Debbie Orta is a jazz vocalist with inventiveness and phrasing that comes from studying the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, and Chet Baker. With years of travel throughout the world she enriched her natural talent for singing in a variety of rhythmic styles. She grew up with her parents’ LPs; swinging arrangements, great voices like Nancy Wilson, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra; soul music, dance music, the great Latin Jazz artists such as Cal Tjader and Tom Jobim - all of it evident in Debbie’s singing style and solid rhythmic sense on the Great American Songbook. She has written and collaborated on dozens of songs including the title song of her newly released debut jazz CD, “Child’s Play,” a captivating collection of eight jazz standards and four original songs; surprising arrangements in swing, bebop, bossa nova, and ballads.
Born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Miami, Debbie discovered her musical gifts as a child, constantly singing to records privately until she began to perform in public as a teen, winning first place in a city vocal competition. Debbie’s background includes dance, acting, guitar and flute lessons, plus classes in Music Theory at Miami Dade College and the University of Miami. Her professional life began with a record contract from Henry Stone at TK Productions and a Southeast U.S. tour with her own band. She appeared at classic Miami venues, The Forge, The Playboy Club, and Cye’s Rivergate, plus toured nightclub circuits around the U.S., which led her back to the Big Apple and opportunities to perform in the northeast.
She became a lead singer/dancer in a show at Bally’s casino in Atlantic City and toured from the Poconos to St. Louis. Debbie was invited to audition for a spot as a backup singer for Latin actor and singing sensation, Jose Luis Rodriguez “El Puma,” who was headlining at the Sands Casino. She was hired on the spot, performing that night in the main showroom. She embarked on a world tour throughout South America, Mexico, Europe and the U.S. in elite venues including L.A.’s Universal Amphitheater and Madison Square Garden. She also performed with Chayanne in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Debbie’s unique vocals swing hard, with echoes of the past and present; honey-dipped with a soulful edge that make you want to listen again and again. She also incorporates Latin and Brazilian jazz into her vast repertoire, and sings in English, Portuguese and Spanish, with a solid rhythmic delivery and impeccable taste. Her honesty and irony come across in her engaging stage presence. People find that they enjoy not only what she does, but who she is.
