Sheila Jordon, Vocals

Sheila Jordan began singing in Detroit in the 1940s, where she was initially inspired by the music of Charlie Parker, her "musical guru." Moving to New York City in the '50s, she sang in clubs and at jam sessions with some of the city's jazz giants, including Charles Mingus and Herbie Nichols, and studied with Lennie Tristano. In 1962, she made her acclaimed first recordings, including "Portrait of Sheila," an album on Blue Note. After touring with trombonist Roswell Rudd in the late '70s, Jordan became a founding member of the Steve Kuhn Quartet. Jordan travels extensively, both here and abroad, performing as soloist, with her quartet and as co-leader of the Sheila Jordan/Harvie Swartz duo. She teaches jazz vocal workshops at the City College of New York (since 1978), is a faculty member of "Jazz in July" at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a visiting professor at Stanford University. She has received two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and many recording honors, including Best CD of the Year for "Lost and Found" in Wire Magazine's (UK) "1991 Critics Choice" poll. She has appeared in festivals and jazz clubs around the globe.