the Halloran House, the Pierre Hotel, the Waldorf Astoria, and the Marriott. By the late 1980s, gigged-out and looking for adventure and a warmer climate, Steffi left New York and settled in Florida where she continued working for Marriott for several more years. Today, she lives in the Sunshine State with her husband and their two cats, Florabelle and The Moosch.
Steffi chooses to now focus most of her musical energy on her songwriting, arranging, and teaching. She maintains a light but regular performance schedule either as a soloist, or with her own trio, or as lead vocalist for The Gary Coates Big Band in Tallahassee. "Gigging is like going to the gym for me. It's a chance to work-out musically and exercise my chops and to interact with other musicians in a fun and lively environment. But, most of all, I love writing tunes," says the happy songstress. "And just as much as writing them, I love listening to my songs being performed by other artists. Someone else will always approach your music with a different flair and feel that often leads to new ideas." |
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