Biography

Jen Murdza (murd-za)

Skillfully maneuvering lush vocals around her unique guitar rhythms, Boston's own Jen Murdza is an eye-catching, ear-catching performer who will take you instantly by surprise.

With a fresh songwriting style built on an almost sarcastic marriage of somber lyrics and playful, rhythmic grooves, Murdza blurs genres like no other. Her final sound is an addictive, foot-stomping mixture of soul, rock and jazz with a voice much bigger than her petite body. The Boston Herald agrees and writes, Jen has a "strikingly supple voice". The Boston Globe writes "...soulful standout Jen Murdza has beaten the pack by continually defying genres."

With the well-received debut 2006 EP "Things Untold" behind her and the recent release of her 2007 full-length follow-up "Reboundin'", Murdza is quickly gaining notice. This sophomore effort finds her helming the project as producer, arranger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist... and she even plucks the bass on one of the tracks. Supported by notable musicians including lead guitarist Joe Feloni, drummer Dave Jamrog (Toni-Lynn Washington, Susan Werner), bassist Everett Pendleton (The Loomers), horn players Scott Aruda (The Soul Band), John Aruda (Superhoney, The Soul Band), and Paul Ahlstrand (Toni-Lynn Washington, Susan Tedeschi) from Boston's jazz, soul, and rock music scenes, the album is alive with the rhythms and textures from the days when music was less mass-produced.

XM Satellite Radio writes, "Heartfelt songs, slick production, and a beautiful voice. So many of her peers are only one or two out of three, but Jen is the whole package. Her album, Reboundin', is a great success."

Murdza's "Reboundin'" is a collection of original music ripe with genre-blending tunes that are truly a "tip of the hat" to so many styles of music close to her heart. Songs like the title track and "Soft Shoes" have hints of the influential music from the peak of the Sun Records' era from artists such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Cash. The more pop-oriented tracks like "Gracious", "Cold" and "You'll Never Know" share strong roots in the R&B music Jen's Mom imparted on her from legends Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight. "Did I Ever Tell You", a song about never feeling you've said quite enough how much you love someone, blends the haunting melancholy of an old Hank Williams' tune with swirling Wurlizter-like tones of a carousel and textural guitar effects often found in modern day electronica. While Murdza definitely pulls from multiple genres, there is an inarguable cohesiveness to the album driven by her strong vocal style, unusual tempo changes, and acoustic guitar rhythms. Though influences abound, the sound is distinctively her own.

Jen has been featured in numerous publications including The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Northeast Performer, Bay Windows, Northeast In-Tune Magazine, Metronome Magazine, and Skope Magazine among a number of online publications. She's performed live before the massive viewing audiences of Boston TV stations, including WBZ-TV, FOX25, and NECN. Major Boston radio stations Mix 98.5, 92.5 The River, 100.7 WZLX, and WBCN 104.1 have all featured Jen's music.

She's opened for standout artists such as Dave Mason, Joe Bonamassa, Johnny A, Bill Janovitz, Don White, Melvin Sparks and Ryan Montbleau to a consistently positive response.