It's taken some time to figure out the best way to tell my story. In the end, I decided that beginning to present makes the most sense, and it covers all bases. For anyone interested enough to find out more about me, here it is:

I've been fortunate to come from a very artistic family. My mother, Eleanore Paris, is an accomplished artist and singer in her own right, performing onstage for years and exhibiting her artwork in different venues on Long Island. She is also a well-known art instructor specializing in watercolors, pen and ink, and coal.

My Father is also an accomplished vocalist with a beautiful Italian tenor voice. He sang in the church choir with my brother Andy for years, and has been doing choral and solo work ever since.

My parents have told me on separate occasions that they recall the first moment when they knew I was a natural singer. I was all of 4 years old and taking one of my first baths alone. They remember being shocked at hearing me suddenly belt out "Maybe This Time" from the soundtrack of the musical Cabaret. It was an album they played often in the house. They tell me they looked at each other and said "Well…I guess we have a singer on our hands!"

My brother Dan was born with the gift of perfect pitch. When we were little, and he would hear a dog bark, he'd say "Hey! That's an A flat dog!" We'd check the piano and he'd be right every time.

My sister Denise has been singing in an original band (The Slant) since I was little. I remember lying on the floor outside her locked room, learning and loving all of the albums she played. Of course being 10 years younger than she (my 6 to her 16) I wasn't actually ALLOWED in the room (except for special occasions!) I remember confiscating those same albums as soon as she was out of the house! (I always put them back.) I also remember taking all of my brother Andy's albums when he went into the navy!

I began to get leads singing in school plays, which, of course, fed my hunger for the stage. What? People will clap for me just for doing this?

So that was the extent of my early musical training. Until high school, it was your basic Long Island radio/sibling 101. My favorite band was and still is Queen. I'll swear to the day I die that I got most of my vocal influence and development through singing with Freddie Mercury in my room for hours after school.

The summer before High School, I auditioned for Godspell at a community theater. I got a part, and thus began my new love for the stage.

In the high school years that followed, I did 3 Godspells, 2 Cottonpatch Gospels, played Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, Molly Ralston in The Mousetrap, Ado Annie in Oklahoma, Charity in Sweet Charity, and had a few chorus parts in various shows in between.

I sang (of all things) BASS in an award winning female barbershop group. We performed at Westbury Music Fair opening the Christmas Show for the Pointer Sisters. I received numerous Outstanding awards at NYSSMA, and represented my high school several times in specially selected All County and All State choruses. I was invited to go all Eastern, but declined. (Can you believe I didn't want to be away from my friends for the weekend?!) I was a member of the Mineola High School Marching band Flag Squad, I was voted Most Dramatic, and received a Mineola High School Music Award.

While I was doing all that during High School, all my friends were choosing colleges and planning lives. When school ended I suddenly found myself at the first crossroad of my life. At that point, after a short stay at Nassau Community College, I decided to join the work force and became a Collections Account Representative.

During that time, while on an errand, I entered a local shop where the owner coincidentally asked me if I could sing. When I asked why, he said it was because he had a blues band, and I had the "look" they wanted to front the band. When I told him I sang a bit in high school, he asked me to audition. So I did, and I was hired for my first paying music gig. Hence began my musical career! The band, Sleeper, had quickly become a well-known original blues band. My first gig was at a club called Februarys in Hempstead. After that, we played at many local clubs in the area. This would eventually prove to be an introduction to, and a beginning of, my love for the blues as well as jazz music.

My musical relationship with Sleeper lasted for a few years until we decided to go our separate ways. I miss those guys and think about them often. We had some great times! I guess you never forget your first band.

Around that time my good friend Mary introduced me to a man that had his own rehearsal studio. He had a band and some great gigs lined up and asked me to front the band. I ended up being in that band for more than 2 years. Among a host of other places, we played at "Summers" in the Hamptons outside on the beach. Crowds of people screaming and dancing. We also played at Hunter Mountain in the winters and many dance clubs in between. We had a great time.

