Sheila Jordan
| Sheila Jordan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sheila Jeanette Dawson |
| Born |
November 18, 1928 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, free jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Labels | Blue Note, SteepleChase, HighNote, ECM, East Wind, Grapevine, Palo Alto, Blackhawk, Muse, Justin Time |
| Associated acts | Skeeter, Mitch and Jean, Steve Kuhn, George Gruntz, Harvie S, Cameron Brown, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow |
| Website | www |
Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to a solo career. Jordan pioneered a bebop and scat jazz singing style with an upright bass as the only accompaniment. Jordan's music has earned praise from many critics, particularly for her ability to improvise lyrics; Scott Yanow describes her as "[o]ne of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers."Charlie Parker often introduced Jordan as "the singer with the million dollar ears."
Sheila Jordan grew up in Summerhill, Pennsylvania, before returning to her birthplace of Detroit, Michigan in 1940, playing the piano and singing semi-professionally in jazz clubs. She was influenced by Charlie Parker and was part of a trio called Skeeter, Mitch and Jean (Skeeter Spight, Leroi Mitchell, Jordan was Jean), the group composed lyrics to Parker's arrangements. The trio would often attend Parker's Detroit gigs; Parker became acquainted with them and would ask them to sing.
In 1951, Jordan moved to New York City and studied harmony and music theory, taught by Lennie Tristano and Charles Mingus. However, Parker remained the focus of Jordan's studies and the two became good friends until Parker's death in 1955; Jordan still refers to Parker as "teacher". From 1952 to 1962 she was married to Parker's pianist, Duke Jordan; the marriage produced a daughter, Tracey J. Jordan.
In a 2012 interview with JazzWax, when asked why she moved to New York, Jordan stated, "I guess I was chasin' the Bird [Parker]." When asked if the song "Chasin' the Bird" was written for her, she replied, "No. I don't know how that rumor got started."
In the early 1960s, Jordan had gigs and sessions in the Page Three Club in Greenwich Village, where she performed with pianist Herbie Nichols, and performed in other clubs and bars in New York. For much of the 1960s, Jordan withdrew from club performing to raise her daughter. As a single mother, church performances became an appropriate venue. She supported herself by working as a typist and legal secretary for twenty years and was unable to concentrate on music full-time until she was 58 years old.
...
Wikipedia