Fiona Frensche’s JazzyPopaNova

Catch Her Style on St. Pete Beach

By Gabby Reeder

With a smooth, soothing tone and an innovative blend of bossa nova, jazz and pop, New York singer Fiona Frensche delights audiences. Frensche plays Wine Down Wednesdays at 6 p.m. every Wednesday in December at the Grape Wine Cafe in St. Pete Beach. She has additional slots at Verducci’s and gigs with her own French Club this December. Frensche spoke with The Gabber about her experience and the local music scene.

Did you come up with the name JazzyPopaNova?

Yes, I did. I worked on cruise ships for 10 years and I got introduced to jazz, to pop and to bossa nova. On cruise ships, basically 3 percent of us are Americans, and there are bands from Brazil and Eastern European bands, and of course, I’m the popster.

What do you hope to bring to the audience with Wine Down Wednesdays?

I was very active in the [New York] art scene. It reminds me the most, at this point, of what I used to do in New York. As a musician, you’re only one part of the piece. The Wine Down Wednesdays feature authors; there’s a perfumer. This is like a little more of a night nook, where you’re going to go and hopefully make new friends, but talk, hopefully talk about art, music and anything else.

How do you feel this scene is different from other scenes you’ve played, like in New York or on cruise ships?

So here, you’re developing relationships. Even at my jazz bars, I have people, it’s their fourth year back. I just love our vibrant diversity in the music that we have here. With the jazz pools, and of course the pop bands, and the guitar bands, and the singer-songwriters. I mean if you come to our community, meaning Gulfport, meaning St. Pete Beach, you will find what you’re looking for. You can find anything.

Do you switch up your set list for each event you play?

I would die of boredom if I didn’t. It’s fun to mix it up; as musicians, it’s terrible to just do the same thing every night, and people read that immediately. They know when you start going on autopilot, they pick up on that. So no matter how many times I say I’ll never do “Bobby Mc- Gee” again, I’ll do it!

This article edited for length; read the full version at thegabber.com/ /fiona-frensche-future-of-jazzypopanova/