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Sheila Jordan

Sheila Jordan is an NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jeanette Dawson, 18 November 1928, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining country, Jordan began singing as a child and by the time she was in her early teens was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Her first great influence was Charlie Parker and, indeed, most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers.

Working chiefly with black musicians, she met with disapproval from the white community but persisted with her career. She was a member of a vocal trio, Skeeter, Mitch And Jean (she was Jean), who sang versions of Parker’s solos in a manner akin to that of the later Lambert, Hendricks And Ross. After moving to New York in the early 50s, she married Parker’s pianist, Duke Jordan, and studied with Charles Mingus and Lennie Tristano, but it was not until the early 60s that she made her first recordings.

One of these was under her own name, the other was The Outer View with George Russell, which featured a famous 10-minute version of "You Are My Sunshine". In the mid-60s her work encompassed jazz liturgies sung in churches and extensive club work, but her appeal was narrow even within the confines of jazz.

By the late 70s jazz audiences had begun to understand her uncompromising style a little more and her popularity increased - as did her appearances on record, which included albums with pianist Steve Kuhn, whose quartet she joined, and an album, Home, comprising a selection of Robert Creeley’s poems set to music and arranged by Steve Swallow.

A 1983 duo set with bassist Harvie Swartz, Old Time Feeling, comprises several of the standards Jordan regularly features in her live repertoire, while 1990’s Lost And Found pays tribute to her bebop roots. Both sets display her unique musical trademarks, such as the frequent and unexpected sweeping changes of pitch which still tend to confound an uninitiated audience.

Entirely non-derivative, Jordan is one of only a tiny handful of jazz singers who fully deserve the appellation and for whom no other term will do.

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Radio & Podcasts

New Releases Plus Birthday Shoutouts To Timeless Jazz Women Going Full Swing

Read "New Releases Plus Birthday Shoutouts To Timeless Jazz Women Going Full Swing" reviewed by Mary Foster Conklin


This broadcast includes new releases from Sarah McKenzie, Michael Weiss, Susan Alcorn, Vanessa Perica plus a second posthumous recording from Nora York, with major birthday shoutouts to Joni Mitchell (80!), Betty Bryant (92!), Sheila Jordan (95!), Bertha Hope (87!), Lani Hall (78!), Jen Hodge, Rene Marie, Miho Hazama, Kitty Margolis and Samara Joy, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by seeing them live and online. Purchase their music so they can continue to distract, ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Why Jazz: Part 1

Read "Why Jazz: Part 1" reviewed by Monk Rowe


Season 2 of the Jazz Backstory podcast begins with a review of the devotion to the art required for a successful career. After the inspiration and exploration, what makes a young jazz musician stick with it? Sheila Jordan, Don Alias, Diane Reeves and others share their thoughts. ...

Album Review

Sheila Jordan: Live at Mezzrow

Read "Live at Mezzrow" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Inossidabile, leggendaria Sheila. Un anno fa usciva lo splendido inedito del 1960 con la Jordan agli inizi di carriera www.allaboutjazz.com/comes-love-lost-session-1960-sheila-jordan-capri-records e 6 decenni dopo la cantante è ancora on stage, in bella forma all'età di 93 anni. Com'è noto Sheila Jordan iniziò a cantare tardivamente—poco dopo i 30—e per motivi famigliari sviluppò la sua carriera artistica dalla seconda metà dei settanta, quando aveva superato i quarantacinque. Nella maturità ci ha regalato le sue cose migliori, in un ...

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Radio & Podcasts

New Releases Plus Jazz Master Sheila Jordan Celebrates Another Solar Journey

Read "New Releases Plus Jazz Master Sheila Jordan Celebrates Another Solar Journey" reviewed by Mary Foster Conklin


This broadcast presents new releases from from Kate Hamann, Vanessa Racci, Sam Taylor, The Ostara Project, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Kris Allen, plus a new single from Abbie Finn, with birthday shoutouts to lyricist Marilyn Bergman, Jazz Master Sheila Jordan, Cynthia Hilts, Nioka Workman, Cindy Blackman, Marianne Solivan, Jen Hodge and Johnny Mercer among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by purchasing their music during this time of pandemic so they can continue to distract, comfort, ...