When Donald Davidson came along and offered the band some real money in the wedding business, we hesitantly jumped at the chance. We jumped at the money and the chance to get away from the trials and tribulations of the bar scene, but hesitated because we were having such a good time. We eventually made the right decision.

After some member and format changes as well as a lot of hard work, the newly formed "Afterglow" became the busiest wedding band on Long Island. We worked steadily for 12 years (which is a big accomplishment in the wedding business) and formed lasting friendships. Donald became one of the wedding business' most copied frontmen and his innovative ideas about weddings are still being employed by wedding bands today. He has also become a valued friend.

During that time, I decided that I wanted to go back to school and major in music. Upon the advice of colleagues, I decided upon 5 Towns College where I studied theory, harmony, jazz history, sight-reading, piano, and voice training among other subjects.

I know now that at that time, I wasn't a very committed student, and I CERTAINLY didn't understand the FIRST THING about jazz. At that time, jazz singing to me was a lot of people just making it up as they went along, without any thought or reason. I thought it was lazy and sounded uncomfortable and silly. Although people at school were into jazz, I knew that if I tried to act like I liked it, the fact that I didn't understand it would show. After all though, I did well in school and graduated.

After college ended, I found myself at another crossroad. I was making money with the band, but not enough to sustain myself. So I decided to join the workforce once again as an Executive Assistant and then Department Manager for a well-known bedding chain.

By the 5th year of that job, while also doing 100-150 weddings a year, the strain of life began to take its toll. I watched as all of my friends got married and began having kids. Toward the end of my illustrious career in the mattress industry, I fell in love with one of the District Managers. That lovely, kind-hearted Greek is now my husband, Dean. He was the missing piece of my life and soul. Although it sounds cliché' to say, he completes me with a love I never thought was possible. We've been married for 8 years and we fall deeper in love every day. That's the truth.

After we got married, we moved out to Suffolk County and on the recommendation of our good friend John Gillespie, who now runs the most-visited , award-winning Broadway web site on the internet, www.talkingbroadway.com , we had dinner at a local restaurant.

It was then and there that my musical career took on a new direction. I met Jim Ahrend, who was playing piano in the bar and while having a few drinks and singing while he played, I realized that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. As weeks and months went by, spending time with Jim became an introduction to a new way of viewing music for me.

For 3 years, Jim unknowingly or quietly prodded me into a new appreciation for jazz. I remember he took us to the legendary Sonny's Place, a club in Nassau where many jazz musicians would congregate and jam. Everyone knew Sonny's Place. I'm just disappointed that I was introduced to this musicians haven just prior to its closing. It was there that Jim introduced me to Susan Turner, a fabulous female vocalist. As I watched Susan perform, I began to realize that it's all about your own interpretation of the music. She was and is a picture of grace with the voice of an angel. I consider Jim and Susan to be my two most important mentors.

Jim is an amazingly accomplished musician. I have yet to find someone whose talent I admire and respect more. Singing with Jim has made me realize that jazz is whatever you want it to be. If you like the melody the way it was written, sing it that way. If you want to play around with it, go ahead. After years of battling myself and abusing my voice while trying to sound like every record to please brides and grooms, I found my musical "niche". Please see Jim's website for more info about him and his music:

Jim Ahrend's Website

All of my schooling now began to make sense. All of the songs I grew up with, and my parents grew up with took on new meaning. I began to immerse myself in recordings from the 30's and 40's, especially Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Rosemary Clooney to name a few.

I've often been described by people that love me, as a person who is a bit overly sensitive. I agonize about saying the right thing to the point of saying the wrong thing because I've "overthought" it.

I've also always been easy to read. All of my emotions are worn right on my face. I've come to learn, over the years through, that it's that quality about myself that enhances my performances and makes me a better musician and singer. It adds to the ability of being able to connect with my audience.

