Performing on the unusual combination of violin and vocals, Australian jazz singer-instrumentalist Melissa Cox is an exciting new addition to the ranks of touring international jazz artists.

In addition to her flair on her instruments, her background in television, radio and live theatre has given her an engaging stage persona that has delighted audiences in the UK, Japan, China and Australia.

The Melissa Cox Quartet (which also performs under the name CINCIN), in which she sings and plays violin, performs regularly at jazz clubs and special events, and was a finalist in the Australian 2006 Golden Fiddle Awards. Since 2000, Melissa has performed at exclusive hotels, such as Sydney's Four Seasons and Sofitel Wentworth, and the Tokyo Hilton, and at jazz clubs such as Sydney's Soup Plus and El Rocco Jazz Cellar, Shanghai's Glamour Bar, and Guangzhou's Backstreet Jazz Bar. Melissa also performs on the Sydney contemporary music scene with her band Black Sesame, which showcases her haunting, jazz-fused original songs.

Melissa began singing jazz in UK clubs in the late 1990s, then returned to her native Australia where she completed jazz performance studies on violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (being only the third violinist ever to do so). Soon afterwards, she spent six months performing as resident artist in the Tokyo Hilton. Here she encountered a steady stream of of touring international jazz stars, and was exhorted by the likes of Natalie Cole and Joe Zawinul to "keep doin' it!"

As a freelance violinist, Melissa has recorded and toured with international artists such as Jenny Morris (NZ), Afro Moses O'Jah (Ghana), Gervais Koffi (Ivory Coast) and Abakuya (France), and Australian artists Dominique Fraissard and Wei-Zen Ho. She has performed on some of Sydney's biggest stages, supporting high-profile Australian bands such as The Waifs and The John Butler Trio.

As well as performing on the customary "soprano" violin, Melissa was inspired by hearing recordings of bebop violinist Harry Lookofsky to construct a tenor violin - an instrument midway in range between a viola and a cello. This gives her a distinctive muscular sound rarely heard in jazz.

Melissa's biography is available for download at http://www.cincin.com.au/promo, as part of a complete press kit including photos, video and audio.