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Bailey's Bundles

September 2022: Jazz Child

Read "September 2022: Jazz Child" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Sheila Jordan Live At Mezzrow's Cellar Music 2022 Nonagenarian Sheila Jordan is a jazz singer enjoying an incandescent twilight. In late 2021, Jordan appeared on Roseanna Vitro's Sing A Song of Bird (Skyline Records, 2021) singing a song contra-composed in her honor from Charlie Parker's “Cheryl," -"Sheila, Jazz Child." Jordan, along with drummer Roy Haynes, remains the last living connection to the famous alto saxophonist, who is generously represented on Jordan's Live at Mezzrow. ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Mary Lou Williams, Sheila Jordan & CeCe Gable

Read "Mary Lou Williams, Sheila Jordan & CeCe Gable" reviewed by Joe Dimino


The voice and range of Reno-based veteran jazz singer CeCe Gable kicks off the 760th Episode of Neon Jazz with music from her new album Next Year's Song. We follow that up with music from an inspiration to many in the jazz world, Sheila Jordan and a song from Live at Mezzrow. More music from talents including Evan Drybread, Mark Winkler and Deanne Matley keep the hour moving. Also, we feature new music from Deanna Witkowski and pay homage to ...

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Album Review

Sheila Jordan: Live At Mezzrow

Read "Live At Mezzrow" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Sheila Jordan is a living jazz legend. Since coming to New York City in 1950 at the encouragement of Charlie Parker, she is one of, if not the last, living link to a time and a place in the jazz world that is the subject of hagiography, myth and occasionally reality. With a voice that is uniquely her own, it is possible that in the course of a single song interpretation, Jordan's voice can sound morose and honeyed, supple and ...

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Event

New York’s Longest Running Jazz Concert Series 'Highlights In Jazz' Celebrates 50 Years With Gala Concert On February 23, 2023

New York’s Longest Running Jazz Concert Series 'Highlights In Jazz' Celebrates 50 Years With Gala Concert On February 23, 2023

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

Producer Jack Kleinsinger Presents All-Star Lineup at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan, guitarists Gene Bertoncini and Russell Malone, bassist Jay Leonhart and many more jazz greats to be on hand for historic concert. Highlights in Jazz returns to BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center for a festive 5 th anniversary concert on Feb. 23, 2023 8 PM. Jack Kleinsinger, the founder and producer of the highly regarded landmark jazz series, has put together an exciting, generation-crossing ...

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Performance / Tour

Singer Roberta Brenza Presents Her Debut Release Featuring Sheila Jordan, Matt Wilson & More On September 16th - Friday 'It's My Turn To Color Now' At Soapbox Gallery!

Singer Roberta Brenza Presents Her Debut Release Featuring Sheila Jordan, Matt Wilson & More On September 16th - Friday 'It's My Turn To Color Now' At Soapbox Gallery!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Friday, September 16th, 8pm Soapbox Gallery 636 Dean Street Brooklyn, NY, 11238 “Her delightfully casual and welcoming voice, defying gravity in a manner not unlike a legend such as Blossom Dearie or peer Kat Edmonson, has the special charm that’s easy on the ears with the potential to stir your heart." —John Ephland “She’s a wonderful talent. And I think it’s great that she’s doing a recording, putting a CD out there. I think it’s wonderful. ...She has ...

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Recording

Singer Roberta Brenza Presents Her Debut Release August 19th Featuring Sheila Jordan, Matt Wilson & More! 'It's My Turn To Color Now!'

Singer Roberta Brenza Presents Her Debut Release August 19th Featuring Sheila Jordan, Matt Wilson & More! 'It's My Turn To Color Now!'

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

"Her delightfully casual and welcoming voice, defying gravity in a manner not unlike a legend such as Blossom Dearie or peer Kat Edmonson, has the special charm that’s easy on the ears with the potential to stir your heart." —John Ephland Coming to performing later in life, Chicago-based vocalist/songwriter Roberta Brenza makes the most of this debut recording experience—It's My Turn to Color Now—-as she enlists a brilliant team of playmates—producer & drummer Matt Wilson, pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Cameron ...

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Event

Sheila Jordan, Jazz Legend, At Jimmy's In Portsmouth, September 11, 2022

Sheila Jordan, Jazz Legend,  At Jimmy's In Portsmouth, September 11, 2022

Source: Seacoast Jazz Society

On Sunday, September 11, at Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club in jny: Portsmouth, New Hampshire the Seacoast Jazz Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering jazz music and jazz education, will host a special evening event and performance to honor legendary jazz singer, Sheila Jordan. Jordan’s career began in the 1950s. Today she still performs all over the world. She is one of the few jazz artists in this country to be awarded the distinction of “Jazz Master Fellow” by ...

