Home » Jazz Musicians » Mharlyn Merritt

Mharlyn Merritt

Mharlyn Merritt is a vocalist with roots in Jazz, R&B and Classic Soul who has lived in London and New York and now creates music, novels and poems in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA.

Daughter of world-renowned Jazz bassist/composer, Jymie Merritt (Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie), Mharlyn Merritt is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowship in Jazz Performance and an Interdisciplinary Arts Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. With the band Messenger, led by guitarist/composer Richard Lee Steacker (Grover Washington Band), Mharlyn opened for Hugh Masakela, Eddie Palmieri, and Richard Beltzer among others. During the disco-era her voice graced the background of numerous sessions at Philly’s legendary Sigma Sound Studios.

Mharlyn is also the sister of bassist and sought after studio musician, Michael Merritt of Conan O'Brien Band fame. Brother and sister have collaborated on the definitive Jazz Vocal cover album, "Alone Together." Talks of a future collaboration are in the works. Upcoming releases on Ms. Merritt's Honeybunch Record label include "Jukebox Reveries" with Mharlyn's longtime accomplice in Jazz the extraordinary Jazz pianist John Di Martino, an EP of progressive ambient/ funk soundscapes composed by Ms. Merritt entitled, "WhoSoEver." and the long awaited homage to Dakota Staton, "I Owe It To Dakota in September of 2023.

Mharlyn Merritt has an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh-Dickinson University. Her first novel, THE Actor was indie published in 2020 and has a 3.2 rating on Goodreads.

 

Awards

Mharlyn is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowship in Jazz Performance.


Tags

4

Recording

Jazz Vocalist Mharlyn Merritt Pays Tribute To Forgotten Jazz Diva With New Album

Jazz Vocalist Mharlyn Merritt  Pays Tribute To Forgotten Jazz Diva With New Album

Source: Mharlyn Merritt

Jazz vocalist Mharlyn Merritt is excited to announce the September 9, 2023 indie digital release of her new classic jazz/pop LP, in homage to pre-eminent vocalist Dakota Staton, entitled: I Owe It to Dakota, available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes and iHeart Radio. Dakota Staton made an indelible mark on the music scene in the 1950’s with her classically trained voice and unique ability to crossover the gap between jazz and pop with integrity. Yet ...

A common thread here is the power and emotion of Mharlyn's voice, evoking the spirit and texture of the great mid-20th century jazz vocal style defined by Billie Holliday...-Jazz Improv magazine

Music

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.