| Description | Price |
| Solo singer with background music per hour | €150 (EUR) |
Kristina Bennett came from a musical family where mom was a professional singer, uncle played every instrument he got his hands on, and a father who danced as a pro as well. She started her musical journey at age 6, when she joined a Children’s Radio Choir in Slovakia, then at 14 joined a Hungarian professional choir Young Hearts (“Ifjú Szívek”) and kept touring with them for 6 years around Europe.
In 1994 she founded Pro Mix Productions with Tomas Krchlik, a recording studio where she started writing and recording songs for upcoming artist. She has also published her first album called "Soul of Love" under the stage name Chris Lawal with PMP. Two of the songs made it on the top charts: "Lady Dracula" and "Don’t let me down". In 1996 she won first place at Rock FM Fest, a competition between 400 bands & artists. Her winning performance of her song "Lady Dracula" was televised along with the top 12 contestants.
She moved to the US in 1997 where she performed with several bay area bands like Touch of Class, Jump City, Phanorama, 2Delicious, Rudy and the Funky Coalition and 925 Band to name a few.
In 2012 she discovered and fell in love with Brazilian jazz with the help of her musician friends (guitarists Bob Castell-Blanch and Mark Waterford). She started performing performing with several musicians as duo/trio at Bay Area wineries (Wente, Las Positas, Mitchell Katz, Longevity, Del Valle & more), bars and restaurants (Yoshi's, McNamara's, Faz, Locanda, Nonni's, etc.), and private & corporate events in multiple languages (Portuguese, Italian, French, Spanish, Hungarian, English). Her absolute favorite was performing a solo show at Oakland's famous Yoshi's, July 2022.
Kristina recorded her favorite Antonio Carlos Jobim songs with the help of Keenan Foster on two Brazilian Jazz albums "Jazz it Up Brazil" - Volume 1 (July 2020) & Volume 2 (September 2020) that can be found on all major music platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc. Johnny Reason has created most of the music for the album, but some of the solos were played by her musician friends: Jeff Jones (Saxophone), Mark Waterford (guitar) and Shawna Love (guitar/vocals) who also agreed to join her current band Karambá.
Her heart and soul found a home when she joined/co-created the band Karambá with Clark Seal and Frances Izon, where she can sing her heart out in multiple languages while dancing and groove on stage with her bandmates playing all her favorite Latin/Brazilian tunes.
Kristina returned to Slovakia in April 2024 and is now performing as a solo artist for private and corporate venues.
= areas covered (up to 100 miles)BRAZILIAN/LATIN JAZZ
1. A Felicidade
2. Agua de Beber
3. Aquarela do Brasil
4. Astrud
5. Besame Mucho
6. Brazilian Beach Party
7. Chega de Saudade
8. Corcovado
9. Delirio
10. Desafinado
11. Dindi
12. Eres Para Mi
13. Favela
14. Girl from Ipanema
15. Guantanamera
16. Insensatez
17. La Bamba
18. La Vida es un Carnaval
19. Lambada
20. Madalena
21. Malaika
22. Manha de Carnaval
23. Mas Que Nada
24. Meditation
25. Morning
26. One Note Samba
27. Outra Vez
28. Oye Como Va
29. Para Mi
30. Pata Pata
31. Perfidia
32. Pisou Na Bola
33. Quando Quando
34. Que Sera mi China
35. Quiereme Mucho
36. Sabor A Mi
37. Samba de Orfeu
38. Samba de Verao
39. So Danco Samba
40. Sous Le Soleil
41. Triste
42. Vivo Sonhando
43. Waters of March
44. Wave
STANDARDS
1. All of me
2. At Last
3. Cheek to Cheek
4. Dream a little dream of me
5. Feeling Good
6. Fly me to the moon
7. Hallelujah, I love him so
8. Hit the road Jack
9. I can't give you anything
10. I wish you love
11. I won't dance
12. It's a good day
13. L.o.v.e.
14. Lullaby of Birdland
15. My Funny Valentine
16. My one & only love
17. Night and Day
18. Smile
19. Someone to watch over me
20. Straighten up and fly right
21. Summertime
22. The shadow of your smile
23. The very thought of you
24. Unforgettable
25. When I fall in love
SMOOTH JAZZ
1. Billie Jean
2. Don't know why
3. Fever
4. For the love of you
5. Half a minute
6. If I ain't got you
7. Just the two of us
8. Killing me softly
9. Loving you
10. Overjoyed
11. Smooth Operator
12. Somewhere over the rainbow
13. Sweet Dreams
14. The sweetest taboo
15. Time after time
TOP 40/POP/R&B
1. Ain't no mountain high enough
2. Ain't nobody
3. Bad Girls
4. Blame it on the boogie
5. Body & Soul
6. Boogie Oogie
7. Caught up in the rapture
8. Chain of Fools
9. Don't stop till you get enough
10. Don't you worry bout a thing
11. Got to be real
12. Groove is in the heart
13. Happy
14. Here for the Party
15. Hit me with your best shot
16. Holiday
17. Hot Stuff
18. I got the music in me
19. I want you back
20. I will survive
21. Lady Marmalade
22. Mercy Mr Big Stuff
23. Natural Woman
24. P.Y.T. Pretty Young Thing
25. Redneck Woman
26. Respect
27. Rock Steady
28. Rolling in the deep
29. Shake your body to the ground
30. Sweet Love
31. Sweet Thing
32. Take your time
33. The way you make me feel
34. Think
35. Through the test of time
36. Treasure
37. We are family
Need power, extension cord and space 5m x 5m
Detailed instructions about the venue (address, setup time, start time, end time, breakdown time - when does the establishment open and closes), do they supply food and drinks
Yes, will bring own equipment.
Yes, can provide filler music during breaks.
Solo performance at Yoshi's in Oakland, California.
Corporate events, requiring dinner music.
I have been gigging for 27 years at various venues including corporate events, wineries, private parties, bars & restaurants - performing as a solo entertainer, as a duo or trio up to a full 14-piece band.
I love singer Paula Lima and all of Brazilian Jazz - I love singing songs written by Antonio Carlos Jobim - like Girl from Ipanema, Waters of March, One Note Samba, etc.
I arrive 1 hour before the performance, setup time is 30 minutes, same as breakdown. I perform in 45 or 1 hour sets, anywhere from 1 set to 3 sets per venue. Available sets are: 45 min set + 15 minute break, or 60 minute set with 30 minute breaks.
I am happy to perform outside, except in extreme heat or cold and I do require a flat level surface and shade/overhead cover and accessible power supply.
The set list is set, but I can learn 1 special song if the song is given with 3-week advance notice.
Customers described me as a sultry songstress with a voice as smooth as silk.
The Lost Church - Performing arts theater in San Francisco, California
Bay Area wineries (Wente, Las Positas, Mitchell Katz, Longevity, Del Valle, MacGrail ...
Bars and restaurants (Yoshi's, McNamara's, Faz, Locanda, Nonni's, Coco Cabana, Barones, Double Barrel, Waterfront, Clementines, La Fuente...
Hotels: DoubleTree by Hilton, Four Points by Sheraton, Donatello SF (Zingari Jazz Bar)
Yacht Club: Alameda Yacht Club, San Jose Yacht Club - California
Festivals: Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon, Danville, Dublin Art & Wine Festivals - California
Farmers Markets: Livermore, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Dublin Farmers Markets - Music in the Park
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