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Lua Hadar

Lua Hadar’s jazz without borders blends global styles and languages into a unique jazz voice.

About Me

Lua Hadar is a multi-lingual vocalist, emcee, comedienne, songwriter, independent producer and arts educator. Her signature “jazz without borders” brings songs from different styles and languages into the jazz idiom. She peppers her cosmopolitan jazz with funny stories, connecting the global dots between her cultural and theatrical influences and her songs. Lua has charmed audiences at venues and international festivals from San Francisco to Hollywood to New York to Paris to Italy to Lisbon and to Bangkok, Thailand.

Independently produced by her own New Performance Group, Lua has released three albums with her band Twist, as well as a live concert film, Like A Bridge. Her first original music video, Our Common Humanity, premiered at the 2018 International Arts Festival in San Francisco. She released her second original music video, Saudade, in May 2020. Lua’s recordings appear on iTunes, Youtube, Google Play, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon, and most digital services.

In Lisbon, Portugal, Lua has performed at Club Duque da Rua, Camones Artes Bar, Tejo Bar, Menina é Moça, O Grilo Beato and La Sharada, with pianist and fellow Lisboeta, Sheldon Forrest. Their association dates back more than 20 years, including several performances in Paris, and in Italy with The Kitchenettes.

Lua was a founding member of the comic girl trio, The Kitchenettes (described as “the Andrews Sisters on acid”) with whom she appeared in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Hollywood and Palm Springs, and at the Italian National Festival of Comic Song.

As an arts educator, Lua works with San Francisco Bay Area arts organizations including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, and at her own Studio NPG. luahadar.com

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My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it doesn't mean just one thing. I was first exposed to jazz through my father, who was a reed man. His first instrument was the clarinet, which he played in klezmer style bands in the Bronx with his two brothers. Later the tenor sax became his main instrument, which he played on club dates in New York in the 1930's-50's. He played reeds in Big Bands in places like Roseland Dance Hall, and in the summer in The Catskills, at places like Grossinger's. Jazz was THE STANDARD of his day. But when he came home, he listened to classical music. Loved Rachmaninoff. I met so many great jazz musicians when I waited on tables at Storyville Jazz Club on the East Side of Manhattan. I remember serving a double cognac to Sarah Vaughn, who was in the audience that night. A great honor! .