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Nora York

Nora York has performed and written her own music for theater, film, television, concert and cabaret. She has four CDs in release, been awarded two New York State Council on the Arts composers commissions and her work has been commissioned by The Public Theater in New York and The Brooklyn Academy of Music. She has performed at concert venues, universities and festivals throughout the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Europe. (Ted, Newport Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz festival, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall and Lincoln Center Out of Doors.) She has been teaching at NYU since 1997.

Awards

Two New York State Council of the Arts Composers Commissions Backstage Bistro Award for Outstanding Performer 2005

A singer-composer's bountiful musical gifts

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
November 7, 2019

The jazz world lost singer Nora York three years ago when she died from pancreatic cancer at age 60. But her artful, creative and distinctive music lives on. This is a good thing—for us. Her longtime collaborator Jamie Lawrence, a New York-based pianist, has just released Swoon, a recording of previously unreleased material by York. Four of the songs were written by York. Six others were collaborations by the two of them. Two of York's distinctive pop covers round out ...
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NORA YORK PRESS QUOTES

"ingenious ...radical.... extravagant talent." - The New Yorker -

“Extravagant jazz-pop chanteuse Nora York will have your heart in her back pocket by the end of the set” - Time Out New York -

“... subtle and refined ... magnificent.” -Elle Japan-

“ the York mystique smolders. .This Bohemian iconoclast has what it takes to validate her atavistic calling.” -The Village Voice -

“ She dares to challenge the conventional roles for female jazz singers...” -(David Hajdu) New York Times Magazine-

“Nora York, is the conceptualist Diva” -Downbeat- “You want unique? Here she is, in your face; the wise ones at this room are booking York regularly. Tall, angular, and unflinching, she has unexpected takes on songs she didn't write and unexpected angles on songs she does write. She wrings out songs that take contrasting views of various subjects. With Jamie Lawrence on piano, Steve Tarshis on guitar, Dave Hofstra on bass, Peter Grant on drums. “ -The Village Voice-

NORA YORK PRESS QUOTES

"ingenious ...radical.... extravagant talent." - The New Yorker -

“Extravagant jazz-pop chanteuse Nora York will have your heart in her back pocket by the end of the set” - Time Out New York -

“... subtle and refined ... magnificent.” -Elle Japan-

“ the York mystique smolders. .This Bohemian iconoclast has what it takes to validate her atavistic calling.” -The Village Voice -

“ She dares to challenge the conventional roles for female jazz singers...” -(David Hajdu) New York Times Magazine-

“ You could search for weeks, months, years and you'd find no one like this lanky chanteuse. Her stunning What I Want CD is a testament to the breadth of her talent. This town is full of talents due much wider recognition. None is more deserving than this tall and model thin singer-songwriter-truth teller. Grab this chance to drive yourself nuts trying to categorize the intrepid boite habitué. You ain’t seen nothing like what this long drink of water does with her eclectic bag of songs. If she sings an evergreen, she turns it a shade not known in nature. A must-catch!” - The Village Voice —

“America’s psycho social landscape serves as York’s subject matter... inventive and accessible... She examines the voracious desires that that fuel the American psyche. ...gripping ... stunning ... impressive... impassioned tunes.” -Jazziz-

“Since emerging from New York`s Knitting Factory jazz scene in the late `90s, Nora York has ignored musical boundaries. Like sister in song Nellie McKay, she has no use for the words "musical genre." On her third album, the aurally delicious 'What I Want,' York stands tall and proud at the intersection of Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Jane Siberry and Norah Jones. York had a hand in writing the bulk of the songs here, such as the buoyant title track. "Artificial Paradise" manages to bridge the gap between Mitchell`s "Hejira" and "Dog Eat Dog." No easy feat, for sure. In York`s worldview, desire and redemption share the same stage. A reading of the Rolling Stones` "Ruby Tuesday," stripped of any excess, is, in a word, beautiful.” -Billboard -

NORA YORK PRESS QUOTES

"War, Inequality and the abuse of authority are also on Nora York's mind these days; unlike most of us, though, this daring vocalist and conceptualist is able to turn her ruminations into fascinating musical explorations. Her latest "POWER/PLAY" uses Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" as its jumping off point; York is sure to take it to parts un-dreamed of. " - The New Yorker - “What do you get when listening to Nora York? A little Sting, a bit of Joni Mitchell and a whole lot of wonderful. Juxtaposing eras, genres, and attitudes to create a series of bold, brave sound sculptures. ...you know you are dealing with an intensely sharp witted fatalist who is as gifted an emotional puppeteer as she is a poet.” - JazzTimes - “York sure-handedly delivers her intelligent recombinant music... Like k.d. Lang and Laurie Anderson... York presents a kind of postmodern cabaret. The buzz about York and her band is growing. They recast old stories in strikingly thoughtful ways and, like love, make them new...” - (Gene Santoro) The New York Daily News -

“There is no one in jazz quite like the New York based vocalist... knocking the socks off the Newport Jazz Festival audience last summer...” -(Bob Young ) Boston Herald -

“ York is one of the more original musicians on the current scene.” -(David Hajdu) New York Review of Books-

“ The philosopher diva...- part passionate performance art, part classy jazz chanteuse styling, all imaginative originality... a post modern jazz diva.” -Austin American Statesman-

“ Intelligent and cheeky ...Burgundy voiced Nora York turns popular chestnuts inside out...” -(Ann Powers) New York Times-

“ Singer Nora York was a weekend highlight (JVC Jazz Festival/ Newport) featuring substantial York originals and intelligent challenging cross-genre juxtapositions” -The Boston Globe -

"Nora York has brought a tough- minded sensibility to cabaret" - (John Pareles) New York Times -

“ ...toying with memory and idiom, the performance artist-philosopher-jazz singer uses the extraordinary dynamics of her voice to careen high, throttle low, and creates an atmospheric post-bop vibe. “ -The Village Voice -

“Excellent! ” - Jazz Journal- international -

“... wonderful singer!....heartrending and immensely sensual.” -New York Magazine-

“..a Cool jazz singer forged from “Knitting Factory” .. An authentic sound..bring[ing] a fresh eye to standards...heart wrenching...” - Swing Journal Japan -

NORA YORK PRESS QUOTES

“ ...interpreter and singer of the title tracks of Doris Dorrie's movies...tasting every tone before she lets it out...” - Suddeutsche Zeitung -

“ Nora York's rich, controlled head and chest tones mark her as an important jazz figure in Gotham’s downtown nitery circuit..” -Variety-

“Smoky ballads and apocalyptic patter by the song stylist who gives “cyber-torch”it’s name...” -Village Voice-

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Primary Instrument

Vocals

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

In order to sing well we work with our voices in much the same way as an athlete trains. We train by repeating sets of exercises that help to develop positive vocal habits. Singing well depends on a measured combination of alignment, breath support, correct muscular involvement with emotion and intention. It is a movement form, not static or forced. I teach a method that is a hybrid of Italian Bel Canto technique, the Swedish school of singing, and my own methods of practice. I have been studying voice and singing professionally for over 30 years. The lessons will be divided between exercises and singing songs.