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Recording

Famed Vocalist Roseanna Vitro Releases 'Sing A Song Of Bird Feat. Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Marion Cowings

Famed Vocalist Roseanna Vitro Releases 'Sing A Song Of Bird Feat. Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough, Marion Cowings

Source: Mouthpiece Music

Vocalist Roseanna Vitro is a favorite among jazz aficionados and musicians alike. That’s why Cedar Walton has said, “Roseanna Vitro, one of my favorite vocalists, sings with a great feeling for jazz. Her readings on major compositions are monumental.” Her outsized talents and passion for the music are matched only by the generosity of her spirit, which shines beautifully on her newest recording Sing a Song of Bird, a celebration of the great and inimitable Charlie Parker. Vitro conceived this ...

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Book / Magazine

Jazz Child: A Portrait Of Sheila Jordan Biography By Ellen Johnson Released By Rowman And Littlefield

Jazz Child: A Portrait Of Sheila Jordan Biography By Ellen Johnson Released By Rowman And Littlefield

Source: Ellen Johnson

When Sheila Jordan dropped a nickel in the jukebox of a Detroit diner in the 1940s and heard “Now’s The Time” by Charlie Parker, she was instantly hooked—and so began a seventy-year jazz journey. With Jordan’s full cooperation, author Ellen Johnson documents the fascinating career of the 85-year-old NEA Jazz Master who stands today as one of the worlds most deeply respected jazz vocalists and educators. Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan published by Rowman and Littlefield is the ...

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Event

Sheila Jordan In Berkeley: Master Class Dec. 2, Concert Tribute Dec. 3

Sheila Jordan In Berkeley: Master Class Dec. 2, Concert Tribute Dec. 3

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan will be in Berkeley in early December to teach, to sing, and to be honored. She is leading a master class on Sunday 12/2, at 12:00 noon, at the Jazzschool, and will be the guest of honor at a Jazzschool fundraiser to be held on Monday 12/3, at 8:00 pm, across the street at the Freight & Salvage. “The ‘participant’ portion of the workshop is sold out,” says Laurie Antonioli, the Director of the Jazzschool’s ...

Event

The Jazzschool Presents Sheila Jordan Tribute At The Freight, Berkeley, 12/3

The Jazzschool Presents Sheila Jordan Tribute At The Freight, Berkeley, 12/3

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

In just three years, the Jazzschool’s annual Mark Murphy Vocal Scholarship fundraisers have become established as a highlight of the fall concert season. They provide an opportunity for Bay Area vocal jazz royalty to come together in celebration of their art and their mentors. On Monday, December 3, the Jazzschool will present its 4th annual vocal scholarship fundraiser at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. Whereas in past years the focus was firmly on Murphy, his music, and his influence ...

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Book / Magazine

Countdown To Raise Funds for Revolutionary Publishing Technology Featuring Sheila Jordan

Countdown To Raise Funds for Revolutionary Publishing Technology Featuring Sheila Jordan

Source: Sound Visions Media

NEA Jazz Master, Sheila Jordan, never imagined her biography would be an innovative digital media book. For more than five years, author and vocalist Ellen Johnson has been researching and writing Jordan's fascinating life story about the vocal jazz legend. “Jazz Child: The Sheila Jordan Story," a Kickstarter crowd-funding project, will be created with the latest Digital Publishing System (DPS) from Adobe that is revolutionizing the world of rich media delivery on portable devices like the iPad, Samsung Galaxy and ...

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Recording

Vocalist Chloe Brisson Releases CD "Blame It on My Youth" Featuring Sheila Jordan, Matt Wilson and Others.

Vocalist Chloe Brisson Releases CD "Blame It on My Youth" Featuring Sheila Jordan, Matt Wilson and Others.

Source: Two for the Show Media

When a musical voice is discovered so young, it always captures the listener with amazement that so much can emanate from something so early in their talent. Well, that is the case with vocalist Chloe Brisson. Her first CD “Red Door Sessions" was released at the ripe old age of thirteen, and now she is back for her sophomore effort “Blame it On My Youth," where she has joined forces with some of the best that the jazz world has ...

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live at Mezzrow

Cellar Records
2022

buy

It's My Turn to Color...

Origin Records
2022

buy

Comes Love: Lost...

Capri Records
2021

buy

Sing a Song of Bird

Skyline Records
2021

buy

Ode to the Road

HighNote Records
2020

buy

Lucky to Be Me

Abeat Records
2018

buy

Bebop Lives (Boplicity)

From: It's My Turn to Color Now
By Sheila Jordan

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