Another thing about me that bears mentioning is something that changed my life 5 years ago. I began to notice a loud whooshing sound in my right ear. After months of doctors and tests, we were told that I had a brain aneurysm that required immediate surgery. Please see the following link for that whole fiasco if interested:

http://www.westga.edu/~wmaples/paris_allison.html

After the aneurysm, I, along with the other members of Afterglow, began to reevaluate. Being exhausted and "weddinged out" we all decided that the reign of Afterglow should come to an end, and we all began to reach out into different musical directions while still remaining close friends. I was told I wasn't allowed to sing for a time, so I took time off to recover and redirect my music. While doing so, I began working full-time at one of the world's most widely known telecommunications companies. In 5 years I have developed into a Product Structure Analyst and enjoy all of the benefits of working in a solid business environment, as well as a continuing education in the business world.

At the point that I was able to sing again, Jim was performing weekly at a restaurant called Collins and Main. The ownership was changing and the establishment was being taken over by Vincent Malizia and Gerry Marlow. Coincidentally, Vince and Gerry had previously managed The Villa Victor, a well-known catering hall I had performed at numerous times while in the wedding business. Looking to add a different dimension to the dining experience at their fine restaurant, they asked if I would try a night of singing with Jim. It's now been over 2 years since that historic night, and the fan base continues to build, as does their business (see comments in the "Reviews" section of this web site). For more information about Collins and Main, please visit:

Collins & Main

We have now come to the present, which is, and continues to be the most exciting time in my musical life.

About a year and a half ago, a very special and generous gentleman and friend, Bob Heins, offered to make my dreams come true by financially backing my first musical venture. His emotional support and love for jazz has proven to be an invaluable inspiration.

With the perseverance and love of my husband Dean, and the help and guidance of Jim Ahrend, who is co-producing as well as arranging all of the music, I have come very close to making my dream a reality. Part of that dream is in the realization that I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the most talented, respected, and accomplished musicians available. I would like to mention them part in thanks and part in salute to their musicianship.

Jim Ahrend, John Ray, Kevin Dunn, Carl Fischer, Jeff Lang and Bobby Forrester, have all honored me by accompanying me on my first recording, making this not only a fun project, but also an education in musical excellence. I would also like to extend a special thanks to Brian Unger of Paris Recording Studios, www.parisrecording.com, for his unfailing patience, talent, and input while engineering and recording our album. His new friendship is one I'll treasure, as it is with all who have contributed to the fruition of this project.

Another name that I feel I must mention is that of my dear friend and fellow musician, Bob Ayrovainen. Bob was the Sax, Clainet, and flute player in Afterglow. He is a schooled musician and a teacher and his knowledge of jazz has proven to be invaluable to me. Bob has introduced me to so many female jazz artists that I can't even count. He eventually ended up being the best man at our wedding, and continues to this day to be one of my closest friends, as well as a valuable source of musical knowledge. He is the person I call when I have a question about classic jazz phrasing, and he is always on target. His love for music is something to be marveled, and we will hold his friendship in high esteem always.

During this time, I have also had the chance and pleasure to have worked with other great musicians who have enhanced and expanded my horizons. They are as follows:

Ernie Byrd, Kenny McKenzie and Mike Savino of www.kmtrio.com , Noriko Ueda, Michael Capobianco, Rich Skrabar, Jim Romeo, Rudy Petchauer, Ray Williams, Marc Mclaurine, and Ralph Hamperion to mention a few.

I would also like to make special mention again of vocalist Susan Turner, who is always a shining example of style, grace, and musicianship while having fun. Thank you Susan for your ever-lasting smile.

Last but, of course, not least, none of this would have happened had it not been for the love of my husband Dean who has been lifting me when I fall and organizing parts of my life that I was never able to pull together. I'll love you forever!

I don't know where music will take me in the future. I know I'm in for the long haul. I'm happy to be here and to have the love of my husband, Dean Moraitakis, my family, my friends, and my music.

The End!