LP33: New Music - Discover, Enjoy, Share 

Jessica Leza’s Bio

Born in Houston, TX, Jessica began studying voice and photography in the early 90s. After 7 years singing in various vocal ensembles, she toured France with the North Houston Youth Chorale in 2000. It was in 2000 after meeting the composer and jazz musician Hannibal Lokumbe, she enrolled in classes at the University of North Texas. It was in the college of music that an early childhood habit of creating cassette tape sound collages developed into an accomplished series of works exploring the capabilities of melding electronic and experimental music with the visual and performing arts. In 2004, under the tutelage of Butch Rovan and Dr. Joe Klein Jessica began working with stop motion animation. In the years since various styles of these short films began to dominate her work, while also drawing from a 14 year background in the methods of darkroom photography.

In 2002 and 2004 she traveled under the direction of Dr. Gene Cho with a small group of students for field studies of the traditional music and artistic traditions of China in Taiwan and mainland China. After earning her bachelor's degree in music composition she moved to Xiangtan, China to teach business English in the International School of the Hunan Institute of Engineering. Her photos capturing southern Chinese life have been recognized by UNICEF and the Prix de la Photographie Paris and hang in public and private art collections spanning the globe.

After returning to Houston her short films and photography have been shown in international festivals from Kunming to New York City, recognized by such diverse organizations such as the Boyle Heights Latina Independent Film Festival and the Society for Electro-Accoustic Music in the US.

Plans for the future include a Fall 2008 US tour, release of an album of electronic works, Anthropocene and an accompanying DVD of video art. Jessica currently performs in Houston with a South African reggae band. For information on performances, check out the NEWS link above.

Influences:

PJ Harvey, Portishead, Edgard Varese, Mogwai, Otis Redding, Ray Bradbury, Nina Simone, Radiohead, Tom Waits, Niobe, The Books, Aphex Twin, Robert Johnson, Trent Reznor, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzagerald, Erik Satie, Charles Mingus, Los Orishas, Munequitos de Matanzas, Eliot Smith, Edith Piaf, Cuba, Venezuela, China, Russian winters, Van Gogh, LopLop presents LopLop, St. Jude, Pavlov, coffee, biology, Jim Hensen, Man Ray, the life cycles of mutated frogs, manic depression, Dada/surrealism/fluxus, Practice Building room 207... that's my room.