Three gorgeous women, One piano, Some hand percussion. This is all Volaré needs to create a luscious sound filled with harmonies and humour. Elizabeth Braggins, Nicki Reece and Susan de Jong are Volaré. From Christchurch, New Zealand they created their own brand of swinging jazz and lounge sandwiched between layers of lush vocal harmony. Audience members rave about the energy and fun that is had when watching Volaré perform. Then add the odd kazoo solo or a ukulele and you’ve really got a show! Volaré was named after that very Italian song as sung by Dean Martin in the 1950s. The trio began when asked to form for an Italian Festival in the late 1990s in Christchurch New Zealand. Their repertoire expanded with songs from the 1920s – 2000s. “We pretty much gave anything a go – with a Volaré twist of course” says vocalist Nicki Reece. “Lizzie plays a mean piano and seems to know pretty much every popular song under the sun.” “While we did sometimes take requests at gigs – and have a lot of fun attempting songs we’ve never performed together before – the real beauty in what we did was the harmonies. And we’d been working on those for quite a few years,” adds in vocalist/pianist Elizabeth Braggins. Volaré are known for their exquisite harmonies as much as for their humour. From beautiful ballads of the 1940’s like ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ to more recent renditions like Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why’, they also tackled 1960’s hits like ‘Can’t Take my Eyes Off You’ and ‘Baby Love.’ “You could even catch us performing the odd Abba tune, or other 70’s hits like ‘Lady Marmalade’ – but always with a Volaré twist!” adds vocalist Susan de Jong (originally from Adelaide, she joined Volaré in 2000) June 2004 saw the release of their self-titled debut CD “Volare” and though the band parted company in 2008 there is so much here to enjoy. “Something marvellous for everyone here – which is why they have so many fans, of course.” Stated Metropol Magazine 2004 Joyful Noise as Volare play their favourites: We live in an eclectic age, where music lovers are free to sample and savour great tunes from every era. For example.. Christchurch vocal trio Volare delivered a satisfyingly divers mix of popular music from the last century. The trio dipped into a repertoire of 70 songes to present their own personal favourites, which included everything from1940s swing such as Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy to Creole classic Lady Marmalade. Volare is the perfect jazz and lounge trio. They obviously enjoy each other’s company on stage, and love the music. And, of course, the women can sing. Jon Hendricks I Want You To Be My Baby showcased the tremendous control of each voice as they scatted up and down the melody line in a complex routine of vocal gymnastics. Nutbush City Limits, Tina Turner’s rocking ridicule of small town Tennessee, was delivered in a more lounge-friendly style for Christchurch Casino goers, where the trio often plays. The rock is not gone, only polished. Who cares what Tina thinks, this made for good listening. Rum & Coca-cola, made famous by the Andrew Sisters, was as smooth as…. Well, you know. For three white New Zealand women, they sounded an awful lot like Trinidadian villagers and – gasp- delivered a better version of the song than LaVerne, Patty and Maxine ever did. Through songs as diverse as Bei Mir Bist Du Shon and Diamonds Are A Girls Best friend, Volare’s harmonic range often made it sound as though their were four singers on stage. In fact, they made enough joyful noise for five, helped by a ukulele, tambourine, various percussion shakers and Elizabeth Braggins on piano. Braggins is a competent jazz accompanist – how she does it so well while crooning is anybody’s guess. Certainly no one in the audience had time to guess. We were too busy clapping, wanting more of Volare’s favourites. David Sovka, The Press, May 2004