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Camille Thurman

Acclaimed by Downbeat Magazine as a "rising star" singer with “soulful inflection and remarkable, Fitzgerald-esque scat prowess” and hailed by All About Jazz as a “first class saxophonist that blows the proverbial roof of the place”, Camille Thurman has been amazing audiences throughout the world with her impeccable sound, remarkable vocal virtuosity and captivating artistry. Many have praised her vocal abilities to the likeness of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter. Her lush, rich & warm sound on the tenor saxophone has led others to compare her to tenor greats Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon. An accomplished performer and composer, Camille has worked with notable Jazz and R&B icons such as George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Hendricks, Pattie LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Louis Hayes, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrasson, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu among others. Camille has performed with her band at the Kennedy Center, Rose Theater, Alice Tully Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, The Library of Congress, the Sydney International Women in Jazz Festival, the Tomsk International Jazz Festival, the International Fano Jazz Festival and many other prominent jazz venues and festivals around the world. A 2017 season highlight includes performing as a feature artist alongside Harry Connick Jr., Audra MacDonald, Diana Krall, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Renee Fleming, Marilyn Maye, Roberta Gambarini and Kenny Washington along with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra for the “Ella at 100: Forever The First Lady of Song” Gala concert in tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. In 2015 Camille was a recipient of the Martin E. Segal –Lincoln Center Award for Outstanding Young Artists and a runner up in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition. She was a two-time award winning recipient of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant to Nicaragua and Paraguay. Her compositions were featured and performed by her quartet in the ASCAP/ Kennedy Center "Songwriters: The Next Generation" showcase. Camille has appeared on BET’s Black Girls Rock as the saxophonist & flutist in the All Star Band. “ORIGINS” (2014), Camille’s debut album, reached JazzWeek’s Top 50 and was hailed by the New York Jazz Record as a record that “comes bursting in with the power of virtuosity tempered by tradition, understanding and great feeling” and was celebrated as “a rich multifaceted work of art that is never boring and at times is outstanding” (Curt’s Jazz).

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30
Album Review

Louis Hayes: Crisis

Read "Crisis" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Louis Hayes--who has been a force in jazz drumming for more than sixty years, anchoring legendary groups led by Horace Silver, Cannonball Adderley, Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, among others--has assembled a quintet of New York City's finest for Crisis, wherein he pays musical tribute to some of his jazz colleagues, past and present, including Freddie Hubbard, Joe Farrell, Lee Morgan, Bobby Hutcherson and two members of his working unit, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and bassist Dezron Douglas.

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Radio & Podcasts

Contemporary Carols by Women and Grammy nominations

Read "Contemporary Carols by Women and Grammy nominations" reviewed by Mary Foster Conklin


This Christmas Eve's broadcast included new releases by Allison Au, Camille Thurman and John Daversa Big Band, with a first look at some Grammy nominees, plus birthday shout outs to Edith Piaf, Bob Brookmeyer and Lil Green , among others. Playlist Geri Allen “Joy and Wonder" from The Gathering (Verve) 00:00 Champian Fulton “Merry Merry Christmas" from Christmas With Champian (Self released) 04:36 Sue Maskaleris “The Meaning (Peace & Love)" from Bring Nothing But Your Heart (Self released) ...

7
Album Review

Camille Thurman: Inside The Moment

Read "Inside The Moment" reviewed by James Nadal


As a first call saxophonist and vocalist, Camille Thurman has appeared as guest accompanist on so many albums and performances by acclaimed artists, it's hard to imagine where she found the time for Inside The Moment . Having released both Origins and Spirit Child back to back in 2014, and as the recipient of prestigious awards for her musical talents, Thurman has been steadily adding to her impressive resume; this live set proving why and how she is one of ...

3
Album Review

Camille Thurman: Origins

Read "Origins" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist Camille Thurman is not just another girl singer accessorizing with a horn. She is a first class saxophonist that blows the proverbial roof off the place and an accomplished stylist who uses her vocal cords like she does her various woodwinds, with agility and sophistication. Her sophomore effort Origins is a testament of her skill and talent not only as a performer but also as a composer as she penned most of the music on the ...

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Album Review

Camille Thurman: Origins

Read "Origins" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Camille Thurman may have started as a vocalist, but on her Hot Tone debut, Origins, the flexes her breath, blowing through every instrument that transmits wind. Thurman rides the wave created by bassist/vocalist Mimi Jones, creator of Hot Tone Records with the release of her Balance (2014). A third artist makes a trio in this flood of music in drummer/percussionist Shirazette Tinnin who released her recording Humility at the same time. These three women have much to do with one ...

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Recording

Hot Tone Music To Release CDs By Bassist Mimi Jones, Saxophonist Camille Thurman, Drummer Shirazette Tinnin On Feb. 4

Hot Tone Music To Release CDs By Bassist Mimi Jones, Saxophonist Camille Thurman, Drummer Shirazette Tinnin On Feb. 4

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

The simultaneous release on February 4 of new Hot Tone Music CDs by Mimi Jones (Balance), saxophonist Camille Thurman (Origins), and drummer Shirazette Tinnin (Humility: Purity of My Soul) places the label at the forefront of bringing recognition to the increasing prominence of world-class female musicians in the jazz arena. “Hot Tone Music was created to give chances to those who may have been overlooked and denied the necessary support and knowledge to develop,” says bassist Jones, who founded the ...

Event

Emmanuel Baptist Church Jazz Vespers Returns For The Summer With The Camille Thurman Quartet

Emmanuel Baptist Church Jazz Vespers Returns For The Summer With The Camille Thurman Quartet

Source: Emmanuel Baptist Church Jazz Vespers

BROOKLYN, NY: Emmanuel Baptist Church has returned with the summer edition of its Jazz Vespers featuring the Camille Thurman Quartet, who will add their own unique stamp to the growing roster of highly talented artists to perform at series since it began years ago. It will take place in its standing home at the historic Emmanuel Baptist Church, 279 Lafayette Avenue, located in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 2013 at 3:00 PM. The recurrent ...

Primary Instrument

Saxophone

Location

New York City

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

As a dedicated educator eager to share the rich legacy of jazz with the upcoming generation, Camille presents lectures, teaches ensembles and conducts masterclasses in various schools, colleges, camps and community centers. She believes, teaching the younger generation to appreciate good music and understanding it’s history is key in ensuring that the future of good music will live on. Camille’s masterclasses give students an awareness of the society surrounding them as well as a sensitivity to various disciplines that exist; music, art, history, science and various elements of culture

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Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Fade To Black

Afrasia Productions
2022

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Crisis

Savant Records
2021

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Lagos Pepper Soup

Self Produced
2020

buy

The Ellis Marsalis...

Nu Jazz Records/Nu Jazz Entertainment
2020

buy

Inside The Moment

Chesky Records
2017

buy

Origins

Hot Tone Music
2014

buy

Videos

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